Susan McCorkindale

If you skip the beginning and ending, the middle of this book has some chuckle-worthy moments, but they still are few and far between. As someone who isn't up on the latest fashions or pop culture moments, all the contrasts McCorkindale tries to draw between NY and rural VA are half lost on me. The beginning may be necessary exposition for her reasons to leave her high-powered job in NYC, but she just comes off as sounding like a terrible, whiny boss/worker. Once she gets into VA, the chapters start reading like weekly columns in a magazine, with no attempt to tie things together. Skip this one and read [b:The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love|7841677|The Dirty Life On Farming, Food, and Love|Kristin Kimball|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1277929135s/7841677.jpg|10935145] or [b:Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm|189265|Fifty Acres and a Poodle A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm|Jeanne Marie Laskas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389579535s/189265.jpg|182964] instead.… (meer)

3.5 stars

The author, her husband and two sons (7 and 14-years, I think) were living in New Jersey and Susan was working in New York City when they decided to move to a farm in rural Virginia. Susan had to give up a very high paying job, though she wasn’t enjoying it anyway, for her husband’s dream of being a farmer.

It was meant to be funny, and parts were humourous, but not a lot was laugh-out-loud funny for me. Despite the title, the author really didn’t do any farming (at least not as reported in the book); her husband did it all. She did a lot of shopping, when she got into nearby towns and cities. I’m not into fashion at all, so any brand names she threw out there, I just assumed were shoe brands, as shoes seemed to be her favourite shopping/fashion item. Some of the acronyms, I wasn’t sure about.

Despite my comments so far, I did enjoy the book, overall. It did make me realize that although I grew up in a small town (farming community, but not on a farm), it would be hard – even for me, the homebody and nonshopper – to move back. Not for the same reasons, but other shopping items might be tricky to come by (products not tested on animals, for instance).… (meer)

I hated this so much I returned it to Amazon after getting about 30% through. It was just THAT bad. It was occasionally marginally amusing, but I found it so hard to relate to an author who can't find anything much to talk about other than her highlights, designer clothes, and booze. I get that she's trying (*trying*) to be over the top and amusing, but it's a giant fail. Her attempt at humor lies in that stark zone between hilariously hyperbolic and wittily subtle. The best words I can find to describe it are grating and awkwardly self-conscious. Enough, already.… (meer)