On Brassard's Farm

A Novel

By: Daniel Hecht

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

In a radical departure from her urban life, Ann Turner buys a piece of remote Vermont land and sets up a tent home in the forest. In an effort to escape an unending string of personal disasters in Boston and a desire to leave behind a world she sees as increasingly defined by consumerism, hypocrisy, and division, she hopes to find a kind of peace in this new life. As she writes in her journal, "There's got to be a more honest, less divided way to live."

She soon learns she was mistaken in thinking a kindly Mother Earth would grant her wisdom and serenity in her new home. The forest confronts her with unanticipated dangers, aching loneliness, harsh weather, instinctive fears, and wildlife of the sort she's never encountered. It's beautiful, yes, but life in the wild is never easy. When necessity requires her to start work as a farmhand, she quickly discovers that she held similarly childish illusions about small farms.

Under the stern tutelage of Diz Brassard, the farm's 60-year-old matriarch, and the gentler guidance of Earnest Kelley, an Oneida Indian friend of the Brassards, she learns what hard work really means. Ann faces her predicament with determination, but there's a lot to learn - about the Brassard family, about dairy farming, and about herself. If she is to succeed in her new life, she must become as tough and resilient as the rural community she lives in. She must also learn to accept love - even if it arrives in the most unexpected forms.

On Brassard's Farm is a tale of personal struggle, sweeping transformation, and romantic love. Author Daniel Hecht tells of Ann Turner's quest for a better life with unsparing honesty and gentle humor. Through its portrayal of the unrelenting labor and harsh pragmatism of farming, On Brassard's Farm reveals the deep durability of rural life and offers a much-needed affirmation in a changing and uncertain world.

©2018 Daniel Hecht (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Couldn’t Move Past One of the Plot Points

I chose to read this book because I am a fan of resilience stories. I also wanted to read it because I grew up on a farm and love the outdoors, which are two major settings in this book. If you are someone who is not familiar with farm life or the outdoors and camping, and you enjoy long, descriptive narration about these things, you may like this book. For me personally, I found all the descriptions of the farms and wilderness camping long and uninteresting, which was disappointing. Also, the plot took a turn after which I found myself unable to finish this book. SPOILER: The main character in this book is a teacher. As a teacher myself there’s teacher behavior I find inexcusable and don’t care to read about. And to me, it seemed like the author was using the main characters deep sadness and loneliness to excuse her behavior with a student. I couldn’t get past this story line, so I had to stop reading the book.

Narrative, not plot

This is a slow narrative without much plot, so don't expect a page-turner. A woman seeking to escape some poor life choices decides to buy a piece of undeveloped land in Vermont. The rest of the narrative concerns the struggles, dangers, relationships and redemption she finds through good, hard physical labor and communing with nature. Yes, it is a bit preachy. Not really for me. But the narration was excellent.

boo-hoo

just another crybaby liberal, I just get sick listening to people like this she definitely has a high tolerance for her own hypocrisy

Not going to finish it

The premise was interesting to me but the book lost me with the long and boring (to me)descriptions/instructions on milking a cow and planting hops or fixing farm machinery... yawn.

Beautifully woven tale

Wonderful writing and perfect narration. A novel worth a readers time and attention. May we all find a little of what Annie did.

This book is a love story about loving yourself.

I always enjoy how this author writes and creates a visual image of her main character. This book is really about finding yourself and learning to trust your own views. It’s a wonderful listen and an optimistic view of a life well lived. Enjoy!

Not what I expected

I expected this book to be a story of a city person's retreat to the country and all the lessons learned the hard way ... with and without humour.

What I got was a much richer story of struggle, love, pain, redemption, humour and farming. I had to remind myself, daily, as I listened to it, that it was not a biography, not a story about a real person's life. I still have to remind myself, even having finished the book.

It is really a love story when you come right down to it. But not a predictable one, and the love story is not just between two people, but also between people and the animals that are part of our world, as well as people and the traditional world of farming. Hardship is an underlying theme, but not in a sob story sort of way. Grit, resilience, courage and kindness all have roles to play in this thoughtful and engaging story of part of one woman's journey and the people she took with her, or met, along the way. I highly recommend it if you are a thoughtful reader looking for an above average story. If you're looking for a light and somewhat predictable read, this might not be the book for you.

Deep, engaging

I like well written stories where people evolve, become more of themselves.
I especially enjoy female leads that face down their fears. The variety of characters, the humor, the anger and sorrow kept it real.

GREAT READING

Good reading thought the start was a little slow it turned out to be a feel good book
Loved the ending

enjoyable and well written

i very much enjoyed this book. growing up on a small dairy farm similar in size to this farm, i found the description to life and work on a dairy farm very accurate and detailed. very good characters. a nice listen.