South of the Big Four by Don Kurtz

Arthur was an Indiana farm kid turned Great Lakes sailor, now grounded by a shipping slump. There's a deafening indifference to his hometown return, but he finds a job - then a mentor and friend - when he's hired by grain farmer Gerry Maars.

This novel reminded me of Kent Haruf's books - small stories under a big sky, where tough men work the earth. The continuity of fieldwork keeps Arthur in perpetual motion: picking, planting, plowing. But he's going nowhere, working the same spots over and over. The rest of his life is just as small.

Gerry's a gentleman farmer, councilman, community do-er and general man about town. But he's maybe not as important as he thinks he is (a big fish in a very small pond), and he's maybe not as smart as he believes, either. In Arthur, he finds solid help and an easy listener. Somebody to nod along and let him rant.

It's a story about the contrast between the two men, neither exactly what you expect at first glance. I enjoyed the gentle rhythm of the story and the beautiful writing. The bit of drama at the end surprised me, in a good way.

The Excellent Lombards by Jane Hamilton

As the second generation growing up on a Wisconsin apple orchard, Mary Francis Lombard has a contented life full of farming and extended family. She can't imagine a different life, or even one she'd prefer.

The child narrator of this adult fiction novel offers a unique perspective on the family and business of the orchard - she sees the world through a kid-shaped window and often doesn't necessarily understand what she sees and hears. She's precocious and curious about the grown-ups but often believes her own fictions rather than the truth. The adult relationships around her take on a fuzziness; they're less important than the make-believe war between cousins or the wonder of a new teacher.

This is a quiet novel of rich characters and small dramas. There's a lot of family and almost-family at the orchard - it's practically a commune and various relatives share several houses on the farm. There's also a caring, tough female "hired man" who suffers a great and terrible love story.

I loved this book, and since I have friends who own an orchard I understood more than I otherwise might have about the seasonality of the work to be done. The small dramas of the story make for a quiet novel about family and growing up, and an overall excellent read.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

by Kelly Jones

A young girl explores her new community while coming to terms with looking different than the majority of the population.  She's lucky to have a few unexpected chickens helping her bond with the local farm and 4-H interests. Unfortunately, the people in town are more than a little tight-lipped about those birds.  Some seem to want to get their hands on them, while others know exactly what makes them special, and are just holding out to see how "exceptional" the new farmer is.

This is a well-done story for upper-elementary readers.  Excitingly, it is presented in epistolary form. One of the truly fun parts is seeing a modern kid interact with greatly archaic technology.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Family doesn't have to be inherited - sometimes you piece and patch together a family of people you love and who love you. In this emotional literary novel, when two bedraggled and practically feral preteen girls - both pregnant - appear in the orchard of a solitary farming man, he chooses to act from his heart and help the girls.

Talmadge is an isolated farmer, tending his fruit trees alone in the mountains of Washington. His family is gone, and his few friends are enough. But the girls need help, and he can help them; it's just that simple. And while their relationship isn't ordinary, they form a family of sorts over time.

There's a lot unsaid in this book - every character is a still pool of dark water. I'd expected a straight-forward historical novel (this book was chosen by our book discussion group at the library), but I was pleasantly surprised almost from the start by the complex characters and drama that takes place.

I enjoyed the casual unspooling of time across the story - weeks pass slowly as the story unfolds, then it accelerates and several years pass in a heartbeat. A large part of the book takes place in a single year, then a decade zooms past. It's unsettling, but also feels right for the story.

FarmKid: Tales of Growing Up in Rural America by Justin Isherwood

Justin Isherwood's got a kind of chewy way with words - I want to read everything out loud, just to hear how it sounds and get a better handle on the prose. But I don't mean that to sound too snooty, because he's mostly writing about cows and jackknife, chores and climbing trees.

I picked this up because author Michael Perry referred to Isherwood in a blog post, and you usually don't do too badly when a favorite writer recommends another writer. There's a lot to compare and contrast between the two: animals, ethics, simple living, and an educated way with words to describe some pretty basic things. Not to say they're the same - Perry's probably more accessible, but he'd be the one to tell you Isherwood's more authentic.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

by Barbara Kingsolver

Have you ever made a conscious effort to buy locally? Chances are, you have. Kingsolver and her family took that effort much farther and spent an entire year devoted to eating food produced only within a limited range of their home. Much of the food was grown/raised right in her own backyard. As I listened to the book, I couldn't help but think of a friend who really does live this way. She raises chickens and sheep, and grows nearly every plant her family will eat. She also trades with friends who do similar things. This is an admirable process, and many good ideas come from the book, but so many times I thought about how difficult it would really be to fit all those things into my life. All in all, this book was a fun and funny read.

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

Oh my gosh - I couldn't put this book down: funny, touching, and all too true. I read it in practically one sitting.

Benny is a lonely, middle-aged dairyman working the family farm. Since his mother passed away he has spent way too much time with just the cows for company - and his house and social skills reflect that.

Desiree is an urban, educated woman who just unexpectedly lost her husband in an accident. During her lunch breaks, she sits at Orjan's grave and ponders why she doesn't really miss him.

The story is told in alternating chapters - Benny's voice, and then Desiree's thoughts. Each annoyed by the presence of the other on the bench at the cemetery, neither is ready for the effect a quick shared smile brings.

(In the author's interview at the end, Mazetti says she wrote a sequel - I'm off to see if that's been published, now!)