Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

First, for those upset because this woman is a "squatter," maybe should read/listen closer. She has permission to have a garden on that lot and says so at around the 45 minute spot. She just likes to call herself that because she was for about a week. Then met the owner and got permission.


This book does not give you directions so much as tell an entertaining story though you will hear tips on urban farming here and there. If hearing the four letter word for excretion rather than a more polite term for it upsets you, then move on. If the idea of putting well-rotted, composted horse manure in your car (at this point it's just a really rich soil - horse stuff is just plants ground up pretty much anyway) upsets your sensibilities then you'll hear things that will upset you. Being a former horse owner and long-time organic gardener, none of this upsets me in the least. I was jealous of her for being able to get so much of it.


For me, this was a very entertaining book and I enjoyed it a lot. Giving 4 rather than 5 stars though as I reserve 5 for only the greatest. Again, I enjoyed this book very much.

This is a well written, entertaining and intimate (maybe too intimate for some of us carnivores) view of living in the real world of urban farming. Fun.

I enjoyed both the book and the reader very much. It was like a combination of The Omnivore's Dilemma and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. The author perfectly captures the somewhat obsessive nature of a dyed-in-the-wool gardener, while always wryly aware of how crazy some of her behavior appears to others. Lovely!

I got this book because I love gardening, have bees, raise chickens for eggs and meat, and like the idea of being self sufficient. Listening to someone SQUAT on another's land, use their station wagon (tarped the inside, are you serious?) to haul manure, and use the F word wasn't in my plan.

While the book does offer some insight into a way of living I don't understand (daily shootings, sirens, punk kids with no adult supervision) and the gardening of a city dweller with country roots, I didn't like the book. If a person is living in the city and doesn't mind their station wagon having poop in the back then this book is for you.

If you want to read a book with better inspiration of living closer to YOUR land, raising your own food, and gardening for a purpose, then read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Because some people find humor in the F word, and wouldn't consider a truck as a vital vehicle, I gave this book a 3. If you were my closest friend, I would take the book out of your hand and put it back on the book store shelf.

I LOVE how Novella and her partner made use of materials that would've otherwise been tossed, and in doing so created something out of nothing. For some reason I find that quite exciting and really enjoyed this book. I also very much appreciated the revelation of her mistakes as well as her successes.

You can't help but compare it to Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral." I found this to be much less preachy, much more fun and in the end, a better learning experience. Much better narrated, too.

I don't believe I've heard any of Karen White's performances before this, but she did a pretty good job.

Yes.

The only quibble I had with the author was her interaction with Sheila. Novella ignored so many obvious signals, and then proceeded to blame Sheila for doing what she clearly indicated she would do, no matter what Novella had requested.

I can so relate to this book, but I live in a not so urban area. Novella pokes fun of herself and others who have tried to live this life and still be a part of the modern movement that we live in today. A must read if you have ever thought of doing the unconventional such as raising a garden, canning, or raising farm animals. This book is for you.

Wonderful reading by Karen White. Great intonation and believability as a first person reader.

The story itself was an intimate retelling of life on the farm. The urban farm. The city-dweller's forty by sixty chain link fence crop container. A realistic acknowledgement of the work, idiosyncrasies and lunacy of trying to eat off the land amidst the culture of the city.

I loved this memoir if it could be called such a work.

I really liked this book. It really makes me stop and think about all the things we take for granted and waste.

When you choose a book like this you expect to read something that's a little more educational than entertaining. In other words, informative but not as liesurely a read as maybe a Stephanie Plum novel. However, this one surprised me. It WAS educational in some ways, and definitely autobiographical, but it was also quite entertaining. I was very pleased by this book, and by the end of it I wished I had a neighbor with a secret restaurant in her basement and a pair of turkeys in my back yard. I would almost consider this story to be the Eat-Pray-Love of urban farming except Novella Carpenter's final revelation doesn't have quite the umph of Elizabeth Gilbert's. Still, the story has a similar feel and was worth my time & credits. I would recommend it to others (in fact, I am) most certainly.

This lady is so strong willed, ready to take on anything for her tiny farm, and does a great job. I really enjoyed her animal antics, her with the pigs. and just funny ways of talking on and solving PROBLEMS that came up with her animals . I listened to it two times and will listen to it again, it is very refreshing.

Her attitude about the people in her neighborhood.the way she loves her animals and the attitude when an animal has to be taken for food shows a great attitude and the follow through herself is statement to her character, I have a small farm and I totally understood her feelings
.

Karen is anawesome she was my favorite, but hubby went along easy to whatever she whants

Yes, I did that. watng for more books from every year the adventure continues

Can be listen to many times , it's fun.