Customer Reviews

Living Wild and Domestic: The Education of a Hunter-Gardener

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I thought this book might not be for me. A harrowing visit to a sheep slaughtering works years ago is still too real in my mind, and any discussion of turning live animals into consumables hits a sore spot.

But I was drawn in by Robert Kimber's unsentimental pragmatism, always lightened with humor and thoughtfulness. For example, on stringing a chicken up and sliding an ice pick into its brain (as recommended in USDA literature): "Chicken brains are small and hard to find, but they are large enough to tell chickens that a man grabbing them by the feet and hanging them upside down from a chest-high limb on a red maple tree is up to no good."

Among all the beautifully written essays in Kimber's book, I urge you to read it particularly for the chapter "Dish-fed Retainers," about the relationship between Kimber and his dog Lucy. This is the most sentimental section of the book, but so wry and self-aware that you will smile and remember your own best-loved companion animal.

Kimber fell instantly for Lucy at the animal shelter but tried to conceal that fact from his wife and son, all the while "casually" promoting his choice. "She looks like a sophomore at Wellesley," his son said. Kimber leaped at that comment: "Exactly! ... Young, attractive, intelligent, interested in getting a good education, just the right size, not too big, not too small, looks like a strong swimmer ... athletic, lively, obviously affectionate, charming, beautiful ..."

The sentimental approach Kimber used in choosing (being chosen by?) a dog features in all his essays, though usually along with a much larger portion of rational interpretation!

Kimber's book strikes a pleasing balance between memoir and philosophy. While hunting and fishing are not a part of my life, I thoroughly enjoyed this thoughtful book on living a considered life in rural Maine.

If you are troubled by killing an animal, whether by accident, such as a spider in a bathtub or a squirrel on the road, or whether on purpose, such as slaughtering a lamb or hunting a deer or hooking a fish, then you will probably like this book very much.

Kimber analyzes the hunting paradox and many related concepts-sport verses food hunting, subsistence hunting/gathering verses husbandry, the wild verses the domesticated-in this thoughtful, well-written book. By pulling in the writings of many other authors, Kimber analyzes them in his own insightful way. The result is often rambling and slightly disjointed, but always thought provoking. Answers are not concise, clear, or black-and-white, because there really aren't such answers.

Regardless of whether you like this book, you will no doubt like Kimber, his lifestyle, and his honesty. I highly recommend his other books Upcountry: Reflections from a Rural Life and Made for the Country.