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1madchild's review against another edition
4.0
yes yes yes, i love this author and i love when she talks about this topic. inspiring
busyreading's review against another edition
4.0
Growing up on her parents' farm, Rachael Treasure knew from a young age this was going to be her life. She loved everything about farming life and when she married and had children of her own the desire to stick around on the land was still with her, but it all changed when her marriage broke down. She lost everything and suddenly she was faced with nowhere to live and she had two children and her dogs to support, Racheal felt her world was falling apart.
Rachael’s life as she once knew it had been ripped from under her and it seemed her love of farming were gone for good. With little money coming in Rachael could hardly afford to pay rent so there was no way she could afford to invest in a farm. Farming was all she had ever known it was in her blood, so she knew she wouldn’t give up her dream without a fight.
This is a wonderful heartfelt memoir of Aussie author Rachael Treasure’s life. In this memoir we get a glimpse of the struggles that Rachael endured during her marriage breakdown and being a single mother. This is one determined, strong willed and inspiring lady who never gave up even if the odds were against her. Yes, you guessed it, I really enjoyed this book and now I want to read all her other books. A fabulous book written by a fabulous Aussie author. Highly recommended.
Rachael’s life as she once knew it had been ripped from under her and it seemed her love of farming were gone for good. With little money coming in Rachael could hardly afford to pay rent so there was no way she could afford to invest in a farm. Farming was all she had ever known it was in her blood, so she knew she wouldn’t give up her dream without a fight.
This is a wonderful heartfelt memoir of Aussie author Rachael Treasure’s life. In this memoir we get a glimpse of the struggles that Rachael endured during her marriage breakdown and being a single mother. This is one determined, strong willed and inspiring lady who never gave up even if the odds were against her. Yes, you guessed it, I really enjoyed this book and now I want to read all her other books. A fabulous book written by a fabulous Aussie author. Highly recommended.
archytas's review
2.0
So much of this book looked like it was up my alley. The book combines sustainable farming - a topic of great interest to me and about which I know nothing - with personal memoir and a discussion of gender. In reading it however I found my approach to the world and Rachael Treasure's so different that the book became a constant source of irritation
The book is mostly memoir and it is as memoir that it mostly succeeds . Covering the six years following the disintegration of her marriage, the book coversakes us through Treasure's emotional journey as she struggles to recover from losing her life on a beloved farm. Her recovery takes her on a journey implementing sustainable farming techniques on a small property. The book's structure is not linear. Rather Treasure explores themes - perusing memories, finding meaning, and tying her own state of mind to the state of Australian ecology and food production.
Treasure includes enthusiastic detail from sustainable farming methods she follows but there is little critical overview of the topic. Instead Treasure speaks throughout the book of leader figures - gurus if you like - whose work she admires. this journey is wrapped around her own self-exploration.
treasure speaks of herself as a positive person. I suspect this is why she is focused on presenting content she thinks is wonderful without criticism or critique. however my natural scepticism ensures I want more context. some idea , for example , of the debates around these techniques. instead of references treasurer provides a recommended reading list.
When it comes to gender, Treasure subscribes to the Women Who Run with Wolves school of thought. She makes several references to the book and how it changed her life. She takes an essentialist view of gender, arguing that much of what is wrong with modern farming is the exclusion of nurturing techniques championed by women in favour of the technological approaches favoured by men. Like everything else in the book there is little evidence presented for this but much anecdotal experience. This approach drove me nuts.
I feel a little mean about this review. It is obvious that Treasure grieves deeply for a world that sexist traditions took from her. I have sympathy with her search for a holistic and ecological way of feeding humanity. At times her super-smart intelligence shines through in a stray analytical comment. The world needs more passionate and ethical women. I genuinely hope that there are those who get what they want out of this book. I just wasn't one of them.
The book is mostly memoir and it is as memoir that it mostly succeeds . Covering the six years following the disintegration of her marriage, the book coversakes us through Treasure's emotional journey as she struggles to recover from losing her life on a beloved farm. Her recovery takes her on a journey implementing sustainable farming techniques on a small property. The book's structure is not linear. Rather Treasure explores themes - perusing memories, finding meaning, and tying her own state of mind to the state of Australian ecology and food production.
Treasure includes enthusiastic detail from sustainable farming methods she follows but there is little critical overview of the topic. Instead Treasure speaks throughout the book of leader figures - gurus if you like - whose work she admires. this journey is wrapped around her own self-exploration.
treasure speaks of herself as a positive person. I suspect this is why she is focused on presenting content she thinks is wonderful without criticism or critique. however my natural scepticism ensures I want more context. some idea , for example , of the debates around these techniques. instead of references treasurer provides a recommended reading list.
When it comes to gender, Treasure subscribes to the Women Who Run with Wolves school of thought. She makes several references to the book and how it changed her life. She takes an essentialist view of gender, arguing that much of what is wrong with modern farming is the exclusion of nurturing techniques championed by women in favour of the technological approaches favoured by men. Like everything else in the book there is little evidence presented for this but much anecdotal experience. This approach drove me nuts.
I feel a little mean about this review. It is obvious that Treasure grieves deeply for a world that sexist traditions took from her. I have sympathy with her search for a holistic and ecological way of feeding humanity. At times her super-smart intelligence shines through in a stray analytical comment. The world needs more passionate and ethical women. I genuinely hope that there are those who get what they want out of this book. I just wasn't one of them.
taphophile's review
5.0
Having actively avoided the author’s fiction genre, I am now going to give them a go.
This is part memoir part manifesto that embraces the femaleness of growing and nurturing without being simpering or in anyway “girly”. She talks about the femaleness of farming not about Mother Nature. I am also going to buy a hard copy of this to refer to again.
This is part memoir part manifesto that embraces the femaleness of growing and nurturing without being simpering or in anyway “girly”. She talks about the femaleness of farming not about Mother Nature. I am also going to buy a hard copy of this to refer to again.
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