Tags

No tags :(

Of interest: humor, farming, contemporary, quirky characters

Summary:

Prudence Burns, a well-intentioned New Yorker full of back-to-the-land ideals, just inherited Woefield Farm—thirty acres of scrubland, dilapidated buildings, and one half-sheared sheep. But the bank is about to foreclose, so Prudence must turn things around fast! Fortunately she’ll have help from Earl, her banjo-playing foreman with a family secret; Seth, the neighbor who hasn’t left the house since a high school scandal; and Sara Spratt, an eleven-year-old who’s looking for a home for her prize-winning chickens.

Home to Woefield is about learning how to take on a challenge, face your fears, and find friendship in the most unlikely of places.

Review:


Told with equal parts heart and humor, WOEFIELD is the type of comfort read that will delight you with quirky characters and multiple POVs. Prudence’s determination is endearing and the people she meets while trying to accomplish her goal are more often than not hilarious. Susan Juby has created a charming story out of an unambitious premise– and none of the characters fit the archetypes you’re used to. It’s a story that isn’t the result of a trend or a fad in the book industry.

It’s an unconventional story, but I loved every minute of it.

What I find curious is the different approaches to marketing the title and cover between the US and Canadian versions; “Home to Woefield” has a decidedly different tone than THE WOEFIELD POULTRY COLLECTIVE, and it’s a rare change that I find more the modified version more appealing than the other.

Despite the initially outlandish nature of Prudence’s new neighbors, they become so much more than a simple quirk. Each one of them has hopes, dreams, and behaves in that wonderfully three-dimensional way that is so essential for a character-driven book like this. I fully recommend this unique little tale– if you haven’t read any of Juby’s books before, be prepared for a lot of charm, wit, and lovely characters.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

The Cover: CA version – It’s a complete turn-off for me, but I guess it’s just more adult-oriented. Still, it makes the story seem like non-fiction, hardly like the quirky humorous novel it is. Score: 2 out of 5
US version – I love this one much more than the Canadian one; it seems more appealing to younger readers as well as adults. Score: 4 out of 5

Published March 8th 2011 by HarperCollins / 336pp

Received from publisher for review. Thanks!

Related posts: