I've devoured both books by James Rebanks, husband to Helen Rebanks. So I was mightily curious to read 'The Farmer's Wife'.

It turns out to be a simple yet beautifully told memoir; the literary equivalent of an open window with the sun shining in and a vase of flowers from the garden on the sill. Different themes are woven together - growing up in a rural area, navigating the highs and lows of love, the anxiety of not wanting to conform, or the anxiety of wanting what you feel judged for wanting (in the author's case, becoming a mother to many children).

The most unexpected element of the book for me was the recipes interspersing the narrative. In all honesty, I don't think I'll make any of them (almost-vegetarian who only eats the occasional bit of wild venison here!) but they are a rather lovely and sensuous touch.

Rebanks has not gone on great adventures or suffered terrible trauma in her life, but her story is compelling all the same; the sense of her life rises from the pages, and I'm glad to have read her.

The Farmer's Wife : My Life in Days by Helen Rebanks

A great book which is also peppered with recipes , some of which I will definitely use.
I very much enjoyed Helen's writing style and details of her childhood , those people that were important to her as a child and of course her adult life and becoming a mother , and a farmer alongside her husband James whos books I have also enjoyed.
I also live in Cumbria and enjoy reading books about families who go a great way in protecting this beautiful county and the precious wildlife in it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I have literally just finished it and have dived straight in to write my feedback. I loved this book....parts were a bit jumbled on my Kindle version but that just added to the chaos going on at the farm with a growing family. It was a pleasant ramble through Helen's trials and tribulations and perhaps I would have liked more rounded events. The Beast from the East was very descriptive as it arrived .......but there was no 'what happened after it had left'. What was the wreckage this event left behind. Some tales just stopped dead. Nevertheless, I totally recommend this to other readers who want a warts and all tale of farming life.

I really enjoyed this memoir and was quite captivated by the simple yet engaging prose. It's written in such a thoughtful and meaningful way, often with sentences that encapsulate a lot about life and nature. I obviously came to it through my interest in James Rebanks - it was quite fun learning their history too! Nice recipes.