Second Person Rural

by Noel Perrin

Essays on rural life that not only address the many how-to questions that bedevil country dwellers, but also the larger direction that life is taking on this planet. Perrin, a transplanted New Yorker and now a “real” Vermonter, candidly admits his early mistakes while giving concrete advice on matters such as what to do with maple syrup (other than put it on your pancakes), how to use a peavey, and how to replace your rototiller with a garden animal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Memoir

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Noel Perrin was a professor of English literature, an essayist for the Washington Post, a hobbyist farmer, and a Korean War veteran.

Reviews

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This is a dangerous book. It almost made me decide to go ahead and get pigs."
— Roy Blount, Jr. New York Times Book Review

"No writer since E.B. White can make puttering around a small farm sound more satisfying… Perrin is always deft, droll, and thoroughly civilized."
— Washington Post Book World

"For those of us who have no particular desire to pick up and move to the country, these essays are an excellent way to get a taste of what it's all about… Like the maul with which he splits his winter wood supply, his prose is finely sharpened and wielded with great precision, and it strikes in just the proper place."
— Christian Science Monitor

[Suzan Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about getting back to the land and have finally come to the conclusion I will probably never do it. So I’ll continue my little garlic gardening in Ohio and devour books like this, those of Rick Bass and other interesting souls who enrich my life.

[Mrs. Bun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book of Noel Perrin's set of essays on life in the country in the 1970s (he was both a farmer and a Dartmouth professor - and married to Anne Lindbergh - one of his three or four wives - a man who believed in the institution of marriage for sure). His essays are wry, comical, a little much on wood chopping (unless you chop your own wood to heat your house, then you might find those stories much more interesting) but overall convey that being a farmer and living in the country can be hard, steady work. The very last story "Protector of Pigs", about a St. Bernard dog, was my favorite. Suffice to say the St. Bernard was very aware of anyone trying to "hurt" someone else, and when a father on the pig farmer's premises went to cuff his 4 year old son for asking questions, well, let's say rooting for the St. Bernard is the right call here.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty, funny, insightful but, most of all, honest stories of rural life by an admittedly "Sometime Farmer." Never mind that the book is 45 years old since much of it still rings true - human nature, animal nature, nature nature. Those are timeless topics and Perrin explores them all. I found this book more enjoyable than his first one, which leaned more towards the how-to's of life in rural Vermont.

[Holly Esterline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, and I can't wait to share it with specific people I think will also enjoy this book.

[Barbara T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Loved the pig essay

[Cameron Kunzelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could a divorced man write THIS?!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perrin doesn't dig very deep in this collection of essays on Vermont farming, but he's perceptive enough and that feels just fine.

He writes with skill, warmth and a clever hand about becoming a farmer through trial and error, hard work and observing his more skilled and experienced neighbors. In "Country Codes" and "The Rural Immigration Law" he calls out the bad behavior of "people who move to the country" without dispensing with humor. "Lamb to Lamb Chop" gently, and with a twinge of melancholy, reveals a philosophy without verging on didactic. Essays like "A Fool's Guide to Splitting Wood" are how-tos of sorts that also reveal the patience and character of the farmer-author.

"In Winter in the Woods," tells of the time Perrin cut with his chainsaw into a maple on his tree lot only to soon discover its hollowed bottom was home to a family of deer mice (none of the mice was harmed). "The air seemed to be full of deer mice. And then the snow was." This essay was the real surprise here -- both in its beauty, expressiveness and quietude. "I came upon a small deeryard. There were six deer in it, and not wind to warn them. As I arrived on one side, they exploded out the other. But except for the warning snort the first deer that saw me gave, even that was a quiet scene. They might have been deer in a silent movie."

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a book of essays before, but found this really interesting. I loved being able to pick it up & read just an essay or two. I enjoyed Noel Perrin's outsider's view of life in Vermont - both entertaining and informative.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

More wry insights by the author of First Person Rural. This is less mechanics of farming, and more personality study.

[Christina Sanantonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and vivid essays about living on his Vermont farm. I liked the character descriptions and his interactions with his cows as well as his tales of learning basic farming skills.

[Gary Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Mr. Perrin, keep them coming.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! A very witty and entertaining read.

[Tom Ransohoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun set of short stories about life in rural Vermont. Nothing too profound, but well-written and humorous; also probably worth reading for anyone thinking about moving to the country.