Country Living Barefoot Summers: Reflections on Home, Family, and Simple Pleasures (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "My sister's car disappeared over the top of the hill, her faint "toot" of farewell telling me she had turned onto the main road..." (more)
Key Phrases: Cousin Becca, Miss Rose, Uncle Arthur (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Faith Andrews Bedford, a favorite with Country Living's readers, captures the magic of summer, childhood, and home in a moving collection of essays.

For years, the readers of Country Living have adored Faith Andrews Bedford's evocative stories, featured in her beloved bi-monthly column, "Kids in the Country." This enchanting collection invites everyone to join Bedford as she movingly recaptures the modest triumphs of children, the importance of family traditions, and the simple pleasures of country life. In "Sister Dresses," Faith's mother finds three special Easter outfits "all exactly the same," delighting her daughters. "Time & a Bottle" tells of Faith's girlhood walks along the beach, where she hoped that the sea glass she collected "had come from a perfume bottle thrown into the water a century ago by an elegant lady in France." Every one of these essays explores the beauty in the ordinary and the meaning in the everyday.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hearst (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588164519
• ISBN-13: 978-1588164513
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,246,045 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Country Living Barefoot Summers, June 24, 2005

By	Madeleine Gyr (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wonderful, warm book! It shows that life can be good and pleasures found all around us for free.
I was born and raised in Switzerland; nevertheless, my childhood was not dissimilar to Faith's growing up in the United States. No matter what the continent, children remain children and life's delights are equal all over. One just has to open his/her eyes and hearts and savor what is given to us.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative essays bring back warm memories, June 13, 2005

By	Cecily Hartman "Mother of Five" (Weston, MA) - See all my reviews

Each of these essays was like a little gift. Every single one called back wonderful memories and treasured moments in time. I sometimes wondered if Ms. Andrews Bedford was looking over my shoulder as I read to my children or peered over the garden fence as my sisters and I played dress up in our yard. How does she do it? How does she tap into the vein of caring that runs through all families that honor and value each member and make it unique to her own experience yet so very similar to that of her readers. I look forward to a second volume and will use this wonderful book as presents for my children to give to their teachers at the end of school.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Summer Reading - or for any other season, June 21, 2005

By	Bonnie Whitely "A Country Reader" (Portsmouth, NH) - See all my reviews

I picked this book because I loved the title(I hate shoes and adore summer) and enjoy Country Living. I didn't even notice that the writer is my favorite columnist from that magazine. I have long loved Faith's work and always turned to her column first. She seems to be able to put her finger on the pulse of what makes a family whole and lovely. All of her essays have the ability to conjure up wonderful memories and have a gentle message. I've started up several traditions with my children because of her Kids in the Country column and the wonderful way she has of expressing the joy of childhood,the satisfaction of motherhood and the wonder of being a grandparent - although I'm not there yet, her stories make me eager to become one. I cannot recommend this slim volume highly enough and at this price I shall us it for gifts often.