And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road

by Margaret Roach

Margaret Roach worked at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for 15 years, serving as Editorial Director for the last 6. She first made her name in gardening, writing a classic gardening book among other things. She now has a hugely popular gardening blog, "A Way to Garden." But despite the financial and professional rewards of her job, Margaret felt unfulfilled. So she moved to her weekend house upstate in an effort to lead a more authentic life by connecting with her garden and with nature. The memoir she wrote about this journey is funny, quirky, humble--and uplifting--an Eat, Pray, Love without the travel-and allows readers to live out the fantasy of quitting the rat race and getting away from it all.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Gardening, Nature, Biography Memoir, Biography, Unfinished

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

"I garden because I cannot help myself," says Margaret Roach, and "The Backyard Parables" (January 2013) shares what she has learned about horticulture, and life, in the process of digging ever deeper. In December 2007, Roach walked away from New York City and her job as EVP/Editorial Director of Martha Stewart, because she craved other rewards: solitude, a return to the creativity of writing, and a closer connection to nature and her first passion, the garden she'd been making on weekends for 20 years. Roach moved to a rural New York town of 300, began AWayToGarden.com (called "the best garden blog" by the New York Times and named for her prize-winning 1998 book), and wrote the dropout memoir "And I Shall Have Some Peace There." She is the former garden editor of Newsday newspaper, and was an editor at the New York Times. Today she lectures, teaches and blogs about what she calls "horticultural how-to and woo-woo." (Erica Berger photo.)

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir had so much promise, but it was disappointing and I struggled to finish it.

Margaret Roach was a big-shot editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and then in 2007, after years of anxiety and stress, she left her job to go live in a country home in upstate New York and have a nice big garden.

The book is titled "And I Shall Have Some Peace There," but I saw little evidence of a peaceful person. Roach's writing is scattered, constantly jumping topics and flitting around, filled with immature asides in parenthesis (it is possible to overuse parenthesis, you know) and way too many random references to song lyrics. It was like reading a teenager's diary.

Again and again she asks: Who am I if I am not mroach@marthastewart.com any longer? The first time I read it, I thought, "Nice line." The second time, I thought, "OK, I get it, a little repetition to make your point." But she used it a ridiculous number of times in a 260-page book.

I think the problem here is that Margaret was good at magazine editing, and when she focused her writing on her garden, there were some good sections. But she lacked the ability to write a cohesive book. This story would have been a much better magazine article.

There were a few quotes I liked:

"If you think you want to live in the country, start by clearing a thicket of brambles, invasive woody vines, and choked, decaying trees, and then decide. This or its equivalent will basically become your life practice. There are always thorny bits in your path, always."

"I garden because I cannot help myself. It is no wonder so much of gardening is done on one's knees; this practice of horticulture is a wildly humbling way to pass one's days on Earth ... To be a gardener is to come face-to-face with powerlessness, and to cultivate patience as actively as you do botanical things. In spite of following all the directions gleaned from Grandma and from garden books, despite considerable years of hands-on experiments and personal access to some of the most knowledgeable masters of the breed, I know only one thing for certain about gardening now, thirty years in: Things will die."

"For better or worse, this is how I live now, no longer waiting to be reassured by the percentage of my annual bonus or any other tangible marker of progress like a job promotion. Randomness, along with instinct and, if you are lucky, scrappiness, are what you have left when you take the detour that I did."

Margaret did have some amusing stories about country living, but there was so much slogging to get there that I don't think it was worth it. If you just want to see pictures of her beautiful garden, check out her blog, "A Way to Garden."

A much better book about an independent woman moving to the country is Anne LaBastille's "The Woodswoman." Go read that instead.

[Danielle McClellan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a book that I expected to love because the author has a lovely gardening blog that I enjoy and a promising back story of her escape from NYC and corporate America (she was a bigwig at Martha Stewart) to her garden sanctuary in the country. I had hoped for some gardening essays, some thoughtful but practical commentary on her experience...anything but what actually ended up on the page, which was chapter after chapter of rambling, free-form self doubt and the recurring question of who she is now that she is not a Martha Stewart exec. Far, far too much information about her quest for inner peace (think expensive spas and pricey spiritual advisers) and her quest for a mate (think expensive and exclusive dating service). This clearly talented writer and thoughtful woman has standards so high (perhaps honed by the perfectionism of the Martha Stewart brand) that she cannot possibly live up to her own ideals and spends most of the book holed up in her house wearing sweats and refusing to answer the phone (or was that just my impression?). As an editor, I can only wonder where hers was. My own sense is that the author needed more time to decompress and allow her life to settle before turning to the book contract. This book might have been a far more interesting one if it had been written a bit later in the journey.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enormous respect for a diligent devotee of gardening and all things botanical and ecological (thus the birds, frogs, and Jack the cat that grace the book). Gardening (and nature) has saved my sorry soul many times over. Margaret Roach did a brave and ballsy thing and I applaud her for that. She seemed to plan very well from young age where she really was going in life -- she purchased a home in the country 20 plus years before her Manhattan escape. She was slowly and methodically following her bliss. Bravo. There are some very nice educated paragraphs about observing various aspects of nature. But this book reads more like a journal/diary rant and has no plot, not many gardening tips, no cooking tips, and scant support for the premise of finding "some peace there" in one's own backyard. The epilogue added in some peaceful insights finally. I have to say that she had a lot of help achieving her great garden (a once great salary and her helper, Susan). Her connection to the Martha Stewart enterprise (gardening editor) is what gave this author a publishing contract and a new shiny book. It is not what or how you write in publishing but who you know, I guess. This book needed a good editor to round up the crazy randomness of thoughts and organize the essays, and then cut out some chaff (as in too much trying to be so dang clever in her writing).

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was reading this I was thinking that it was a 4 star book - at first I didn't even like it and thought I might return it to the library mostly unread, but luckily I kept going and now I really have to give it 5 stars. Just beautifully written, for one thing, but it was more just Ms. Roach's story and how she was so able to explain who she really was, and who she was both becoming and leaving behind - I loved it. Full of good quotes and things to think about and if you believe in any sort of magical thinking yourself, you'll relate - also good if you think your life depends on *who* you are, and how the world sees you. It's really interesting to read this book and follow her blog at the same time - and if you remember her from her days at Martha Stewart Living - seeing how she really is is fascinating. Very highly recommended!

*I don't like thinking of myself as shopping for serenity; so much shame derives from recalling how it took more and more and more to get through to me as the months wore on, more and more and more to quiet me down, just one more sip and then another (you name which nectar), oh please just one.*

*Life is tinged with pleasure.*

*These days, newness does not derive from drama around "the other," but from the conversation with self, from merely sitting quietly and bearing witness ... It's up to me what gets in here, or what's cast out: it always was. I just used to sell a lot more tickets to the performances in those old days than I feel the need to lately.*

*There are other triumphs and trophies in my marathon solo event, like the end to that vague dread of Sunday night that pervades the working wounded, who if there were like I was all those years also want to stay up and eke out some sense of "mine-ness" when they get home from work each weekday evening, despite being all in from the events of the day;*

*Be grateful to everyone*

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy books about women who upend their intense work lives and go live by themselves in the country/mountains/small village where they try to discover who they are without the intense work life. So I enjoyed this book. There were lots of laugh out loud parts, especially about the author’s fear of snakes, snakes which seemed to be appearing every day for a while. And not just snakes, but venomous, huge rattlesnakes. I’m not fond of snakes either, and had to skip over a few of those parts.
I wasn’t as keen on the long passages where Roach is communing with frogs and other animals or the very long passages about gardening. But to be fair, gardening is this woman’s passion and what she is known for. I ended up watching an online tour of her gardens and they are gorgeous. It’s just not my passion. I’m much more interested in the internal changes of major life transitions of which there weren’t, ultimately, enough to keep me engaged.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roach had a high level job with the Martha Stewart Corporation but in her early 50s decided to chuck it all and move to her upstate NY country home. Sound familiar? It is but Roach writes about more than the challenges of a somewhat neurotic career woman moving to the country and trying to conquer a new way of life. Her mission was to concentrate on gardening and in finding herself, but it's not easy to give up an identity that is so closely related to a lifelong career. Her "loudest" question for most of the book is "Who are you in a digital age, if you are not mroach@marthastewart.com anymore?" The author proceeds to write about her past life, current life, and natural life (animal and plant), and along the way interjects various philosophical musings. The natural life stymies her a bit, and it doesn't help that she is afraid of snakes and electrical storms, both of which are in abundance in her neck of the woods.

Roach’s meandering style takes a little getting used to, so fans of more linear narratives may wish to skip this. This has been recommended to those who like EAT, PRAY, LOVE, and I would have to agree unless you preferred the travel aspect over the personal inner reflections of the Gilbert book.

Margaret Roach is a stunning writer even if her favorite word seems to be s**t (used at least 33 times, which seems a little excessive).

E-Galley provided by NetGalley (www.netgalley.com)

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I enjoy the author's garden blog. Basically this memoir is about Margaret Roach, a Martha Stewart Living executive, who leaves the fast lane in NYC in order to garden full-time in the country.

I think I would have liked this book if I were a different person with different experiences. I am not over fifty, or a career woman who works crazy hours. I'm not neurotic, or afraid of lightening and snakes and going outside without earrings on, nor am I a person who plunks down $5,000 on a shopping binge at Saks Fifth Avenue. I just could not relate to the author at all, except for the gardening.

I was hoping for a book that would talk about her garden and how she adjusted to life in the country. And the book is about that, but only a little bit. Mostly it seems to be about her trying to find herself. Not being a particularly introspective person, I found this rather boring. She was looking for signs and messages from her animal neighbors, which seemed a little over the top for me.

Her writing style took some getting used to. The dust jacket called it idiosyncratic, but I would call it unfocused. It was like peeking into a person's mind with all of its tangents and quick changes of subject.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed that she didn't describe more fully what it is like to work for Martha Stewart and MS Omnimedia, though there may be a confidentiality agreement that prevents her from doing so.

The usual cliches of a middle aged American woman going to expensive spiritual retreats particularly grated on my nerves.

I felt that the book was repetitive and not edited with sufficient rigor. I also felt that she could have benefited from the example she quoted, Little House in the Big Woods, which is replete with vivid descriptions of food and activities and 19th century farm work.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it mainly because I like stories of people who chuck their old life and go off to live in the wilderness. While this author only went to a small place in upstate N.Y., and was a bit too introspective, always trying to find deep meaning in every frog and bird she saw, I still enjoyed it.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wone it throught the Goodreads first reads contest and boy am I glad I signed up for this one I really enjoyed it!

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unreadable. Chaotic. Unfocused. Meandering. Run-on. In the end, entirely put-down-able- in all senses of the phrase. I'm disappointed, because I really wanted to like it.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

​This book felt like a deep exhale. And I Shall Have Some Peace There is quiet, observant, and deeply grounding, very much a book you don’t rush through, but rather sit with, return to, and let gently rearrange your thoughts. I started it on September 1st and finished it up today!

Margaret Roach writes with such attentiveness to the natural world and the inner one, weaving essays that explore solitude, place, creativity, and what it means to live a life aligned with the seasons.

Reading this felt less like consuming a book and more like being invited into a thoughtful conversation​ or a long walk​, where nothing needs to be solved, only noticed. Her reflections on finding meaning in stillness, tending to one’s own inner landscape, and honoring a slower pace felt especially resonant. It’s the kind of book that reminds you that a “full” life doesn’t have to be loud or busy.

This one also held extra meaning for me because I had the chance to meet Margaret Roach back in February 2020 at a book signing for her other beloved book, A Way to Garden. That memory made this reading experience feel even more personal​, like reconnecting with a voice that has quietly shaped how I think about nature, time, and attention.

If you’re craving something thoughtful, reflective, and rooted in the rhythms of the natural world, this book is a beautiful companion.

[Karen Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining story about how Margaret, after feeling something was missing in her life for years, even though she supposedly had it all in NYC, abandoned a high-powered job and moved permanently to her summer cottage in upstate New York. She is ultimately successful in making the transition, though all is not unadulterated buccolic joy. She has to learn to adapt and compromise with her new surroundings and neighbors. Not all of these neighbors are human - there are four-legged mammals of various sizes, as well as birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, trees and plants. I never knew bullfrogs were such nasty dudes. Margaret is sharp-eyed and observant and her story comes alive on the page as she tells it
I was interested to realize, when she talked about her childhood, that I had met her before from a different perspective. Her younger sister is Marion Roach Smith, author of "The Memoir Project" which I read a few years ago. It was fascinating to see the sisters' childhood from their different perspectives.

[Marian Grudko · Rating 4 out of 5]

For years I have listened to Margaret Roach's garden podcasts and read all her posts on her glorious website, awaytogarden.com. Now I am so glad to have read her backstory. I plan to visit her garden on The Garden Conservancy Open Days. Luckily for me, I live only about an hour away from her home and garden in Copake Falls, NY.

[Book Concierge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Roach left her high-powered job with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to retire to her rural house in upstate New York. She had purchased the home many years previously and used it as a weekend getaway, but living there full time was decidedly different.

The subtitle of this book is Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road and I was expecting a memoir that explored the wonders of nature, gardening, wildlife and “neighbors” (who live a mile away).
Roach does include some of this. Her observations of the wildlife – including numerous birds, frogs and snakes – were interesting. She writes well, but mostly I thought the book was self-indulgent. Do I really care that she is still a size 2? Or that she used to power-shop, spending thousands of dollars in 15 minutes on designer clothes?

I think Roach hasn’t really come to grips with the fact that she’s no longer working at MSLO. She specifically asks at least 5 times: Who am I if I am not mroach@marthastewart dot com any longer? I got it the first time. I found her contemplations on life “alone” tedious. Her sporadic mention of neighbors and interactions with people were flat. She seemed to really have closed herself off from other people. Yes, she appreciated that Herb came to plow out her driveway, but she never seemed to connect with him … or with me.

[Marija · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm of two minds with this book. First mind: she's a beautiful writer. Sometimes the words she chooses are surprising but spot-on. I liked her stream-of-consciousness style, and I liked her as a person for the most part.

Then, round about the end of the book, she talks about the tragedy of getting a haircut by a "local" hairdresser, as opposed to the big-city one she'd gone to for years. Going to the local was so devastating that she actually cried. I thought it was really demeaning to whoever cut her hair, and it showed me that Margaret was much more into appearances than she'd led me to believe throughout the beginning of the book.

While I cheered the author on for trying to come to terms with her fears, a continued theme throughout the book was "who am I if not mroach@marthastewart.com?" I began to feel sorry for this woman, who seemingly never cultivated a life outside of a high-power executive job that sucked the life energy from her until age 50 or so. Good for her for taking the leap! Sorry it took her so long to find there is much to life beyond such a job.

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

My husband's coworker has decided to take early retirement. She and her husband bought a small cottage with a beautiful garden which they plan to maintain and to enlarge. I saw Margaret Roach's "And I Shall Have Some Peace There" at the library and was fascinated by her similar plan. That is until I actually read Roach's book. This book is nothing but rambling nonsense. There is no direction or purpose. She writes of boyfriends and hired matchmakers and her cat and her strange childhood. I found myself looking to see if Roach self published this book, because I cannot envision the editor who thought "this is the book for us". I will ask Margaret Roach that if in the future she decides to write another book that she does not use a line from one of my favorite poems as the title.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so disappointed in this book. It sounded potentially great and, in fact, she's a very talented writer. For a while it was interesting. But she never moved beyond being sooooooo boringly self-congratulatory. Examining the minutiae of the whole of her life in unending degree. I found it was making me tense to read it - the very opposite of my purpose in choosing it. A sad disappointment. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone, unfortunately. By the time I'd finished half of it, I skimmed to see if anything got measurably different further in. Unfortunately, no. Don't bother, is my suggestion.

[Phair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while to finish this- very dense in thought. Loved the way she brought in so much literature, philosophy & natural history... I learned a lot about gardening, plants, frogs & snakes.
Much of this hit home. Like me, the author prefers her own company to socializing. She loves observing nature, especially her "frog boys" -(I delight in watching my own frogs in the backyard pool) Roach does, however, have FAR more ambition and expertise than I do re gardening & preserving her produce. Reading this made me long to retire. If only...

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting opportunity to follow the thoughts of the author as she leaves her corporate life behind. As someone who alsoenjoys solitude (which isn't the same as loneliness), it was easy to relate. An excellent memoir, well written and without excessive navel gazing. I enjoyed the small surprises.

*Note: This book was provided through the Barnes and Noble ARC program with the expectation of an honest review. My opinions are my own.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Margaret Roach's gardening blog, so was very much looking forward to reading this book. Was very disappointed. Rambling, disjointed and hard to follow. I kept pressing on, hoping that the book would improve, or that she would have some epiphany or breakthrough, but it never happened. Still think her gardening blog is wonderful.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember how I came across this book but I very much enjoyed it. Seeing as how I always felt I should have lived in the country, I related to her right away. She actually left the employment of Martha Stewart and moved permanently to her small farm. She has a great garden blog:http://awaytogarden.com/ you may want to check it out.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed Roach's topic-hopping reference laden stream of consciousness style of writing depite the fact that I cannot relate to wanting to live alone in the country surrounded by critters and spending my time gardening!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across Margaret Roach via Katrina Kenison’s blog. Then I became a fan of Roach’s gardening column in the New York Times. Then read “And I Will Have Some Peace There.”

The memoir is brave and honest and filled with interesting information.

I loved reading about the birds, frogs, weather, Jack the cat, Roach’s first rural haircut, varieties of garlic, and the snakes, ladybugs, foxes, Susan, Herb, and Roach’s worries about dipping into her savings.

I’m glad she wrote so honestly about what psychiatry, life coaching, retreats and matchmaking did and did not give her. This book illustrates a truth: when you change your life - like moving from the city to the countryside — you still hold onto what once seemed important and worth the expense. Even when something better is close at hand. Transformation is not easy. You are the sum of your memories, your experiences, your relationships. What belongs in the garden of your life? What are metaphorical weeds that ought to go into the rubbish?

I’d like to give the memoir 5 stars but reserved one because the “Acknowledgements” section is incongruent with the rest of the book. For 254 pages, you get the sense that Roach was very much alone. In the countryside, she has few visitors, and few interactions with people she knew in New York City, and barely interacts with other humans. But then we read in the “Acknowledgments” about the many people who helped her all along the way - family, friends, her literary agent, her lawyer, accountant, financial advisor. We learn she belonged to a writers group. I’m just wondering why we never heard about all of these important relationships until the “Acknowledgments.”

[Erin Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book was like peering into the mind of a severely A.D.D. afflicted woman, it rambled and wobbled all over the place like a drunken sailor. However Margaret Roach, the author, did manage to pull some semblance and cohesiveness to her story after the first couple of chapters and I began to really enjoy it. Margaret has done what so many of us would love to do. She quit her high paying, highly prestigious job in New York and moved to the country. Being a former weekender she doesn't know many people and with her rather introverted nature it takes her awhile to make friendships. She adopts a cat even though she is not a cat person and is lucky enough to be able to spend as much time as she wants observing nature, her garden and all the creatures that live there with her. She even named the frogs in her ponds and could recognize them individually! I enjoyed her observations and the naturalist descriptions of what she saw around her, the birds, the frogs, the seasonality of her garden. I do feel that she still hasn't quite found what she is looking for despite having spent years in therapy and reading every self-help book that's out there. Perhaps she is still a work in progress. I think she has told her story with honesty, humor, and a lyrical if somewhat rambling voice. I liked the fact that despite being alone she was never lonely and Iiked Margaret Roach despite her many insecurities. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in memoirs.

[Rebecca Wilkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do I read books like this and like all the May Sarton books and even Henry David Thoreau? Back to nature, escape from the hard realities of life that are somehow expected to be found in a cabin in the woods or a view of the ocean we seem to think that just reading about other people doing that will somehow calm us. Perhaps I am not as easily soothed as I was when I read the Sarton books in the 90's and Thoreau in my teens but I had some problems with Margaret Roach. I swear if she said it once, she said it a 100 times "Who am I if I'm not mroach@marthastewart dot com? OK we know you escaped the corporate world of Martha but do YOU know it? Much of this book would have been better to stay a journal. But then in my old age after reading biographies and learning more about Thoreau and Sarton, I don't think I would have identified with or liked them very much either had I known more about them. We are just so needy for that escape.
The other thing she harped on was her fear of snakes and there we have an affinity. However I didn't move to the boondocks where snakes have happy homes and were there first!
I did like her little lines from songs or sayings that she kept interjecting as she wrote as if talking to herself with all those little phrases we color our thoughts.
I read this book at a time in my life when I was not able to concentrate fully on anything more serious or strenuous and for that reason alone I finished it.

[Stephanie Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is strongest when it stares at the things the author loves and examines them. In those moments, when Roach is examining the garden, or the cat, or immersed in a description of bullfrogs, or the seasons passing--and in the reflection nature offers into the self. I appreciated the frequent allusions to music, literature, and nature driven research.

There is little story here, and when it appears it is an intrusive interloper. Rather than wanting the back story of Roach's work with Martha Stewart, that could have been left as a sentence for framework at the beginning of the book and abandoned just as she abandons that life for her garden and rural home. The best parts of this read are found when Roach embraces the role of the narrative as a meditation on nature and rural living, rather than trying to become something concrete and story driven.

While I enjoyed this in majority, I found myself frustrated when she would complain about her dwindling finances, and need for a job on one page, and on the next page discuss her hiring of a professional matchmaker, or indulgence of a spa day... all while able to afford to live, renovate her home, all while gardening and blogging without being otherwise employed. Her privilege grated, and even worse, she didn't seem to have the ability to acknowledge that it existed in the first place.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roach has a way of writing that often gives an air of superiority that might be off-putting to some readers, but I honestly don't think it's intentional. She tells her story in a sophisticated, professional manner, which can make for a longer than expected read, as well as the super long chapters (I'm a fan of shorter, manageable chapters myself). That being said, Roach is self-deprecating and honest as she struggles to navigate her new life in the country without a job, without an income, and with fears she describes in detail. She has lived out the dream that I had as a younger woman and I applaud her efforts and the guts to make her dream a reality.

Some of my favorite passages from the book:

"The chair I am disparaging in full voice is positioned as the best seat in the place, but it is not the best seat."

"There is no rain all month, which is not good for the garden but yields some lipstick sunsets..."

"Facts have always been my magical thinking; if I put enough of them in my pocket, like Hansel with his crumbs, I can walk a few steps farther into the woods."

"It is one of those pink dawns followed by wild, swirling winds, as if the air is the ocean and the tallest treetops the waves."

[Alicia Dolce · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid reader of Margaret’s gardening column in the Sunday NY Times since it launched in 2020, I expected to love this book. But her voice and writing style are so different in this book, I almost stopped reading it but I’m glad I pushed on.

Ultimately, there is much that I related to — the gardening, her wonder of nature (frogs!, etc), being in transition and looking for “what next” signs, and the contrast between living in civilization versus a rural setting. I have also spent considerable time in a part of upstate New York that is more removed and rural than Margaret’s spot so it was easy to imagine her transition to this lifestyle.

I also appreciated her self-reflection and sense of humor. In the end, I gave her the benefit of the doubt that writing this book was her way of detoxing from her corporate city life/identity and she needed to be repetitive (Martha, snakes, etc.) as part of her process of letting go and reincarnating herself.

She has definitely come out on the other side. Her column is marvelous. I often save it for future reference.

Funny aside, my partner (also a gardener) was not aware that I was reading her memoir and recently, started raving to me about her website.

Good for her.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

She retired from Martha Stewart and moved to the a rural NY town and focused on gardening and nature. It is about her first few years acclimating. It read a little like Bridget Jones, scattered and confusing, but then there were some heavily researched parts. All in all it was okay, but only because I am newly retired and a gardener with a second home in a rural beautiful setting. I am not tempted after reading this to relocate to a rural home, but I will remember to listen, and sit still and watch nature more closely.