Women, Animals and Vegetables: Essays and Stories [Paperback]

Maxine Kumin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996

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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A collection of thematically linked pieces inspired by the author's life in rural New Hampshire.
Copyright 1996 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: Ontario Review Press (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865380848
• ISBN-13: 978-0865380844
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,024,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Farm life without the lyricism, February 6, 2000

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.