Diary Of A Farmer's Wife (Anne Hughes)

[Rhona]

Just read this after someone bought it for me for Christmas. Very quick, but thoroughly engaging read. I imagine many here would enjoy it.

It was written about 200 years ago by - yep- a farmer's wife, and is just about her day to day life keeping livestock, making dairy produce (guess where I got the butter idea from? ) and the like.

I'd love to read something similar but suspect that the genre is a narrow one - how many ordinary folk would have put pen to paper in 'those' days, or earlier? Not many. That's why this book is a bit special - not many women of her social standing would have kept a diary (most probably couldn't write very well) - indeed she often worries that her husband will find her 'little boke that she loves so much' and stop her writing it.

It's a great read anyway.

[marigold007]

It's amazing she had any time to write! It makes sense that she would write about daily chores. Perhaps in her youth, she dreamed of being a governess? Did you watch The Victorian Farm Christmas?

It's a lovely genre - better than the one where people from the upper classes wrote about their underlings with rather skewed perceptions.

[ladylottie]

Glad you enjoyed the book - I've been trying to get hold of it from my local library since I saw the write up about it on the good life press website (Good Life Press) They have lots of interesting books on there that a few other grapes might be interested in.

I'm reading "Scenes from a Smallholding" by Chas Griffin at the moment and am really enjoying it. It's all about how he started up an organic smallholding in West Wales from scratch. So funny! And so true to life (I've been there!). Well worth a read.

[northepaul]

I had read about this book, and will certainly keep it in mind for when I have read my mountain of other books, thanks for the recommendation!

Just read this after someone bought it for me for Christmas. Very quick, but thoroughly engaging read. I imagine many here would enjoy it.

It was written about 200 years ago by - yep- a farmer's wife, and is just about her day to day life keeping livestock, making dairy produce (guess where I got the butter idea from? ) and the like.

I'd love to read something similar but suspect that the genre is a narrow one - how many ordinary folk would have put pen to paper in 'those' days, or earlier? Not many. That's why this book is a bit special - not many women of her social standing would have kept a diary (most probably couldn't write very well) - indeed she often worries that her husband will find her 'little boke that she loves so much' and stop her writing it.

It's a great read anyway.