Poetic, wholesome, and engrossing…A stunning achievement.
Carrier’s love for words beautifully combines in this remarkable story of her dedication to whole-Earth philosophy. Carrier and her husband’s journey from becoming the owner of a remote parcel of land with nothing but basic electricity, well, and a mobile house in rural Wyoming to the aging crofters and keepers of a thriving homestead has the narrative tension of a novel. There are details of Carrier’s upbringing as a military child, her marriage, family life, her love for reading and writing, her musings on the heightened political tension and war in America and global warming, and recipes for delicious family favorites, but the highlight of this book remains the homestead she and her husband has come to call home, and throughout, she employs her flair for words to engage her readers. Readers learn much along the way, including how to employ proper pruning techniques for growth, the reason orchardists paint trunks of apple trees, how to properly pick a fruit or a vegetable, and remedies for various plant ailments, such as powdery mildew, blight among others. Accompanying vivid, black-and-white photos compliment the narrative. Carrier’s determination, resilience, hope, and gratitude are all on display here as she and her husband revel in the sweetness of discovery in the face of the harsh realities of being the owner of a flourishing homestead. Both a personal memoir and a homage to nature, the book makes for a stunner.
CROFTER
A Wyoming Homestead Manual and Radical Memoir, Rooted in Place
Renée Carrier
Braeburn Croft and Press
Pub date January 28, 2023
ISBN 978-1734043747
Price $28.07 (USD) Hardcover, $24.53 Paperback, $0.00 Kindle