by Rosamund Young (Author)
"Within a day of receiving this book, I had consumed it... Absorbing, moving, and compulsively readable."—Lydia Davis
In
this affectionate, heart-warming chronicle, Rosamund Young distills a
lifetime of organic farming wisdom, describing the surprising
personalities of her cows and other animals
At her famous
Kite's Nest Farm in Worcestershire, England, the cows (as well as
sheep, hens, and pigs) all roam free. They make their own choices about
rearing, grazing, and housing. Left to be themselves, the cows exhibit
temperaments and interests as diverse as our own. "Fat Hat" prefers men
to women; "Chippy Minton" refuses to sleep with muddy legs and always
reports to the barn for grooming before bed; "Jake" has a thing for
sniffing the carbon monoxide fumes of the Land Rover exhaust pipe; and
"Gemima" greets all humans with an angry shake of the head and is
fiercely independent.
An organic farmer for decades, Young has an
unaffected and homely voice. Her prose brims with genuine devotion to
the wellbeing of animals. Most of us never apprehend the various inner
lives animals possess, least of all those that we might eat. But Young
has spent countless hours observing how these creatures love, play
games, and form life-long friendships. She imparts hard-won wisdom about
the both moral and real-world benefits of organic farming. (If
preserving the dignity of animals isn't a good enough reason for you,
consider how badly factory farming stunts the growth of animals,
producing unhealthy and tasteless food.)
This
gorgeously-illustrated book, which includes an original introduction by
the legendary British playwright Alan Bennett, is the summation of a
life's work, and a delightful and moving tribute to the deep richness of
animal sentience.
