欧宝娱乐

I read English farmer/shepherd James Rebanks鈥檚 two books, A Shepherd鈥檚 Life and Pastoral Song, during the pandemic, when I was isolated in my city apartment and longing for the rolling fields of the Laurel Highlands of the Western Pennsylvania where I grew up. I loved hearing about James鈥檚 life on his family farm in the fells of the Lake District, as well as his thoughtful perspectives on farming practices and society鈥檚 attitudes towards food and farming. For that reason, I was excited to read about his wife Helen鈥檚 memoir, The Farmer鈥檚 Wife, in the Slightly Foxed autumn 2023 reader鈥檚 catalogue.

Helen鈥檚 memoir is unique in that it provides a perspective that normally does not have an amplified voice in our culture. The title of the book reveals her primary identity: she is first and foremost a farmer鈥檚 wife and a mother, embracing these roles wholeheartedly. (And to be clear, Helen is actually a farmer鈥檚 wife, for real, not just someone with an MFA who happens to live in the country and keep some chickens.) She details what her life in this role looks like day to day, the hardships and the triumphs, the sacrifices and the rewards. She fills in a lot of gaps from her husband鈥檚 books, in which his love for her is clear, but she only appears as a background character. Here, she provides much more texture, dimension, and candor to the Rebanks family life portrayed in James鈥檚 writing. Much of the book is recounting the quotidian tasks of her life at various points in the family鈥檚 journey towards owning and living on James鈥檚 family鈥檚 farm, throughout which we see she and James grow individually and as a couple, slowly building healthier relationship dynamics and sustainable lifestyles for themselves. Although she does not quite convince me that a life as a farmer (or farmer鈥檚 spouse) is for me, she thoughtfully and persuasively makes the case for why the lives of farm families and caregivers are undervalued and deserve our admiration.

I strongly recommend this well written, unpretentious memoir for anyone with an interest in the life of a farm wife or farm family. If you have read James鈥檚 books and enjoyed them, this book is a wonderful complement to them; likewise, if you read The Farmer鈥檚 Wife first, I highly recommend picking up A Shepherd鈥檚 Life and Pastoral Song next.