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Tag Archives: farmers

Antidote: a Novel by Karen Russell

02 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States

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Dust Bowl Era 1931-1939, dust storms, families, farmers, historical fiction, interpersonal relations, magic realist fiction, Nebraska, orphans, photographers, witches

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing–not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories.  Excellent historical fiction – couldn’t put this book down.

“An inspired and unforgettable fusion of the gritty and the fantastic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The Antidote blends speculative and fantasy elements with rich language and vivid characters in an effort not to escape reality but to comment even more thoughtfully on it. . . . Russell’s lyrical writing dazzles on every page.” —The New York Times

“An ardent work of encompassing and compassionate historical fiction supercharged with her signature imaginative, astutely calibrated supernatural twists. A dramatic and uncanny tale of the drastic consequences of our destruction of nature and Indigenous communities.” — Booklist (starred review)


“The most salient quality of The Antidote is the beauty and power of Russell’s writing. . . . The Antidote is clearly the work of a writer with prodigious gifts.” —The Guardian

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Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder, Uncategorized, United States

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brothers, Civil War 1861-1865, farmers, freed persons, gay military personnel, Georgia history

At the very end of the Civil War, two newly freed slave brothers have no way to make a living and no where to go.  Running parallel to this story is the forbidden romance of two Confederate soldiers.  When these two stories collide, chaos ensues.  Written so deliberately and well paced, it is hard to believe it is a debut novel!

“Harris’s lucid prose and vivid characterization illustrate a community at war with itself, poisoned by pride and mired in racial and sexual bigotry. Prentiss and Landry are technically free, but they remain trapped by a lifetime of blighted hopes and broken promises. Reconstruction will prove to be yet another lie. Harris’s first novel is an aching chronicle of loss, cruelty, and love in the wake of community devastation.”―Lesley Williams, Booklist (starred review)

“Deeply moving… Harris’s ambitious debut explores the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation in rural Georgia… Harris peoples the small community with well-developed characters… [He] writes in intelligent, down-to-earth prose and shows a keen understanding of his characters.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A timeless portrait of warring factions seeking peace… There is a shared longing at the heart of Harris’ novel… Harris draws readers into this sense of longing by exploring silences… Celebrating all manner of relationships that combat hate, this novel is a hopeful glimpse into the long legacy of American racial and civil tensions.”―Mari Carlson, Bookpage (starred review)

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A Shepherd’s Life: Modern Dispatches from a Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks

17 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, Non-fiction

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England, farm life, farmers, Lake District, sheep, shepherds

While you are waiting to obtain a copy of Educated: a Memoir by Sara Westover ( the holds list is still in the 800’s), you might want to try this book.  Mr. Rebanks, the latest in a long family line of Herdwick sheep farmers, has become an international phenomenon with his evocative prose and blunt observations on the rugged lives and culture of his native English Lake District (Wellesley Books).  He rejects everything about school as a boy but ends up at Oxford.  While most memoirs are about people trying to leave a place, James is determined to remain on the land of his ancestors.

“Captivating… A book about continuity and roots and a sense of belonging in an age that’s increasingly about mobility and self-invention. Hugely compelling” ―Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“A gorgeous book, unsentimental but exultant, vivid and profound, and a fierce defense of small-scale farming against the twin threats of agribusiness and tourism.” ―National Geographic

“May well do for sheep what Helen Macdonald did for hawks.” ―The Guardian (UK)

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