This is not exactly the kind of book that I am more interested. It has a beautiful cover and nice pictures inside and that's what attracted me to this book. It might be very interesting to people how likes carpentry and crafts, just not for me.

Barn Club is the story of community, continuity, tradition, and craft by Robert J. Somerville. Due out 11th March 2021 from Chelsea Green Publishing, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

More and more in the last decades has -all- of the emphasis been on producing more in less time. Efficiency studies are a multi-billion dollar industry to train people how to work "smarter" not "harder". If there's been one positive thing from the pandemic, it's being forced to slow down and become more connected to our own slower rhythm. Many of my circle of friends have picked up knitting needles, planted gardens, learnt embroidery, learnt to cook from scratch, and other traditional handcrafts. It's deeply satisfying to feel a connection with countless generations who have gone before us.

In this philosophical and reasoned narrative the author, who is a woodworker, gathers together a group of volunteers to raise a barn using traditional timber framing methods which have been nearly vanished for 150 years. He delineates the process alongside the philosophical, musing on the fate of millions of elm trees in the 70s and their gradual resurgence. He discusses the processes of design and construction which they used, and how the project and process came together.

The narrative throughout is enhanced by the inclusion of simple hand drawn line illustrations which show different construction details and small schematics.

Five stars. This is a different, relevant, and philosophically appealing book. It is in absolutely no way a "how to" or tutorial guide. I highly recommend it to readers of natural history, philosophy, traditional lifestyle, self sufficiency, homesteading, and allied genres.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Though not a woodworker, my intense passion and appreciation for nature drew me to this unique book. It rekindled my love for elms which we often take for granted where I live. The author took on the project of a lifetime, building and raising a barn in rural England with local materials and old techniques, even using handcrafted pegs instead of nails with just a few exceptions. We learn about craftmanship, definition of craft (I craft with my hands so can relate in that way), the importance of community, knowing where materials come from and learning more of what we can accomplish. I really like that quotes of a wide range of project volunteers are sprinkled throughout which really make this personal. Not only did they learn and hone skills, they saw the value in reviving and breathing life into the past and in doing so, the future.

A lot of preparation and planning went into this project...as the author says, knowing where to begin is key. So is connecting with each other as well as the materials. The author details the trees themselves including observation in the forest, climate, physiology, characteristics and growth to choosing, felling, harvesting and milling. One of my favourite aspects of the book is the beautiful photographs highlighting stunning patterns in the wood. here are many detailed illustrations, too. My favourite quote by a volunteer is that of the door handle. Lovely.

What a wonderful community to be a part of! Volunteers must feel such a sense of pride and kinship when seeing the barn again, knowing that each of the 309 timber planks has a place and they are all individual. It would bring back such warm memories.

The book is specifically about raising a barn but the sentiment definitely applies to any crafting or workmanship club. I found it to be refreshing and it reminds me of stories about neighbours helping neighbours from the past before technology.

My sincere thank you to Chelsea Green Publishing and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this this book, this tribute to workmanship and trees!

This book was very fascinating! There were amazing pictures to accompany the story of building a barn by hand. The author gave many details about all stages of the process. The elements of history were very interesting as well.

There’s an old elm barn in George Orwell’s home village of Wallington which, built in 1786, still stands strong and beautiful. Visiting it, craftsman Robert J. Somerville was inspired to build new traditional barns the old way - by hand.

Barn Club is the story of the Carley Barn project. But by recording the terms and techniques that were once common village knowledge, Barn Club also provides a blueprint for future barn-building.

There are twelve chapters. The early ones cover the appeal of outdoor craftsmanship, our loss of cultural heritage, the identification and uses of elm, and nemesis of the species - Dutch elm disease. In tone and topic, the first third reads like contemporary nature-writing.

With the ground set, the book moves into the woods and the work begins. Sketching, felling, milling. The narrative toughens into a manual explaining how to make a trestle table to keep timber, tools, and teacups at waist-height; the carving of pegs, plumb-bob scribing, fettling, and cutting sole plates. There is detailed instruction and illustration on the making of mortice and tenon joints, and much delightful vocabulary: scantling, torrak, froe, maul, and kerf.

The earlier voice returns in the final chapter for the triumph of the barn raising. It’s a heartwarming sequence. The tension, the helmets, the pikestaffs. Each volunteer essential. Up goes the back wall frame, up goes the front. Like clockwork, the studs are pegged and nailed. The roof truss, gable studs, and purlins up and in. Merriment and applause, cakes and ale. For the volunteers, eighteenth-century carpentry is now living memory.

In Barn Club, Somerville defends the elm, advocating its return to the British landscape. He presents the case for living in harmony with nature, of understanding its value, of working outdoors late into summer afternoons, kites and kestrels overhead, of people together creating something larger and more enduring than themselves. Barn Club celebrates community and craftsmanship.

I started reading this book, grew disinterested, set it aside, only to come back to it at least a half dozen times. It just could not hold my interest. I cannot say what exactly it was that turned me off, perhaps just the tone and voice of the author. My inability to finish what is obviously the author's hard work should not reflect badly on him, therefore, I will not be leaving any reviews on my usual sites. Best of luck to the author, it just was not for me.

An interesting premise. Seeing a typical old barn in rural England, made from elm, got a group of carpenters interested in recreating a barn raising the way it was done in the past. No power tools, and not for payment, the group worked together to build a barn. I liked reading clips from others about their experiences, as it showed a good camaraderie. Nice to read about something that people are doing, sharing their skills and just enjoying the process. Probably would have enjoyed it more if I had more background in carpentry, but overall found this to be a very good book. Would recommend.