A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet recounts the birth of a foal, the rehabilitation of an abused mare, the beauty of home-grown vegetables, the organic nature of writing, and other aspects of life on her New Hampshire farm.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
"You cannot make even a modest living writing poems, but you can keep body and soul together nicely by reading them out loud to people." Poet, essayist and fiction writer Kumin ( Looking for Luck ) recounts one of her "po-biz" journeys in one of the 10 captivating essays here, many of which were inspired by her life on a New Hampshire farm. Kumin writes about wild mushrooms, vegetable gardening, jam-making; rehabilitating an abused horse, taking in a starving dog, training trail horses. The seven moving short stories included here are a bonus.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Kumin's essays are so direct and her anecdotes so homey, you almost forget they're the work of a Pulitzer Prizewinning poet. In fact, as Kumin confides in Have Saddle, Will Travel, a revealing look at the quirkiness of the poetry business, she tells strangers that she raises horses instead of admitting that she writes. This is only a slight misrepresentation, since Kumin is a passionate and skilled equestrienne. She douses us with a cascade of information on the proper way to care for horses, a discussion that evolves into a subtle philosophy of life based on respect, awareness, and nurturing. Each essay works in this manner, whether Kumin is writing about gardening, making jam, hunting for wild mushrooms, or relishing the antics of exuberant dogs. When we reach her stories, we feel as though we know her, but we've only scratched the surface. Kumin's essays concentrate on nature, but her stories, set in locales as far-flung as Alaska and the Sudan, dramatize the intricacies of familial relationships and, in tales such as the wonderful Beginning with Gussie, celebrate the toughness of women. Donna Seaman
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Farm life without the lyricism,
By Manola Sommerfeld (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Women, Animals and Vegetables: Essays and Stories (Paperback)
This is not the first account i've read about someone leaving busy city life to live in a bucolic farm. The thing that really sets this book apart is that Kumin skips the sappy parts and goes straight to the realities of harsh life in the countryside. It is hard to tend horses! However, you can tell how much she enjoys her life there. Thank you for saving us the fluff. Her short stories (the second half of the book) are all fantastic.
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