This is a beautifully written, honest and detailed account of Helen Rebanks' life.

As a mother, farmers wife and everything else that falls under the above categories, Helen spells it out, just what is involved to be a modern, working woman. There is nothing fairytaleish or sugar coated, just a lot of hard work and effort.

I enjoyed the recipes dotted in between and Isaac's Banana Bread is a definite winner.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engrossing memoir by a British woman now lives on a farm with her family, but it not so much a book about farm life as her personal memoir. It was a good story and well written. Interspersed with simple recipes.

This book is beautifully written, a life on the land with all the details of family ups and downs!
The story gives the reader a sense that they are living and learning, not just about farming but family and friendships too.
I enjoy living through Helen, she gives great insight into the farm development, how decisions were reached and how the family grew together.
At times the story is deeply personal, marriage and children and the emotional connections, other parts of this memoir are educational and lighthearted. The inclusion of recipes add to the true sense of farming and family.
Give yourself time to take in this wonderful book.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I knew that I wanted to read it. The book fully delivered on what I was hoping for.

This is a beautifully written account of the life and family (several generations) who live and work on a farm in the Lake District. Start at the beginning with Helen’s reflections which are beautiful and insightful. Go on to read the whole book.

The author knows that she is lucky to live in such a beautiful area but also acknowledges that she, her husband, four children and animals have good times and challenges. All are recounted well.

In addition to the narrative, there are some lovely line drawings in these pages (starting with the hens). There are also many recipes.

Readers who enjoy memoirs, stories about women and/or who fantasize about a rural life, here is just the book for you (or someone on your holiday list). I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for this title. All opinions are my own.

This title was published in September 2023

This is a book that takes its time and should be read the same way. The stories roll back and forth in time, with recipes interspersed throughout, some directly related to the story, some more general. It feels almost like a recipe blog with the stories that come before the recipe itself and each one can be read by itself.

The author grants the reader real vulnerability when talking about motherhood, miscarriages, and marriage. It's a balanced view of the early years of adulthood and marriage with some beautiful reflections on the subjects.

Do not expect the book to be fully about farm life, as much of her story comes before that as she and her husband work to be able to set up a farm. She does write treatises on her views on farming practices and food production.

It's a lovely book to go through but not one to pick up and simply read from beginning to end.

Judging by the description of this book, I thought I would enjoy it. I have lived rurally, on farms or small acreages, all my life, so I can identify with farmers. I did enjoy it! There was so much more to this book than farming, though. It is chock-full of recipes of all sorts of food. They all sound good! I loved reading about her family life, too. As a mother of several children myself, I could identify with her struggles as a young mother. I liked what she had to say about the difference in environmental impact between eating a vegan diet and eating animals raised on pasture—as far as I’m concerned, she is right on target! It was also very interesting to learn about rural life in England. I did not appreciate some of the language and some of the attitudes that came through, but most of the book was enjoyable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.