Green Mountain Farm [Paperback]

Elliott Merrick (Author), Lawrence Millman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1999

A story about the thrills and perils of renovating an old farm on a shoestring, a warm and wise book about living simply in the country while pursuing the writer's craft.

In 1934, in the depths of the Great Depression, Elliott Merrick and his wife bought a ramshackle farm on a Vermont hillside for $1,000. Merrick, a young writer with a healthy dose of idealism and a determination to live in the country, had just sold his first book to Maxwell Perkins at Scribner's. "I had an idea that I would be rich and famous henceforth," Merrick wrote, but added, "nothing could be farther from the truth . . . As I look back, I'm amazed that we could so blithely have crossed our great Rubicon on a spiderweb. But it turned out to be one of those fortunate mistakes—one of those fraught-with-peril enterprises that you might never have embarked on if you had known the consequences—like being born, for instance." Green Mountain Farm describes Merrick's and his family's often haphazard attempts to make a go of it on these stony, wintry acres, in a house that was falling down around them. As Merrick puts it, "We did everything wrong, but it came out right." They were dirt poor, but through it all, believed wholeheartedly in going directly after the things they wanted most: to write and to farm, however they could. A lyrical, funny, richly fulfilling book about old houses, farming, writing, and the joys of country life, this book is as fresh today as when it was originally published more than fifty years ago.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Green Mountain Farm" is flat out the best and most entertaining book I've ever read about nearly everyone's secret dream: moving to the country and living there happily and successfully. -- Howard Frank Mosher

About the Author

Elliott Merrick is the author of eight books, four drawing on his experiences in Labrador. Merrick farmed, worked for the Office of War Information during World War II, and taught at the University of Vermont and Black Mountain College. Merrrick continued to live near Asheville, North Carolina until his death.

Lawrence Millman has written extensively about the North. His books include Last Places, Our Like Will Not Be There Again, and Hero Jesse.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: The Countryman Press (November 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881504351
• ISBN-13: 978-0881504354
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, April 14, 2002

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Green Mountain Farm (Paperback)

This book tells the story of a writer who settles in Vermont in 1934 with his family. It is filled with personal stories of adventures that the family had and the people that they met. Early in the book, an immigrant ski maker convinces the family to move up to the Northeast Kingdom. Merrick describes the early days of the ski industry, when people still wore homemade equipment on the slopes. He also describes his part in the 1930s survey of farming practices, contrasting his own experiences working his farm to supplement his writing income.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cozy journey to a simple way of life, December 27, 2002

By 

Scott Sauchuk (Plympton, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Green Mountain Farm (Paperback)

Green Mountain Farm is one of my favorite books on county living. The book focuses not on "how-to" but rather on nature, eccentric characters, contented introspection, and concise philosophical musings. The book is a collection of essays describing a life that many of us dream about: leaving the city to create a happy and successful life in a beautiful countryside. Merrick writes in excellent prose, full of crystal-clear imagery, wit, and occasional humor, easily carrying the reader into his world.

Merrick converts the tedium, never-ending farm work, and other hardships of life on a remote farm into benefits. Even mistakes are fortunate. "We did everything wrong, but it turned out right." Perhaps this rosy view of such a life was mostly due to Merrick's outlook: "It's a matter of temperament, you see."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elliott Merrick was another E.B. White, October 26, 2010

By 

adkmilkmaid (New York State) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Green Mountain Farm (Paperback)

This is a beautiful and inspiring book, and written in such plain yet gorgeous prose that you will check the spine to see if you've picked up a book by E.B. White. Elliott Merrick is less anxious than Andy White, more intrepid in the wilderness, and just as lovely a writer. I was transported and immediately bought all of Merrick's other books. Terrific!