What a delightful memoir this was! It actually read more like a journal. The writing was concise yet full of interesting detail. It was told with great clarity and love for the animals. Weaving the history of cows with the history of man was a real eye opener.

Farming is not for the faint of heart or for those who expect to rock on the porch and watch the cows chew their cud in the pasture. Just what all is involved in day to day care and operations was well described. I was also appreciative of the inclusion of governmental regulations.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will look for more by Connell.

John Connell returns to his family farm after ten years .He shares with us a way of life most of us will never experience from early morning chores feeding all the cows to birthing new calves a particularly eye opening chapter.He shares with us his family life their dynamics .Ths was a lovely read for me a visit to a country a farm for me a city girl this was an eye opening experience,. #netgalley #hmh

The Farmer's Son is a dose of reality in our fast paced, industrial and urban world. It brings us back to the original methods of food production - small scale family farms where animals are valued as individuals and not just numbers in a feedlot. The family dynamics will be familiar for many who read this book, and the daily routines of the farm will be a welcome break for many. John Connell does a wonderful job introducing his readers to the life he is returning to after a long absence and his passion demonstrates why these small scale farms are so important if we are to continue including meat in our diets.

I was unprepared by the rawness of the opening chapter - the bluntness of farm life - and that shock totally ruined the book for me. I tried several times to pick it back up and keep reading but those raw images wouldn't let me. ***Please consider adding a warning of some kind, either on the dust jacket or in the prologue of just how graphic the book's language is.***