Dear Literal and Spiritual Farm Dwellers, Finally, the much-promised edition of Off Topic about books set on prairies or farms. If I owned a bookshop, I would set up one of those lovely browsing tables dedicated to this genre, or maybe even have some formal signage directing people to it on the shelves - doesn’t ordering shelves alphabetically feel like the very least enticing option? It works for people shopping with a specific quest, but somehow doesn’t suit a leisurely browser nearly so well (although filing in any other way would require the bookseller to be familiar with the themes of every single book in the shop).
Please track down a copy of 'Letters of A Woman Homesteader' by Elinore Pruitt Stewart - a wonderful first-person account of life in Burnt Fork, Wyoming in 1909. And I highly recommend Ivan Doig's 'The Whistling Season" set in Montana around the same time. These are two terrific books. What a great post Florence - I loved 'The Dirty Life', 'Good Husbandry" and so many of the books you have mentioned.
Ivan Doig's name feels so familiar that I'm sure I must have had a recommendation for him before, so will endeavour to follow it up now you've doubled up on it! Thank you so much :) Also, so pleased you loved Kristin's books too. x
Thank you so much, Clare - this looks wonderful! Added to my TBR. Also, thank you for mentioning Gretchen's newsletter - I read her first book (I think maybe The Happiness Project) years ago, but haven't kept up with what she's doing since then. Wishing you a lovely weekend. x
Ugh yes, I recently listened to the audiobook of 'A Fine Balance' - I KEPT IMAGINING THINGS COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE, BUT THEN THEY DID. One night I got into a horrible bit just before bed and thought I'd better keep going to get past it, and you can imagine how that went. But I agree with you that it's a truly great work! Am struggling to think of anything I've read/listened to that was set on a farm... I've just started listening to 'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer, non-fiction and not about farming but about the Earth and plants and nature, and so far (one chapter in) fascinating and already thought-expanding. Can't bring myself to watch Jeremy Clarkson despite your recommendation but am surprised and glad to hear of him doing anything vaguely unobnoxious! I love the weekly newsletter with our veg box that gives a little glimpse of real 'country life' and the struggles of farming and trying to do it sustainably. x
Yes, I can imagine exactly how that went - at times I found the endless loss of limbs hard to believe (although I know it's not unrealistic 😥) - really, you'd just have to keep going until the end of the book to reach a place where things stopped getting worse. Yes, a newsletter that arrives with things feels like a real treat - I love the ones Victoria Health includes with purchases. I hope you have a splendid weekend ahead and that you have colourful soles underfoot (literally or metaphorically). x
Am now several chapters further into 'Braiding Sweetgrass' and can only recommend it even more - and there are references to farming and the Dust Bowl so I'm sure it could belong on your bookshop display table. x
What a great topic Florence! I grew up obsessed with the original Little House on the Prairie books ( don’t even get me started on the rubbish tv series! ) so I too have loved a prairie story ever since. I read ‘All among the barley’ earlier this year and thought the same as you about the disappointing ending, rather spoilt it for me. ‘Where the crawdads sing’ was brilliant though and not the book I thought it was going to be, so I would recommend that too. Also don’t forget Tracy Chevalier’ The Last Runaway’ ...brilliant and gripping...quilts and farms, what more could you want??
You have absolutely got to do your ‘top ten favourite books of all time!’!! Great idea! I have had a my list for a long time now and the top five never change, but there is always a bit of movement around the bottom slots. I find that if a book stays in my head and I want to reread it again and again , it’s a keeper.
Also, would you believe I am writing this having just returned from a muddy walk wearing cashmere! Nothing else does keep you warmer!
I somehow never read the Little House on the Prairie books, but it sounds like we've ended up with very similar tastes anyway (and walking wardrobes). I actually interviewed Tracy about The Last Runaway for my book on EPP, so I'm not sure how I managed to omit it here - thank you for the reminder :)
Yes, I can totally see how it would be like that - I wrote a rough list of my Top Ten on a train journey the other day and there were many contenders, but then an obvious few (probably like you, around five) that were immovable.
Wishing you a lovely weekend (also, cashmere suddenly not strictly necessary - I sat outside without a coat for the first time this year yesterday). x
I recommend Prairie Fires: the American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. This book explores the real background to the Ingalls family’s little houses and the reality behind the American Dream. Although many illusions are shattered, Laura remained a hero in my eyes (albeit a more realistic one) but don’t get me started on Almanzo!
Thank you so much - I will need to read The Little House books first - I wish I'd read them to my own children when they were younger, but they were just never really on my radar as they hadn't been part of my own childhood. x
It’s such a treat to find your newsletter in my mailbox! Based on your recommendation I’ve placed Urban Dreams, Rural Realities on my wish list. The Snow Child would probably make my Top Ten list. I read it many years ago and intend to read it again. I found the story hauntingly beautiful. The knitter in me appears to be drawn to books about animal husbandry that focus on sheep. I liked Rebanks’ The Shepherd’s Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape more than I liked Pastoral Song. And I have two more sheep-related and quite humorous non-fiction books to recommend. Both are from Catherine Friend - Hit by a Farm: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn and Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet. I think if I could relive my 20s and 30s, I’d do so on a sheep farm - raising, harvesting the wool, dyeing it from natural dyes, spinning, knitting, the whole shebang!
I hadn't thought of that, but of course knitting would give you an additional relationship with sheep - how lovely :) I love the look of your recommendations - also that it's two women - so many of farming books I've read make it seem like having a man (or at least an older boy) around is essential because of the physical strength required. And yes - wouldn't it be wonderful if we could experience endless parallel lives.
What a lovely read to start the day , thank you. I see my TBR list growing. I'm loving every word of English Pastoral. So well written. I also enjoyed his previous book The Shepherds Life. Florence your book started my love (read obsession 😁) with EPP when a friend brought it to book club as " the book I read over and over " . My own copy is now read over and over between stitching, thankyou for the inspiration 💖
I can't tell you quite how lovely it is to hear - it's made my day to think that book is one someone returns to, knowing how special the books that fulfil that role in my own life are to me ☺️. Thank you x
Really enjoying your newsletters. I would recommend Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker though it may be difficult to find in the UK. Set in the wheat growing region of central Montana in the 1940s (published in 1944) it’s one of my favorite novels. And thanks for the tip about Melissa Harrison’s podcast.
Ooh, this looks really interesting - thank you. Yes, I agree and find hardbacks can be a bit face-jabby when reading in bed, although sometimes I just can't wait for the paperback. x
Thank you for this Florence. Have just put in a few holds at my local library. A Canadian farm classic you may enjoy is Who Has Seen the Wind by WO Mitchell. Falls into the “I haven’t read it in a long time “ category so I hope it has aged well.
Please track down a copy of 'Letters of A Woman Homesteader' by Elinore Pruitt Stewart - a wonderful first-person account of life in Burnt Fork, Wyoming in 1909. And I highly recommend Ivan Doig's 'The Whistling Season" set in Montana around the same time. These are two terrific books. What a great post Florence - I loved 'The Dirty Life', 'Good Husbandry" and so many of the books you have mentioned.
Ivan Doig's name feels so familiar that I'm sure I must have had a recommendation for him before, so will endeavour to follow it up now you've doubled up on it! Thank you so much :) Also, so pleased you loved Kristin's books too. x
Ps. Have just read the synopsis - definitely going on my TBR. x
You might want to take a look at ‘My Antonia’ by Willa Cather (1918). It is seen as a classic pioneer story set on the prairies of Nebraska.
This looks wonderful and full-prairie- thank you so much, Rochelle. Wishing you a lovely weekend. x
You might enjoy String too short to be saved by Donald Hall. I came across this from a Gretchen Rubin newsletter recommendation a while back and bought a second hand copy https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/donald-hall/string-too-short-to-be-saved/9780879232825?gclid=CjwKCAiAg6yRBhBNEiwAeVyL0I1ebIEf311eY9V5Uzi27hmYfM_Kz90a6BccojuI1v9t5Icu_6jFoRoC57YQAvD_BwE It's based on a New England farm - a series of short stories about the memories the author has of the summers he spent on his grandparents farm. It's a very charming read.
A delightful book!
Thank you so much, Clare - this looks wonderful! Added to my TBR. Also, thank you for mentioning Gretchen's newsletter - I read her first book (I think maybe The Happiness Project) years ago, but haven't kept up with what she's doing since then. Wishing you a lovely weekend. x
Ugh yes, I recently listened to the audiobook of 'A Fine Balance' - I KEPT IMAGINING THINGS COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE, BUT THEN THEY DID. One night I got into a horrible bit just before bed and thought I'd better keep going to get past it, and you can imagine how that went. But I agree with you that it's a truly great work! Am struggling to think of anything I've read/listened to that was set on a farm... I've just started listening to 'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer, non-fiction and not about farming but about the Earth and plants and nature, and so far (one chapter in) fascinating and already thought-expanding. Can't bring myself to watch Jeremy Clarkson despite your recommendation but am surprised and glad to hear of him doing anything vaguely unobnoxious! I love the weekly newsletter with our veg box that gives a little glimpse of real 'country life' and the struggles of farming and trying to do it sustainably. x
Yes, I can imagine exactly how that went - at times I found the endless loss of limbs hard to believe (although I know it's not unrealistic 😥) - really, you'd just have to keep going until the end of the book to reach a place where things stopped getting worse. Yes, a newsletter that arrives with things feels like a real treat - I love the ones Victoria Health includes with purchases. I hope you have a splendid weekend ahead and that you have colourful soles underfoot (literally or metaphorically). x
Am now several chapters further into 'Braiding Sweetgrass' and can only recommend it even more - and there are references to farming and the Dust Bowl so I'm sure it could belong on your bookshop display table. x
What a great topic Florence! I grew up obsessed with the original Little House on the Prairie books ( don’t even get me started on the rubbish tv series! ) so I too have loved a prairie story ever since. I read ‘All among the barley’ earlier this year and thought the same as you about the disappointing ending, rather spoilt it for me. ‘Where the crawdads sing’ was brilliant though and not the book I thought it was going to be, so I would recommend that too. Also don’t forget Tracy Chevalier’ The Last Runaway’ ...brilliant and gripping...quilts and farms, what more could you want??
You have absolutely got to do your ‘top ten favourite books of all time!’!! Great idea! I have had a my list for a long time now and the top five never change, but there is always a bit of movement around the bottom slots. I find that if a book stays in my head and I want to reread it again and again , it’s a keeper.
Also, would you believe I am writing this having just returned from a muddy walk wearing cashmere! Nothing else does keep you warmer!
I somehow never read the Little House on the Prairie books, but it sounds like we've ended up with very similar tastes anyway (and walking wardrobes). I actually interviewed Tracy about The Last Runaway for my book on EPP, so I'm not sure how I managed to omit it here - thank you for the reminder :)
Yes, I can totally see how it would be like that - I wrote a rough list of my Top Ten on a train journey the other day and there were many contenders, but then an obvious few (probably like you, around five) that were immovable.
Wishing you a lovely weekend (also, cashmere suddenly not strictly necessary - I sat outside without a coat for the first time this year yesterday). x
I recommend Prairie Fires: the American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. This book explores the real background to the Ingalls family’s little houses and the reality behind the American Dream. Although many illusions are shattered, Laura remained a hero in my eyes (albeit a more realistic one) but don’t get me started on Almanzo!
Thank you so much - I will need to read The Little House books first - I wish I'd read them to my own children when they were younger, but they were just never really on my radar as they hadn't been part of my own childhood. x
It’s such a treat to find your newsletter in my mailbox! Based on your recommendation I’ve placed Urban Dreams, Rural Realities on my wish list. The Snow Child would probably make my Top Ten list. I read it many years ago and intend to read it again. I found the story hauntingly beautiful. The knitter in me appears to be drawn to books about animal husbandry that focus on sheep. I liked Rebanks’ The Shepherd’s Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape more than I liked Pastoral Song. And I have two more sheep-related and quite humorous non-fiction books to recommend. Both are from Catherine Friend - Hit by a Farm: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn and Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet. I think if I could relive my 20s and 30s, I’d do so on a sheep farm - raising, harvesting the wool, dyeing it from natural dyes, spinning, knitting, the whole shebang!
I hadn't thought of that, but of course knitting would give you an additional relationship with sheep - how lovely :) I love the look of your recommendations - also that it's two women - so many of farming books I've read make it seem like having a man (or at least an older boy) around is essential because of the physical strength required. And yes - wouldn't it be wonderful if we could experience endless parallel lives.
What a lovely read to start the day , thank you. I see my TBR list growing. I'm loving every word of English Pastoral. So well written. I also enjoyed his previous book The Shepherds Life. Florence your book started my love (read obsession 😁) with EPP when a friend brought it to book club as " the book I read over and over " . My own copy is now read over and over between stitching, thankyou for the inspiration 💖
I can't tell you quite how lovely it is to hear - it's made my day to think that book is one someone returns to, knowing how special the books that fulfil that role in my own life are to me ☺️. Thank you x
Really enjoying your newsletters. I would recommend Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker though it may be difficult to find in the UK. Set in the wheat growing region of central Montana in the 1940s (published in 1944) it’s one of my favorite novels. And thanks for the tip about Melissa Harrison’s podcast.
Thank you so much - that looks excellent and is actually available in the UK, too. Hoping you enjoy Melissa's podcast. x
Another brilliant list of recommendations thank you. I think you may like Woodston: The Biography of an English Farm. I haven't read it yet, must admit to waiting for the paperback to come out - not a big fan of hardbacks, but that's just me 😄https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1529176964/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_A22AAZ2GDZ6H1KSX1KQF
Ooh, this looks really interesting - thank you. Yes, I agree and find hardbacks can be a bit face-jabby when reading in bed, although sometimes I just can't wait for the paperback. x
Thank you for this Florence. Have just put in a few holds at my local library. A Canadian farm classic you may enjoy is Who Has Seen the Wind by WO Mitchell. Falls into the “I haven’t read it in a long time “ category so I hope it has aged well.
Thank you so much for the recommendation - it says he was one of Canada's best loved authors in the write-up, so I'd hope it's aged well :)
Glad you enjoyed Clarkson's Farm! Thank you for my mention! x
Thank you, lovely 💛. x
It's easy to see that you were given the gift, and sometimes curse, of being born an empath.
Ha, that's possibly true. x