annarella's review against another edition
5.0
An interesting, honest, and entertaining memoir about living on a farm. There's the fun part and there's the hard part about economics.
I liked the style of writing and how the author never sugarcoated anything.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I liked the style of writing and how the author never sugarcoated anything.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
toellandback's review against another edition
5.0
A very rare venture into non-fiction for me as Sally Urwin chronicles her working life from a mundane job in finance to a farmers wife and its a fascinating read.
Uplifting, surprising, shocking, very funny and at times very sad (although the sad moments are never dwelled upon or drawn out) and I found myself in tears at least once followed quickly by giggling at the mental image of Wonky the sheep or Candy the overweight Shetland pony and their quirks.
It's a brilliantly eye-opening look at the realities of farming in the North-East (or anywhere for that matter) and how although the lows outweigh the highs numerically, the sheer love, patience and bloody mindness of all involved make the highs worth it.
It could be the only non-fiction book I read this year but I'm so glad I did and I'd recommend it highly to anyone.
Good luck to everyone involved with High House Farm ❤
Uplifting, surprising, shocking, very funny and at times very sad (although the sad moments are never dwelled upon or drawn out) and I found myself in tears at least once followed quickly by giggling at the mental image of Wonky the sheep or Candy the overweight Shetland pony and their quirks.
It's a brilliantly eye-opening look at the realities of farming in the North-East (or anywhere for that matter) and how although the lows outweigh the highs numerically, the sheer love, patience and bloody mindness of all involved make the highs worth it.
It could be the only non-fiction book I read this year but I'm so glad I did and I'd recommend it highly to anyone.
Good luck to everyone involved with High House Farm ❤
claudiaslibrarycard's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
What the Flock by Sally Urwin is memoir about farm life in the UK. Sally Urwin was a young woman working an office job in London when she began experiencing chronic pain and serious anxiety. After some time suffering through that with no successful treatments, she met a man who was a farmer and decided to leave the city life behind.
As this memoir began, I was put off by the romanticizing of farm life. I’m glad I continued listening because after the first few chapters, the tone shifts and Sally shares many of the obstacles and challenges faced by modern farmers. I especially enjoyed the chapters about calving and lambing. The first deep dive into farming challenges is when Sally describes the experience during the Foot and Mouth epidemic in the early 2000s. (Content warning for animal death.)
From there, Urwin describes more of her life on the farm mostly chronologically. I was very interested in her descriptions of the unique ways Covid impacted farm life. She also speaks about mental health in farming families and the deleterious effects of Brexit.
Overall, I enjoyed this memoir. It veered into farm life romanticism at the beginning and end, and there was a point where I was tired of the cute anecdotes about specific animals. Otherwise, it was eye opening and engaging. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys memoirs or feels connected to farm life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thread Books for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
claudiaslibrarycard's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
What the Flock by Sally Urwin is memoir about farm life in the UK. Sally Urwin was a young woman working an office job in London when she began experiencing chronic pain and serious anxiety. After some time suffering through that with no successful treatments, she met a man who was a farmer and decided to leave the city life behind.
As this memoir began, I was put off by the romanticizing of farm life. I’m glad I continued listening because after the first few chapters, the tone shifts and Sally shares many of the obstacles and challenges faced by modern farmers. I especially enjoyed the chapters about calving and lambing. The first deep dive into farming challenges is when Sally describes the experience during the Foot and Mouth epidemic in the early 2000s. (Content warning for animal death.)
From there, Urwin describes more of her life on the farm mostly chronologically. I was very interested in her descriptions of the unique ways Covid impacted farm life. She also speaks about mental health in farming families and the deleterious effects of Brexit.
Overall, I enjoyed this memoir. It veered into farm life romanticism at the beginning and end, and there was a point where I was tired of the cute anecdotes about specific animals. Otherwise, it was eye opening and engaging. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys memoirs or feels connected to farm life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thread Books for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
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