Customer Reviews

The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Simply put, "The Bucolic Plague" by Josh Kilmer-Purcell was a fun and engrossing read. When you read a book you really enjoy, it's often difficult to describe to others exactly why you thought the book was so great. For me, "The Bucolic Plague" is one of those books, but I will attempt to explain why I was reading this book for hours on end - turning page after page.

First off, Josh Kilmer-Purcell does a masterful job in creating an intimate closeness with the reader. The friendly tone of the entire memoir makes you feel as if you're sitting next to him on the couch while he's explaining to you how he and his partner went from high-profile Manhattanites to goat farmers in upstate New York. In this hectic instant-gratification world the story strikes a chord because it is a familiar one to many people - the yearning to throw away your rush-hour-9-to-6-5-days-a-week-plus-overtime career and settle to a simpler, idyllic life in the country on a farm. Maybe you'll own some livestock - a couple of cows, maybe a goat. Growing your own vegetables fresh from your prize-winning organic heirloom garden. While many of us may not agree with (or perhaps even like) Martha Stewart, nevertheless when we picture that ideal farmhouse most of us picture a perfect home straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog. Partners Josh and Brent take the plunge and turn their dream into a reality by purchasing a stately farm mansion in the middle of Sharon Springs, New York.

What follows is the reinvention of the Beekman Mansion from a simple weekend getaway home to a full-fledged, working farm - including the monetary need to survive! Josh explains the constant struggle to maintain the everything-is-always-wonderful facade while running around at breakneck speeds in the background, furiously attempting to tame reality in order to maintain the external image of perfection. The struggles and joys experienced by both he and his partner Brent during the transformation process bring a personal intimacy which changes the tone of the memoir from a story about a house into a story about the people.

In the end, "The Bucolic Plague" was a page-turner not because it was suspenseful nor dramatic; but rather because it was like catching up with an old friend and wanting to know all the details of their life in the time you spent apart.

I just have to share the first lines of the prologue from this book with you. "The last time I saw 4 A.M., I was tottering home in high heels and a matted wig sipping from the tiny bottles of Absolut that I always kept in my bag for emergencies. Emergencies like "last call"." I just had to see what would happen next! The author, Josh Kilmer-Purcell goes on to explain that now, a decade later, he's digging through a backpack with milk bottles for 5 baby goats that he's transporting in his pickup truck to the filming studio for the Martha Stewart Show that will be featured on the show telling about their handmade goat milk soap business in upstate New York.

Josh and his partner, Brent who is the one working for the Martha Stewart show (Josh is a advertising exec and author) come upon what they find out is the Beekman Mansion, a 4,500 square food mansion built in 1802 which has been renovated but on the market, for sale for the last four years. They're up in the area on a fall apple picking outing. The mansion is in Sharon Springs, a tiny little town in upstate New York, about a 3 1/2 hour train ride and drive from Manhattan where they own a tiny apartment and have high powered, big city jobs. They call Michelle, the local real estate agent and tour the mansion which they fall in love with. It's beautifully restored, complete with a family crypt in the back, a barn and another small structure which could serve as servant quarters. The place is listed for $1,000,000 but they make a low ball offer which is accepted.

A man named John who has seventy some goats leaves a letter in their mailbox asking if they need a caretaker in exchange for housing the goats. Although Brent is dead against all these goats in their barn, Josh eventually just brings them in and Brent is won over by their cuteness. The book tells about all of their adventures (and some misadventures) as they become totally involved in their new community, balancing jobs in the city during with weekends in this bucolic place.

I thought from the first chapter that the book would be funny all the way through. There were certainly a lot of laugh out loud moments, but also many touching, serious parts as Josh and Brent confront the realities of becoming gentlemen farmers on the weekends (They plant huge vegetable gardens) and struggling as the economy tanks with all the Wall Street meltdowns in 2006 through 2008. He's an excellent writer and the book was completely entertaining. It was a quick read although it was about 300 pages simply because I didn't want to put it down. I fell in love with this small town and it's people which made me do some daydreaming of my own about how cool it would be to do something just like they did.
Two thumbs up for this book!

I can't believe this book sat in my house for weeks before I began to read it.
I was sucked into The Bucolic Plague because Josh Kilmer-Purcell is so engaging and funny. Funnier than David Sedaris. And when the subject matter got less funny and more troubled, I stayed because I cared. Imagine, if you will, a book that covers the difficulty of being unemployed, the difficulty of maintaining a relationship when under extreme stress, the difficulty of being OVERemployed, and a real estate agent who points out that the pool on a property is close to the crypt, which should be convenient if anyone happens to drown. That is this book, and thinking of it brings a smile to my face. Highly recommended.

If you saw any episodes of the documentary/reality show, "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" on Planet Green cable, you're already familiar with the circumstances of how this came to be. Josh Kilmer-Purcell - an author , advertising exec and former drag queen - and his life-partner of more than a decade, Dr. Brent Ridge - known to many for his appearance on Martha Stewart's TV show - were on their annual apple-picking road trip in central New York State, when they stumbled upon the village of Sharon Springs and, more importantly, the beautiful Beekman mansion, which they decided to buy as a means of transitioning to a simpler life. The book is actual a prequel to the TV show, going much more into the thought process, covering what was going on in their respective careers at the time, as well as developing the early roadblocks they encountered, including personal disappointments and financial setbacks.

While both lived in rural areas as a child, Josh was the only one with any practical knowledge about living on a farm, but they were both smart enough to know they'd need help, and accepted the offer of a local gay farmer, John, who moved on site with his herd of baby goats and tried to help the city boys through their transition to weekend farmers. The goats also indirectly provided the farm's first "cash crop" ... actually soap made from the goats' milk, which they sold locally and through a website after Brent appeared with the goats on Martha's TV show.

The combination of two high-pressure careers, long commutes each weekend, plus strenuous farm chores (scheduled by Brent, an admitted perfectionist), strained their relationship to an alarming degree. Finding "how to" farming info on the internet didn't always work, and the the farm became more work than they ever imagined. The added pressure of maintaining two homes seemed even greater, when the burst economy threatened their "day jobs" that were paying the bills. Their struggles are touching and real, although the overall tone of the book remains mostly hopeful and positive, thanks to Kilmer-Purcell's ability to point out the irony or humor in most situations. It is a book that is beautifully written, witty, and completely captivating, as well as strongly recommended to anyone who has (or might have) a dream they need to pursue. Don't roll around in the hay pile (It's not what you think), but give this book five clear, moonlit stars out of five.

- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

My friend from Cooperstown, New York sent me this book and a bar of the "Winter" soap as a gift. (I haven't used the soap yet because it is so pretty!) I read through the book so fast--it is absolutely hysterical! It is not easy for a book to make me laugh and I have never laughed so hard as I did reading this book. Kilmer-Purcell's self-deprecating humor is just too funny! I highly recommend this book for a good laugh and a wonderful read. I will be out to visit the Beekman mansion on my next visit to upstate New York. I will send everyone I know who goes to visit the area out to see you all in Sharon Springs! I feel like I have family there after reading this wonderful book!

As an eco-blogger, I'm usually drawn to the "green" aspects of a book, such as how Brent and Josh planted an organic, historically correct vegetable garden and how they tried to grow or raise everything that they ate or at least buy everything from the local Sharon Springs area (all very admirable but clearly exhausting for two boys from Manhattan who lived at the Beekman on the weekends). Instead, I found myself drawn to their story of personal and financial struggle to make the Beekman both a home and a business. The result of their efforts, [...] is part lifestyle guide and part online shop for goods made using the Beekman's Goat Milk.

It was even more interesting to read Josh's account of how the recession, in which both he and Brent lost their jobs, affected their business, their relationship and their daily lives. All of it seemed so horribly familiar but it was comforting to know that even the Fabulous Beekman boys were affected and yet, they seem to have gotten through.

Anyway, I highly recommend checking the book out.

I loved every minute of this book, from the crap-smeared frolicking kids in the opening chapter to the anticipation-ripe origin story, the swirl of early, eager idyll, the joys and perils of quick success, the frozen nights, the fights, and the sad relinquishing of the Beekman dream. Josh Kilmer-Purcell writes with a perfect balance of acerbic wit and generosity, and captures the ups and downs of chasing and redefining a crazy dream. I have a special love of this story, as it parallels my own downshifting/fledgling rural business experience (though my dramas and successes have been far more modest). And it's not the stunt journalism so pervasive in the whole green yuppie back-to-basics world. It's not windy or preachy or self-congratulatory. It's smart and honest and as much about relationships and the mechanics of going out on a limb as it is about transitioning to the simple life.

You'll find yourself laughing, envying, worrying, and above all, rooting for them, right to the end. I feel inspired to get off my fat ass and get back into my garden, and I can't wait for The Fabulous Beekman Boys!

Influenced by the Green movement on the one hand and media giants like Martha Stewart on the other, more and more Americans are buying organic and gardening. There seems to be a renewed interest in the traditions of canning, preserving and bread baking. Some are even raising chickens and goats as part of the urban farming movement. It is no surprise then that a high-powered New York City couple, on a weekend trip upstate, would see a beautiful 200-year-old farm house and imagine it as a place to dig in the dirt, collect eggs and milk, and grow their own food. In THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE, author Josh Kilmer-Purcell chronicles the first couple of years he and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, spent as "gentlemen farmers" at the Beekman mansion.

The Beekman mansion in Sharon, New York, was built from 1802 to 1804. In 2006, Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge came upon the house and property. It had a "for sale" sign out front, and on a whim they called the real estate agent for a tour. Of course, they fell in love with the Beekman and decided to make it their weekend home. They had visions of heirloom vegetables in neat and tidy rows and summer parties straight from the pages of Martha Stewart Living. In fact, they had visions of hosting Martha herself as Ridge worked for her at the time. What they got instead was a herd of goats, a field full of human bones, a labor-intensive garden, a house full of dead flies, and a mail-order soap business.

Despite their love of the Beekman, the life they envisioned there was not so easy to achieve. The house was in need of repairs and the grounds in need of constant maintenance. Along with their caretaker, "Farmer John," Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge began the work to make the estate a home. But their dreams for the property are not always the same.

While Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge did make many incredible friends in Sharon, started a successful business at the Beekman, and are now the stars of a new television show about the farm, the path to success was difficult and almost cost them their relationship. Commuting from their stressful jobs in the city to their stressful work at the Beekman every week as the economy began to collapse around them made the pair tense and even angry as they questioned the viability of keeping the Beekman. Kilmer-Purcell records it all with honesty. By the end, the Beekman's future is unclear, but the couple seems on solid ground again.

THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE explores social identity, home and belonging, relationships and career paths, the pursuit of dreams, and more without being sappy or predictable. It is witty and fun to read. Yet there are moments of real clarity and insight, and those are the highlights of the book. Over the centuries, the Beekman grounds have been used as a cemetery (or, worse, a place where the bodies of slaves were simply discarded), and in tilling the soil Kilmer-Purcell comes into physical and emotional contact with the remains of the estate's previous residents. It is when he reflects on the compelling and often sad history of the property that his writing is at its best. His comparison of the "Martha" versus "Oprah" mentalities is funny and wise as well.

Readers may wish, however, that he pursued these trains of thought a bit more in the book. THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE is a good book, but if Kilmer-Purcell had just dug a bit deeper at some of his more introspective and thoughtful ideas, it could've been great. Still, his second memoir is a charming and entertaining look at a couple (and culture) in transition and the possibilities and perils of pursuing wild dreams.

I got a chance to interview Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell for a review of The Fabulous Beekman Boys for Channel Guide Magazine. The series, airing on Planet Green beginning this month, coincides quite nicely with the release of this wonderful memoir. And after seeing the first episode and reading the book, I can only say, "Watch out guys -- and the community of Sharon Springs--the public will come calling!
As other reviewers have noted, Josh has a way of drawing the reader into their lives. Writing a memoir of a change of lifestyle and the characters in the nearby town of Sharon Springs (the times I laughed), a relationship sorely tested (the times I cried)and the creative ways this pair were able to keep their dream alive (the times I flashed back to the film Baby Boom), I simply could not put this memoir down.
Because I hate flies, hate manure, hate the sun and have an allergy to insect bites, this would not be a lifestyle I would ever choose, but I do long for it anyway. This book is highly recommended!

Immediately I should warn you that comparisons of "The Bucolic Plague" to classic TV series Green Acres are specious. Sure there are colorful local folk but they are not rubes. The lead characters are both from rural heritages and not the befuddled city slickers that got their comeuppance by the locals on an ongoing basis as on Green Acres.

Author Josh Kilmer-Purcell is a Type A advertising executive and best-selling memoir writer/contributor to the gay publication Out Magazine who has fallen under the spell of Oprah. His long-time life partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, is a Type AAA physician who is working for Martha Stewart's empire where he is a frequent on-air contributor to her television program as well as her fussiest disciple. As Josh writes, "He was Martha Stewart Living./I was Living My Best Life."

As part of their traditions as a couple, once a year they leave Manhattan and go apple-picking. On one of these excursions they wind up in Sharon Springs, NY where, by accident they find the Beekman Mansion, a 19th Century classic home that just happens to be for sale.

Quicker than you can say "You go girls" the guys decide to buy the house with the goal of ultimately giving up The Big Apple for the apple orchard on the property and living a more authentic life as their lives barrel towards the dreaded age of 40 ("It was the growing realization of the half of my life that was gone that was making me so determined to enjoy the half that was left of it.")

Then comes the 21st Century and the economic meltdown that throws both their lives into hyper-drive.

"The Bucolic Plague" is the story of how they succeeded and failed both personally and professionally, as they made the transition from gay culture to agriculture, including ghosts, goats and goats' milk soap, a cow named Cow, zombie flies, heirloom vegetables, Wabi Sabi, marimbaphones and a boom or bust Internet website (coming soon a Cable TV show starring Josh & Brent as "The Beekman Boys).

A quick and enjoyable read with a big heart imbued by Kilmer-Purcell's acerbic, skewed, hilarious point of view, "The Bucolic Plague" is honest, unfussy and well worth rolling up your sleeves and harvesting its pleasures.