Humans crave nature to some extent. Whether you are like Kristin Kimball and hail from a busting city, or you live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, you probably feel this pull to dig in the dirt every now and then. Or you at least appreciate flowers and succulents, eat eggs for breakfast, and savor the fresh burst of flavor a tomato offers in the summer time.

I really, really liked this book. There is something about reading a book about hard work and farm-life that makes me appreciate how good I have it. While I think that the life that Kristin Kimball and her husband lead sounds fulfilling and like a lifestyle I could handle for about a week (or maybe a day?), it also sounds backbreaking and stressful. The amazing thing about Kristen is throughout this book she didn’t ever really complain. Though there were many times where she could have lamented her choices, instead of griping about how hard things were, she simply plowed through them and made the best of it. 

From raising piglets to planting potato fields, at the end of a year, Kristin has done it all. I am sure this city girl never thought she would have to chop off a chicken’s head, or milk a cow every day, but even though she had no background in farming, she became an expert in all things “farmish” pretty quickly. If you are looking for a book that will make you appreciate the life you live, a life full of grocery stores and shopping malls, then pick up this one!

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  3 mild obscenities; 1 anatomical term; 1 F-Word derivative.

Violence/Gore:  A man shoots a pig with the intention to eat it; an observation of  man beating another man with a bat and being violent is described in brief detail; skinning sheep is described in some brief detail; chickens are slaughtered and the process is described in some detail; a woman is mentioned to have died from old age; some dogs attack a cow and the dogs are shot and killed; a farm animal is injured by dogs and the cuts and bite marks are briefly written of; rats are killed by various methods (drowning, trapping, catting); a batch of kittens is found dead, their little bodies are briefly described by the author; a cow is shot and slaughtered, some blood is mentioned and the process is described.

Sex/Nudity:  A married couple is mentioned to sleep together; kissing girls is referred to; a man viewing porn is referred to; a woman recalls sleeping with her husband, and how he touched her breast; a woman is referred to as a “whore and a prostitute”; a man is mentioned to undress before bed; a married adult couple kisses.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, killing animals, survival.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

An adult drinks port; adults drink homemade beer; a man is mentioned to have never smoked or tried drugs; a home is mentioned to smell like pot; a woman is mentioned to smoke cigarettes.