Heading Home: On Starting a New Life in a Country Place

by Lawrence Scanlan

What harassed and harried city-dweller has not dreamed of escaping to a quiet place in the country? Sixteen years ago, Lawrence Scanlan--then books editor at The Whig Standard --had that same dream and he acted on it. With his wife, he moved from the city of Kingston to a 19th Century frame house on the Napanee River in the village of Camden East, Ontario (pop. 250).Heading Home plots their transition from city to country, with its challenges and comic twists. The book's twelve chapters, each devoted to one month, chronicle a year in the life of the village. Scanlan points to a wide range of data and interviews dozens of people who have opted out of city life--all to show that a major demographic shift is underway.As lyrical as it is practical, Heading Home shows the way to a new life beyond the freeways and high-rises. Heading Home is the perfect book for all who have lived in the city but who yearn to start over--in a country place.

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

From Macmillan Books:

Lawrence Scanlan is the author of six bestselling books, including Wild About Horses and Little Horse of Iron. He is the coauthor, with Ian Millar, of Riding High, and has written three books for younger readers: Big Ben, Horses Forever, and The Horse’s Shadow. Scanlan worked closely with Monty Roberts on his acclaimed book The Man Who Listens to Horses. Winner of three Canadian National Magazine Awards for his journalism, Scanlan lives in Kingston, Ontario.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may know that my husband and I exchanged big city living for life in rural Nova Scotia nine years ago, so I’m always interested in books/memoirs about moving to the country. Scanlan, who moved from the city of Kingston to the village of Camden East, Ontario (pop. 250) has written one of the best I’ve encountered.

The book’s twelve chapters, each devoted to one month, chronicle a year in the life of the village. Heading Home is a beautiful piece of narrative non-fiction, yet it is packed with extremely practical advice for anyone yearning to start over in a country place.

Read this if: you are contemplating country life – or if you just wonder what it’s like. 4½ stars