khchristensen's review against another edition
2.0
Growing up on a "farm"* in Michigan, I hoped to enjoy this book more than I did. As much as I wanted to sympathize with the author I just couldn't. I mean, come on-- [SPOILER ALERT] who orders chickens through the mail and expects them to arrive as fully grown hens? I found her anecdotes to be mildly entertaining at best, boring at worst.
*Not a working farm--the house and outbuildings (barns, no silo) were 100+ years old when I lived there and the only animals we had were laying hens. No horses, cows or pigs. Chickens are really gross, by the way.
*Not a working farm--the house and outbuildings (barns, no silo) were 100+ years old when I lived there and the only animals we had were laying hens. No horses, cows or pigs. Chickens are really gross, by the way.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
2.0
This review can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com or Amazon.com as part of the Vine program.
nicki_j's review against another edition
3.0
Link begins her book with the presupposition that every little girl wants to grow up and own a farm. She actually says that, like marrying prince charming, this is a common fantasy. Could that be any further from the truth? For me, no. Working on a farm is my personal nightmare. But I could look past that and admire her passion for it. Her love of her sons is heartwarming. But beyond that, I don't have much to say. I thought her constant mention of how wonderful her BOYS were and the neighborhood BOYS were and the fact that they were BOYS was kind of..anti-girl. Like, if she had had three girls, she couldn't have saved the farm. I got the impression that being female, or perhaps feminine, was something that Link views with disdain.
amerikanerin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
jpartlan's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting book. However I was left wondering how the author became a "badass". Yes she was able to do a lot of things herself however, I felt that she had these skills before this year of struggles. So I just feel the title was a little misleading. Good read though.
Also a note for the author/director reader of the audio version. For us Michiganders. It kinda messes with our ears when Mackinac is pronounced wrong. It really stuck with me. Mackinac is pronounced Mackinaw not Mackinack.
Also a note for the author/director reader of the audio version. For us Michiganders. It kinda messes with our ears when Mackinac is pronounced wrong. It really stuck with me. Mackinac is pronounced Mackinaw not Mackinack.
emily_miller's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. The stories were entertaining and the writing was good. And while I admire Ms. Link's perseverance and tenacity, I think she was proud to a fault. As a divorced mother of two, I understand Ms. Link's worry that asking for help is seen as a weakness but sometimes it is the strongest thing to do. It was during the times she struggled the most and kept those struggles to herself that I got irritated with her. That aside though, I did enjoy the book overall and would recommend it to others. It is a quick and easy read with some warm and funny moments and a happy ending.
jaclynday's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of those books I randomly decided to read because it sounded vaguely entertaining and I’m a sucker for fun cover art. Memoirs of rural living/adventure set alongside some sort of personal or professional hardship OR displayed as a brave and courageous departure from the monotony of a 9-5 life are littered on bookshelves. Maybe Wild started it, maybe Animal, Vegetable, Miracle did it first, but whatever the case, they are now A Thing. And I’m okay with that. I enjoy them a lot. You wrote an entire book about raising chickens? Sign me up. How about that one where you bought a farm and you have no idea what you’re doing? Yes, please. These books are usually a predictable combination of heart-warming anecdotes and humorous stories and sometimes that sounds just about right. (The Dirty Life by Kim Kimball is still one of my favorites of the genre.) Anyway, Bootstrapper is most definitely one of these types of books, but it’s also better. Better because Link IS badass and I was rooting for her the whole goddamn book. She and her husband divorce and suddenly she’s raising 3 boys at an income level that registers at or below the poverty line. She is resourceful, though, and has the kind of mental and emotional fortitude that makes her seem bigger than life. She’s inspirational but it doesn’t come off like she’s actually trying to be. She’s just telling about her life—like when she and her sons entered a zucchini-growing contest at their local bakery to win free bread so she could make her sons enough sandwiches that they wouldn’t go hungry for lunch. It was a quick, good book, but a few things confused or annoyed me. First, it seems like she ran out of stories once things began improving and at that point she realized she’d better wrap it up quick. Nothing else to write about, folks! I’m good now! Second, there are several details that she glosses over or pretends we won’t notice. Details of the divorce, for example, are no where to be found, though it’s a pivotal and reoccurring theme in her book. Third: A good memoir often makes you feel like you know someone intimately and it takes a lot of honest dumping all over the page to get that sense of familiarity well-established. Wild is a good example of this. Cheryl Strayed is really fearless talking about the not-so-book-ready parts of her story and that made me feel invested. Link, on the other hand, seems to have written this very much with impressions in mind (I don’t blame her, she has older kids after all), but I always got the sense she was writing the story she WISHED to tell rather than the one that actually happened. This probably directly relates to my first issue with the book (the rushed conclusion). I think she framed the story, told what she liked and when she couldn’t novelize it anymore? THE END. Anyway—this review has gotten much too long—I still really liked it and would recommend it to you if you need a quick read.
squinderella's review against another edition
3.0
I found Bootstrapper to be somewhat disappointing. I'm not usually all-about memoirs to begin with, but it took place in Michigan! I had to!
I felt like Link wrote a pretty decent description of suddenly being on her own, (without a husband), but of living on an actual farm? Not so much. It's not as if she had crops- she had a garden! And yes, she had animals, but only one kind at a time: first horses and then chickens - that's all.
Also, as another reviewer mentioned as well: she was so prideful that it was nearly dangerous for her boys. I understand not wanting to have to admit you're now "poor," but she had no food and no heat! In Michigan- in the winter! I've lived here my whole life...you can't do that!
Bootstrapper wasn't bad- I actually enjoyed it mostly, and there were quite a few points that were funny. I just feel as if the tag line and description aren't quite what you get.
As a side note: I listened to the audiobook and the reader, although good, had trouble with pronunciation: I thought Link's farm was called The Big Belly instead of Valley for the majority of the book until I finally looked it up! I couldn't understand why anyone would name their ranch that! She's also not a Michigander, as was obvious as soon as she said "Mackinac. " :) (It's ok...I can forgive that!)
I felt like Link wrote a pretty decent description of suddenly being on her own, (without a husband), but of living on an actual farm? Not so much. It's not as if she had crops- she had a garden! And yes, she had animals, but only one kind at a time: first horses and then chickens - that's all.
Also, as another reviewer mentioned as well: she was so prideful that it was nearly dangerous for her boys. I understand not wanting to have to admit you're now "poor," but she had no food and no heat! In Michigan- in the winter! I've lived here my whole life...you can't do that!
Bootstrapper wasn't bad- I actually enjoyed it mostly, and there were quite a few points that were funny. I just feel as if the tag line and description aren't quite what you get.
As a side note: I listened to the audiobook and the reader, although good, had trouble with pronunciation: I thought Link's farm was called The Big Belly instead of Valley for the majority of the book until I finally looked it up! I couldn't understand why anyone would name their ranch that! She's also not a Michigander, as was obvious as soon as she said "Mackinac. " :) (It's ok...I can forgive that!)
rballenger's review against another edition
3.0
Type of read: Commuter read.
What made me pick it up: I saw it on one of my recommended lists and thought the cover was interesting.
Overall rating: 'Bootstrapper' is the mental spiral and inner monologue we've all had but weren't willing to admit to ourselves. The flow and format of the book is smooth but is truly nothing more than the pieced-together ramblings of a woman going through a trying time and reinventing herself as the strong, 'with it' woman she's always tried to believe she is. It wasn't the most interesting read that I've had, but I enjoyed the honesty, laughed quite a bit at some of the predicaments and solutions (been there, done that sort of connections), and overall feel it was a good addition to my TBR list. I will add, as a native Minnesotan, the Michigan setting was relatable and I think made me connect with Link just a little bit more.
What made me pick it up: I saw it on one of my recommended lists and thought the cover was interesting.
Overall rating: 'Bootstrapper' is the mental spiral and inner monologue we've all had but weren't willing to admit to ourselves. The flow and format of the book is smooth but is truly nothing more than the pieced-together ramblings of a woman going through a trying time and reinventing herself as the strong, 'with it' woman she's always tried to believe she is. It wasn't the most interesting read that I've had, but I enjoyed the honesty, laughed quite a bit at some of the predicaments and solutions (been there, done that sort of connections), and overall feel it was a good addition to my TBR list. I will add, as a native Minnesotan, the Michigan setting was relatable and I think made me connect with Link just a little bit more.