Goat Song: A Seasonal Life, A Short History Of Herding, And The Art Of Making Cheese (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I love this book. My 4-star rating should not be read as an indication that the book is wanting. These rating systems are so limited they're vexing. How can stars or numbers or anything so narrow and fixed express the journey of over 200 pages? This is a beautiful book, and the journey Kessler describes grows deeper and more expansive over the course of many pages. It's not a book for those who need action and suspense to remain engaged but for those who appreciate reflection, nature, seasons, and what can be learned from weather, animals, and brushes with mortality. My friend Kirsten Giebutowski recommended this book to me and recently mentioned that she'd read it twice. After reading it myself, I can see why. Michael picked this book up at Goodwill last fall, read it in a few days, and dropped it in the mail to me. It lingered on my dresser for 11 months and a move, and I finally got around to reading it last week - and loved it.The author weaves together his experience raising goats and making cheese with reflections on our pastoral history. The writing is simple and beautiful, and I learned a whole lot about goats - in fact, I probably annoyed Nicolas to no end by greeting him after my train commute with "Guess what I learned about goats today!".Highly recommended if you have escapist fantasies involving farms and/or artisan food production, or if you like goats, or if you like to dabble in memoir and poetry and history without fully committing to either.
What do You think about Goat Song: A Seasonal Life, A Short History Of Herding, And The Art Of Making Cheese (2009)?
it describes the breeding and birthing and feelings great. And it makes you feel you were there.
—Silentmusic
Beautiful, clever, humorous and really a nice read.
—Kruz
Fascinating and well-crafted. Highly recommended.
—jessica
