I really enjoyed reading this book. Tory and her husband decide to live off the grid in New Hampshire. At first it is just a weekend retreat but when circumstances change it changes into a full time house. The essays are informative, heartbreaking and funny. Enjoy their adventures.

I normally really like homesteading/gardening memoirs and this sounded really good, so I was a little sad that I just couldn't get into it. It felt slightly scattered and disconnected, like it was trying to tell too many stories at once. That notwithstanding, the writing voice is conversational and pleasant, so if I was in a different mind-frame, I'd probably be able to push through until I got hooked.

If you're a fan of The Backyard Parables, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, or books like them, I recommend you give this one a try too.

This book started out so slow for me. It had everything I wanted in a book doing things I think I want to do but do not have the nerve like life off the grid or even just have chickens. This author and her husband do it, sort of. Anyway, the book doesn't grab me and I am bored and the author writes like I am thinking "Where are the chickens?" She basically says relax I didn't get the chickens until I was 50. So I did and I really began to like these people and get into their story. So we are going through there life together and they have remodeled one house and they decide to buy and remodel another house in Rhode Island plus buy 193 acres in the New Hampshire countryside to build a cabin. While they are doing this they get chickens.
At last, the chickens. The author is told not to name them but she does. The six little girl chickens she thinks she is getting turns out to be 5 girls and a boy. She can't have a rooster in the city limits and she has named him so she can't wring his neck and have him for dinner so they move to the off the grid cabin on the 193 acres in New Hampshire. Now I really, really love these people. The rest of the book talks about the heartbreak of having chickens because if you open your heart to pets your heart will be broken but also joys and laughter of the same pets and the new chickens because they are addictive. You just can't stop at just six. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.

I loved this book and immediately recognized several of my friends...and of course, myself....in the many attempts this couple made to start the life they thought they wanted. In the end, you get the life you need, but it may not always be what you thought you wanted. I know several of my friends are going to love this book too.

I highly recommend this mellow and contemplative memoir. Through lyrical essays, the author explores those feelings and desires that that are the silent river within us- what is our purpose, our goals, our priorities? How do we create a home and life that nurtures us? And why do we all want to raise chickens?

Author McCagg doesn’t get to the chickens right away. That’s because she and her musician husband have to do their own nesting first. They have several houses to remodel and sell in Rhode Island. And then comes the process of taming a mountain in New Hampshire so that they can live off the grid. Even for committed environmentalists, it’s not easy to truly live off the land. Mother Nature has a lot to say about that.

Chickens are excellent teachers and they can impact a life in many ways. Readers will enjoy getting to know the chickens that have lived with the author. Each bird is so colorfully described in the book, you will remember each of their names and personalities. In her quest to produce “happy eggs”. The author created a happy life. Not without some mishaps and mayhem, though.

The author also shares her feelings as her mother ages and struggles with Parkinson’s. How and where do we find a peaceful life- on a mountain, in a big city, or in a bedroom with an ailing parent? This book has a pleasant mix of wry humor, and thoughtful meditations. Enjoy this poetic picture of life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy. This is my h0nest review.

Being a chicken owner of course, the cover immediately grabbed my attention.
When it started out, I said to my husband “you can’t judge a book by its cover because I haven’t read much about chickens.” That soon changed.
Their lives with and without chickens and roosters was definitely bittersweet. Learning about being backyard flock owners sometimes doesn’t come easy. Like children, animals are not born with a book in the womb or egg in this case. I’m glad Carl and Dorothy didn’t give up on the dream of having poultry. Try and try again is definitely a great motto for this couple.
Despite traveling back and forth from different homes, they also found a way to transport their flock when they didn’t have a “chicken tender” to take care of their egg layers while being away from home.
This book was a quick read for me. Very cute story of their life together. I would recommend it to any chicken owner or love story seeker. ❤️🐓
#atCrossroadswithChickens #netgalley

Such a cute, funny and honest book. I loved reading it! The author was clear and engaging in the whole of the story. A very very good read.