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Books : Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)
Rating: 
- 4.5 out of 5: A charming account of living off the local land
This book documents Kingsolver's commitment to live off the local land for one year. During the commitment year, Kingsolver, her husband, and her two daughters tended a garden and raised chickens and turkeys on their small farm in Virginia. The family supplemented their food stores with trips to the local farmers' market and with a few, strictly limited, non-local items (like coffee and olive oil). I enjoyed this charming account of the seasonality of produce, the work required to harvest and prepare fresh foods, and the family's enjoyment of their time spent on the land. Although I'm not the slightest bit tempted to plant a garden or raise livestock after reading this book, Kingsolver has a convincing argument, and I have been persuaded to begin buying produce and meat from local farmers. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in the food economy, the environment, or nutrition.
Rating: - living this life
I'm sure I can't add additional glowing praise for this book that hasn't already been said, but as someone who is actively living this life, as a large-scale organic farmer who tries hard to raise all our own food and put priority on our family sitting down at a meal that consists primarily of our own meat, milk, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and grain (fresh ground for bread) - year round, I am loving each and every experience that Barbara Kingsolver describes in her wonderful, eloquent, humble, and amusing manner.
She is such a good writer, she uses words so well to convey ideas and personality - and her topics here are right on the mark. To be able to eloquently explain the reasons for growing your own and working together as a family to provide and preserve your own food, for eating meat, avoiding pesticides, abhoring factory farming, and especially enjoying the flavors and purpose of fresh local food and the people with you - I am just so glad she took the time to write this book. Through it, she has given us a invaluable gift.
Regardless of whether you read it as a tourist, observing amusedly such quaint antics, or as a student, trying to learn how to be more self-sufficient, or as a co-practitioner, knowing well how it feels to be working in a hot kitchen in August canning countless jars of tomatoes - this is a book to be savored and saved.
Rating: - Changing how you look at food!
This summer I have read this book along with Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Both of these explore the current state of food production in the US as well as look that the organic and local food movements. These
books are not about being a vegetarian and actually push the other way. Ms. Kingsolver's work is mainly about her family's efforts to eat locally for a year. The book is full of information abut our traditional food production and the advantages of eating locally produced food. The book has many recipes for making great meals and even discusses ways to make your own cheese! Highly recommended, especially if you have questions about the food you are currently purchasing.
Rating:
- Incredibly Disappointing
I was a fan of Kingsolver until reading this book. I loved her insight about pesticides in The Poisonwood Bible, and I've read all of her other novels. A, V, M was terrible - describes a year of eating locally. But, this was no challenge to Kingsolver. She easily has the means to do this, and had apparently been doing this anyway for years. It would have been great to read a memoir on this theme by people who actually are like the rest of us - now that would have been a hoot. This is also is not a feel-good book. Although there are some things in there I'd like to do (I like the Friday night homemade pizza tradition), after reading it, I feel bad that I'm not baking my own bread, making my own cheese (yes, really!), raising my own chickens, etc. Reading this is way, way worse than watching or reading anything by Martha Stewart. Moreover, Kingsolver just comes across as a nerd, sorry to be so crass. I am sorry I wasted money on this - wish I spent it at the farmers' market.
Rating:
- Great information, may turn off the masses
As I read this book, I found myself turned off by the pious tone Kingsolver took in the first chapter. I am a passionate locavore to the extent possible, and my family is devotedly organic, but this conversion only took place over the last four years of my life. The first chapter reminded me how I felt when my preachy acquaintences tried to push that lifestyle on me. I agree that Americans need a good dose of the truth when it comes to food policy, but it can be delivered without making anyone feel defensive. Also, I must state that Kingsolver does not exactly qualify as "everywoman" when she speaks of the challenges of incorporating this life as a working mother...I'm not sure that being a full-time writer is quite the same as running home from an 8-5 job to get dinner ready.
If you can get past that first chapter, however, the rest of the book is quite enjoyable, and very informative. I found myself intrigued by the incredible storage vegatable bounty and on the edge of my seat to learn whether heritage turkeys would indeed reproduce. Despite my initial misgivings, I will make this book part of my permanent collection simply because I hope to incorporate much of its wisdom in my personal garden.
Bottom line: great info, but please do not recommend this to your friends and family who don't already subscribe to the locavore liturgy; it will probably only reinforce the inaccurate perception that the local food movement is home to uppity snobs out of touch with the realities of middle class America. Michael Pollan is a much better read for the masses.
- 4.5 out of 5: A charming account of living off the local landThis book documents Kingsolver's commitment to live off the local land for one year. During the commitment year, Kingsolver, her husband, and her two daughters tended a garden and raised chickens and turkeys on their small farm in Virginia. The family supplemented their food stores with trips to the local farmers' market and with a few, strictly limited, non-local items (like coffee and olive oil). I enjoyed this charming account of the seasonality of produce, the work required to harvest and prepare fresh foods, and the family's enjoyment of their time spent on the land. Although I'm not the slightest bit tempted to plant a garden or raise livestock after reading this book, Kingsolver has a convincing argument, and I have been persuaded to begin buying produce and meat from local farmers. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in the food economy, the environment, or nutrition.
Rating:
- living this lifeI'm sure I can't add additional glowing praise for this book that hasn't already been said, but as someone who is actively living this life, as a large-scale organic farmer who tries hard to raise all our own food and put priority on our family sitting down at a meal that consists primarily of our own meat, milk, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and grain (fresh ground for bread) - year round, I am loving each and every experience that Barbara Kingsolver describes in her wonderful, eloquent, humble, and amusing manner.
She is such a good writer, she uses words so well to convey ideas and personality - and her topics here are right on the mark. To be able to eloquently explain the reasons for growing your own and working together as a family to provide and preserve your own food, for eating meat, avoiding pesticides, abhoring factory farming, and especially enjoying the flavors and purpose of fresh local food and the people with you - I am just so glad she took the time to write this book. Through it, she has given us a invaluable gift.
Regardless of whether you read it as a tourist, observing amusedly such quaint antics, or as a student, trying to learn how to be more self-sufficient, or as a co-practitioner, knowing well how it feels to be working in a hot kitchen in August canning countless jars of tomatoes - this is a book to be savored and saved.
Rating:
- Changing how you look at food! This summer I have read this book along with Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Both of these explore the current state of food production in the US as well as look that the organic and local food movements. These
books are not about being a vegetarian and actually push the other way. Ms. Kingsolver's work is mainly about her family's efforts to eat locally for a year. The book is full of information abut our traditional food production and the advantages of eating locally produced food. The book has many recipes for making great meals and even discusses ways to make your own cheese! Highly recommended, especially if you have questions about the food you are currently purchasing.
Rating:
- Incredibly DisappointingI was a fan of Kingsolver until reading this book. I loved her insight about pesticides in The Poisonwood Bible, and I've read all of her other novels. A, V, M was terrible - describes a year of eating locally. But, this was no challenge to Kingsolver. She easily has the means to do this, and had apparently been doing this anyway for years. It would have been great to read a memoir on this theme by people who actually are like the rest of us - now that would have been a hoot. This is also is not a feel-good book. Although there are some things in there I'd like to do (I like the Friday night homemade pizza tradition), after reading it, I feel bad that I'm not baking my own bread, making my own cheese (yes, really!), raising my own chickens, etc. Reading this is way, way worse than watching or reading anything by Martha Stewart. Moreover, Kingsolver just comes across as a nerd, sorry to be so crass. I am sorry I wasted money on this - wish I spent it at the farmers' market.
Rating:
- Great information, may turn off the massesAs I read this book, I found myself turned off by the pious tone Kingsolver took in the first chapter. I am a passionate locavore to the extent possible, and my family is devotedly organic, but this conversion only took place over the last four years of my life. The first chapter reminded me how I felt when my preachy acquaintences tried to push that lifestyle on me. I agree that Americans need a good dose of the truth when it comes to food policy, but it can be delivered without making anyone feel defensive. Also, I must state that Kingsolver does not exactly qualify as "everywoman" when she speaks of the challenges of incorporating this life as a working mother...I'm not sure that being a full-time writer is quite the same as running home from an 8-5 job to get dinner ready.
If you can get past that first chapter, however, the rest of the book is quite enjoyable, and very informative. I found myself intrigued by the incredible storage vegatable bounty and on the edge of my seat to learn whether heritage turkeys would indeed reproduce. Despite my initial misgivings, I will make this book part of my permanent collection simply because I hope to incorporate much of its wisdom in my personal garden.
Bottom line: great info, but please do not recommend this to your friends and family who don't already subscribe to the locavore liturgy; it will probably only reinforce the inaccurate perception that the local food movement is home to uppity snobs out of touch with the realities of middle class America. Michael Pollan is a much better read for the masses.