Taproot-Coming Home to Prairie Hill

by Martha Leb Molnar

"Taproot" is a love story between a woman and 40 acres of a Vermont hilltop. It's about fulfilling fantasies as the nest empties. It's about the search for roots against a family's journey from the brink of annihilation. And about making a home in a baffling natural and human environment. A deft combination of memoir and nature writing, "Taproot" tells the story of a couple's search for the perfect land and the often amusing saga of building a house. Bill McKibben and Vermont Poet Laureate Sydney Lea agree that what sets the book apart is the beauty of the writing and the way it touches on universal fears and longings. A recent transplant from the New York City area and a commentator on Vermont Public Radio, Martha Leb Molnar describes how she and her husband, both children of Holocaust survivors, strive to overcome their nomadic lives by devotion to a place. They buy land on a rugged hill, build a house, and begin a new life, observing the huge bowl of sky, the windstorms, the seasons, and the puzzling animal and human neighbors. We follow the author as she faces down her fears and finds strength in the natural world. We share the reward of not just hanging on to a dream but making it happen. The book inspires, entertains and informs.

262 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2014

Reviews

[Paula Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful book about living your dream: moving from NYC area to the hills of Vermont and living among nature and all its beauty

[Stacy Maziejka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Enjoyed learning about Martha & Ted's experiences along the way to living in their "dream" home in Vermont.