This book will make you laugh and cry. It was a truly great read that was simple in its telling but powerful in its words.

Meet the women from This farming life upfront and personal. A great.book about adapting and working together to make a good life.

This was an interesting read with a LOT of detail about pretty much every aspect of the decision to buy a croft (farm), buying one in a foreign country to the actual running of it -- lots of information on the process of returning hard-used land to a more traditional and sustainable way of farming/living. I would recommend this book to anyone who is slightly interested in just how much work goes into "a back to the land lifestyle"; it takes guts, determination, a strong back (and money) to get started. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed reading this, mostly at night to wind down before sleep. Oh, if you are vegan/vegetarian, be prepared to skip some parts!

Our Wild Farming Life tells the story of Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer’s journey into the Scottish highlands to become farmers in the proud Scottish crofting tradition. It traces their first steps toward their dream of living a self-sustaining life in Scotland through their tireless work in finding their path and making that dream a reality—something that requires an enormous amount of work.

The story is idyllic but not idealized and the narrative never shied away from the difficult backbreaking balancing act that is starting a homestead. Moreover, it is filled with the practical steps the authors had to take to get their croft and farm to where they wanted it to be. From planting trees and raising livestock to raising the needed funds to support their homestead ambitions, the wonderfully romantic highs and crushingly realistic lows are recounted in detail. They aspired to a different future, but they were realistic in the steps needed to get there. And open about the challenges and turns along the way.

Undergirding the endeavor was perseverance and grit. A determination that lies beneath the tenacity and strength of the Scottish people that derives its power from the land. Because while Cassells and Baer were neither born nor bred in Scotland, they felt a kinship to its people and traditions and were committed to honoring past, current, and future generations of Scottish farmers.

This is a theme that runs throughout the book that made me emotional quite a few times. It should come as no surprise to people who know me, but I have a deep and abiding love of Scotland. To call this book inspirational would be an understatement. To say I wasn’t jealous (and a bit tempted) to follow the authors’ suit and leave everything to build a life in the Scottish highlands would be a lie.

When it comes to Scotland, something in me recognizes something in it. And, most importantly, I feel like it sees the real me. That may seem like a stupid sentence and it might be. But it’s the closest I can get to explaining the feeling I have when I’m in Scotland. The authors’ quest (really that’s the only word for it) to build their Scottish life resonated and seemed to articulate that same sentiment. I think they would understand my feelings perfectly and I loved reading about theirs.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to hunt down episodes of This Farming Life from the BBC.

Thanks to @netgalley for an ARC of this wonderful book.

A Scottish farm, two women and their experiences rebuilding their home, learning to work with cattle, chickens, and making a kitchen garden. Inspiring story.

I wanted to love this one, as much as I love Lynbreck Croft, but unfortunately it left me wanting. I started reading the digital ARC and didn't finish it, but then I received the ARC for the audiobook and let Cassells voice take me away.

Like many people, I first met Lynn and Sandra through the BBC's This Farming Life. They were my favorite that season and I started following them on social media. Because I am well-versed in the history of their croft, I don't feel like I learned anything new from reading this book, but I'm sure that people who stumble upon the book without having seen the show might enjoy it more that I did.

Nevertheless, I have nothing but respect for the couple and the gamble they took. The book is great for fans of Isabella Tree's Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm and Roy Dennis's Restoring the Wild: Sixty Years of Rewilding Our Skies, Woods and Waterways.

If you watch Britbox in the United States or BBC2 in the United Kingdom, you might have seen the authors on season 3 of This Farming Life. But they are already established in that show. Here in Our Wild Farming Life, you can read their backstory that also includes what drove them to farming in the first place.

With a bit of Scottish history and crofting law, Our Wild Farming Life is an interesting memoir. If you have ever felt the draw of the land, you will enjoy reading the authors’ story. My only complaint was there were only a few pictures grouped in the middle of the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Chelsea Green Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book!!

Ex-pat memoir ✅
Scotland ✅
Historic house ✅
The great outdoors ✅
Gardening ✅
Friendly locals ✅

It checked all the boxes for me. I like the structure of the book, taking you through each phase of their journey. I really appreciated the history of crofting and the highlands, and the secret they found out about their house from the previous inhabitants was so cool!

Lynn is so descriptive, I felt like I was there. I could feel the anxiety of not knowing what to do in new and unfamiliar situations, the agony over the tough calls and the heartbreak when things didn’t go according to plan but according to nature. Lynn and Sandra have an amazing bond with and respect for their livestock.

One of the things that usually makes me very critical of memoirs is when they contain minimal dialogue, but this was very well done, and I didn’t find it lacking even though the dialogue was few and far between. I think it must be because Lynn was talking about the farm, her experiences and ideals she is so passionate about as opposed to talking about herself. I was really thankful for the handful of pictures, but I would've appreciated even more and if they had been scattered throughout, closer to the subjects they were portraying.

Although Lynn and Sandra are very respectfully trying not to force their way of farming on others, I do believe their way is correct, and I hope it spreads. I highly recommend this book, and I want to know where I can watch This Farming Life in the U.S.!

Thank you NetGalley and Chelsea Green Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What an amazing book!! Lynn and Sandra make their story come to life in this book. I originally learned of Lynbreck Croft on the BBC show This Farming Life, and I fell in love with the mission of Lynbreck. I've followed them for years ,watching their dreams come to life and so I was incredibly excited when I had the chance to read this book.

Lynbreck is the fruition of Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer's dream. Even if you have no interest in farming, you will come away from this book with a new motivation to live your most authentic life. I, myself, really hope to one day be able to emulate what Lynn and Sandra have done at Lynbreck. I admire them for their courage and tenacity, and I was moved to tear when they bluntly told the readers what it means to farm animals. I couldn't agree more with their philosophy, and I think they have done an incredible job writing this book and conveying their message.

I can't wait to see what Lynn and Sandra do in the future. This is my favorite book so far of 2022.

Leaving city life behind to move to the country is becoming an obsession for many of us, and Cassells and Baer are hoping to find a small patch of land where they can have a small garden and a few chickens. Instead they end up with a huge 150 acre tract called Lynbreck Croft in the shadows of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland. Lack of money, funding and farming knowledge don’t stop the women from making the leap. Their plan is to restore the farm and run the farm in harmony with nature while becoming part of the local community. That’s a tall order, but the two women meet the challenge head on and their passion and drive helps to overcome the many stumbling blocks in their way. A beautiful, inspiring book about love and respect for nature

Our Wild Farming Life: Adventures on a Scottish Highland Croft by Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer is a great memoir giving us a peak inside the workings of setting up a life and farm in Scotland and what happens when you follow your dreams.

This is a great insight into this fascinating adventure that involves taking a risk, moving from family and friends to the Scottish Highlands, establishing a life, land, and business anew, and seeing all the risk and har work pay off.

I really enjoyed getting a firsthand look at the settlement p, evolution, and success of this multi-faceted farm: Lynbreck Croft. The combination of traditional farming and customs intertwined with modern ideas and sustainable concepts is forward-thinking and a step in the right direction.

I am glad that Sandra and Lynn were able to realize their hopes and I wish them all the success for the future.

My only disappointment with this arc was that the Kindle edition was not an option.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Chelsea Green Publishing for this enjoyable arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/10/22.