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Summary
Summary
"The Farm She Was is the story of a strong and resilient single woman, Irene Leahy. It also is a story about our relationship to the land, to animals, to nature, and to each other." "Author Ann Mohin, a farm-woman herself, writes poignantly and poetically of Irene's life and her battle to save the sheepfarm in upstate New York where she has lived since birth. Irene's story, slipping in and out of the past and present, is a story about rural life spanning most of this century. It is about an American era rapidly coming to a close."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Author Notes
Ann Mohin and her husband raise sheep and most of their own food on their 1580-acre farm at McDonough, New York, south of Syracuse. Her short stories and poetry have been published in literary magazines and anthologies across the united States. The Farm She Was, her first novel, was selected by the New York Times Book Review as one of the "Notable Books of the Year" when it was published in Hardcover in 1998.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
A first novel that offers low-key memories of life down on the farm as a dying nonagenarian describes the way it used to be raising sheep and living off the land. Ninety-year-old Irene Leahy accepts that she's dying, but she's not quite ready to go--not until she shares her recollections of long-ago life in upstate New York. The specifics of these tales are typically rural, focusing on the hard particulars of a working life spent close to the land. But Irene's gentle stories of the past don't pack many punches, and though she's supposed to be ornery and strong, she seems more a generic feisty old woman than an intrinsically memorable one. Between recollections, Irene deals with Reverend Thorne, a frequent caller, and Esther, the woman who takes care of her. The Reverend, in a well-meaning but entirely irritating way, urges Irene to sell the farm and move to a retirement home--an idea that Esther seconds. Local real-estate agents are equally insistent. But Irene stubbornly resists moving, fearing not only that her independence will be lost but that the farm will be subdivided and turned into a development. The story shuttles between Irene's current predicament and her vivid memories of the past. An only child whose older brother drowned in childhood, Irene was taught by her father to handle a gun and team of horses, and by her mother to raise the sheep that provided the farm's income. Her father died when she was 17, and she has spent the rest of her life raising sheep. A single love affair--with the local veterinarian--ended when he was killed in WW II. Eventually, the Reverend comes through with an idea that will preserve the farm, transforming it into a living museum. And so, with that problem resolved, and her tales all told. . . . A heartfelt but less that original celebration of rural life and female independence. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
At 90, Irene ("Reeni") Leahy still lives on the sheep farm in upstate New York where she has lived all her life. Although her once-strong body is failing, Reeni's mind and memories are razor sharp. Appalled by suggestions that she sell her land and move to a nursing home, Reeni writes her heart out in a journal that chronicles the events of her life and times. Just 17 when her father died and she took over the farm, hers was a life of hard work, independence, and resilience. The journal moves seamlessly back and forth through time as she writes about love and loss, her father and mother, her animals, the land--even as she faces her own death. Although Reeni is far too practical to engage in self-pity, there is an aching poignancy in her writing about the physical process of aging. With a deep appreciation of nature and a sadness for the losses that have come with "progress" during her lifetime, Reeni is determined to save her farm and remain in her home. --Grace Fill
Library Journal Review
Born and raised on a sheep farm, Reeni Leahy has a deep love and understanding of animals, the land, and nature itself. When her father died prematurely, Reeni made the difficult decision to maintain the farm herself. As a result, she remained single and childless. Now in her nineties, she has only her old dog, Joe, for companionship. In a lovely observation, Reeni says, "I scratch his salt and pepper muzzle and he licks my misshapen hands, congratulations proffered to each other for witnessing another day." Both Reverend Thorne and the social services worker who comes to help out urge Reeni to abandon the farm and move into Pine Manora notion she finds anathema. Though her expectations are low, Reeni does not pity herself and has not lost her will to live. As she lies in bed, dependent but still feisty, she reflects on her life. First-time novelist Mohin, who lives on a sheep farm with her husband and has published short stories and poems, writes with sensitivity and gentle humor about aging gracefully alone.Kimberly G. Allen, MCI Corporate Information Resources Ctr., Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
