My Connemara

by Paula Steichen

The lyrical account of an idyllic childhood in the mountains of North Carolina evokes a way of life that is vanishing in urban America, and casts intimate new light on the author's grandfather, Carl Sandberg.

Paula Steichen, born after her parents' divorce, was two when she accompanied the Sandbergs to Connemara, a beautiful old mansion on more than two hundred acres of farmland. Mrs. Sandberg made the soil bloom with crops and creatures - particularly their prize-winning goats - while inside the spacious white house, Carl Sandberg produced prose, poetry, and guitar music, and taught his granddaughter to love nature and respect work.

Perceptive profiles of the immediate family and Uncle Edward Steichen are accompanied by many charming illustrations, a wealth of anecdotes, and vivid descriptions of farm life. Paula Steichen, in her first book, has produced a rich rewarding account of what it was like to grow up in a sunlit world bound by acres of sky, wild flowers, planted fields, and people free to learn what they could from the bounty of Connemara.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

178 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

Reviews

[Brenda]

I read this years ago….enjoyable the second time, as well.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written book of the author's childhood living at Connemara with her grandparents,older brother, mother & two aunts. Her grandfather was Carl Sandburg. The story is very charming, I felt like I was there in the pastures,on the mountain side, trails, in the home etc. Connemara is located at Flat Rock, NC near Asheville. We recently visited Connemara so the book was especially interesting to me. Little known knowledge of the Sandburg family is that Mre. Sandburg raised goats and was as well known for her prize winning herd as hewr husband was for his writings. The family lived a simple farm life raising most of their food. This is a very easy and charming book to read.

[Clara Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a wonderful and heartwarming picture of life at Connemara with the author's grandfather, Carl Sandburg, and other family members. By the end of the book I felt I knew and loved each one. My family and I have spent many pleasant times at 'the goat farm,' as our children call it, and reading the book brought back the warm, happy feeling of being there among the green hills, shady pathways, cool waters, and adorable baby goats. This book is a well-written and beautiful love letter to a special time, place and family. I consider it a comfort read and a treasure!

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

We visited Connemara last summer, so I threw it in my bag as we went up for our most recent visit to Flat Rock, NC. It is a well-written memoir by Carl Sandburg's granddaughter of her life on that farm in the 1940s/50s. It made me long for a simpler life, or to live in simpler times. It's a good book for anyone who is interested in the lives of American authors - I learned a lot about Carl Sandburg, including his writing habits and how his creative process worked.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by Carl Sandburg's granddaughter this is a story of her childhood on Carl Sandburg's estate and working farm in the mountains of North Carolina.

[Bill A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice reminder of a begone time; beautiful in its simplicity.