More Scenes from the Rural Life

by Verlyn Klinkenborg

Verlyn Klinkenborg's regular column, The Rural Life , is one of the most read and beloved in the New York Times. Since 1997, he has written eloquently on every aspect, large and small, of life on his upstate New York farm, including his animals, the weather and landscape, and the trials and rewards of physical labor, as well as broader issues about agriculture and land use behind farming today. Klinkenborg's pieces are admired as much for their poetic writing as for their peonies are "the sheepdog of flowers," dry snow "tumbles off the angled end of the plow-blade as if each crystal were completely independent, almost charged with static electricity," and land is most valuable "for its silence, its freedom from language." Klinkenborg writes with a grace and understanding that makes us more aware of the world around us, whether we live on a farm or in the middle of a city. More Scenes from the Rural Life gathers together 150 of his best pieces since his last collection, The Rural Life , was published a decade ago. For anybody with an appreciation of nature, language, or both, this book is certain to delight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Verlyn Klinkenborg is a member of the editorial board of The New York Times. His previous books include Making Hay, The Last Fine Time, and The Rural Life. He lives in upstate New York.

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review book from Amazon Vine.

I hadn't heard of this author but was casting around for something different to read. The idea of reading someone's collected essays about life on a farm in upstate New York sounded just the thing, almost like an adult version of the Laura Ingalls Wilder tales I always loved as a child.

It was definitely the right choice as I have been enchanted by the beauty of Verlyn Klinkenborg's prose, the strength of his understanding of nature and animals, and in the vivid images which make me feel as if I am there in the country. Truly, this description of the book is not overstating the case:

Klinkenborg's pieces are admired as much for their poetic writing as for their insight: peonies are "the sheepdog of flowers," dry snow "tumbles off the angled end of the plow-blade as if each crystal were completely independent, almost charged with static electricity," and land is most valuable "for its silence, its freedom from language." Klinkenborg writes with a grace and understanding that makes us more aware of the world around us, whether we live on a farm or in the middle of a city.

It is almost as good as taking a vacation. I find myself deliberately slowing down, savoring the writing, and simply relaxing.

There is a section in the middle of the book called Interludes wherein are included more direct commentary on subjects like genetically engineered crops, big farming, and so forth. I read the first couple but, frankly, I found nothing that I hadn't picked up already in the more lyrical journal style writing from the rest of the book. One may agree with him or not in these more opinionated pieces and I found that about 90% of the time I did agree. However, as I say, I lost nothing in briefly skimming most of them and moving on. The other essays which make up most of the book are more thoughtful and reflective and naturally tied to the land. Therefore, I found these pointed pieces to be overkill. Your milage may vary. The pointed pieces cost the book one star from me.

Despite the Interlude, this book is a rare find for me and one that I will enjoy rereading over the years.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long ago, before he abruptly ended his New York Times column at the end of 2013, I was a huge fan of Verlyn Klinkenborg’s “The Rural Life” and read it every time I chanced upon it. When he published The Rural Life years ago, I read and loved every word. His writing about the natural world reminded me of E.B. White (high praise indeed) and this book covered a year…beautifully.

However, More Scenes from the Rural Life—while a gorgeous volume and full of well-written interesting pieces—was not as much of a pleasure. I don’t understand it, but went back to the original book thinking that perhaps my taste had changed only to learn that something changed in Klinkenborg’s style of writing; I cannot put my finger on it.

At any rate, this book was very good and a perfect bedside book—but for me the charm that always drew me to “The Rural Life” column was missing.

[Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book slowly, despite my desire to devour it in one sitting, for a few reasons. One, I needed time between essays and chapters to digest the author's language, the lessons in each entry, and I wanted to savor the feeling it pulled from my primitive self. I could actually feel the seasons- the chill of winter, smell of autumn, sounds of spring, and warmth of a buggy summer evening. I could feel the hay slip through my fingers, as the horses were fed and hear the sounds of the pigs. I also read this book slowly because, frankly, I didn't want it to end. I could only find myself reading it at certain times-when I was grounded enough to fully appreciate it and fully present to be able to appreciate it. Otherwise it would have gelt wasteful. It's wonderful to read something so honest, and to have the opportunity to daydream (and contemplate) whether rural life is the life for me.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book that makes for pleasant end-of-evening reading. Klinkenborg has a good eye for detail.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I loved his NYT column, loved his first book a decade ago, and loved this. It's a book that must be savored and slowly digested. It's delicious.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, a collection of editorial essays about life on a small farm, has so many beautiful moments that even if each essay isn't fascinating, the sum of those moments makes for a rich, thoughtful read. Klinkenborg brings his farm to life in such intimate detail, with such care, respect, and obvious liking, that you close the book feeling the same way about a place you've never even seen. His ruminations on pasture, fencing, wood stoves, pigs, tomatoes, and, of course, life and death, are all celebrations of noticing and reveling in the importance of everyday minutiae, and I really enjoyed all of them. Now I just need to track down the first volume and read it too.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great connection Verlyn has to nature, that of wildlife and plants but also of the human kind.

[Lori Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klinkenborg is one of the best living writers, in my view, and there are many sentences in this book that dazzle. But it is what it is ... a compendium of New York Time columns over a period of 11 years with an "interlude" of agricultural essays. I'm not sure if it is possible for a book of this nature to feel perfect - to be a five-star book - but this comes as close as I imagine possible.

The drawings by Nigel Peake are a delight.

[Dan Udell · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fellow resident of "Upstate New York," I found this to be a pleasant read. We live in an agricultural community, and I can relate personally to many of Verlyn's observations. However, the book is little disjointed. They observations are, in the end, separate and unrelated. But the writing reaches a level of poetry on many occasions.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little more challenging to get through this one. I got bored in parts.