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On Brassard's Farm
On Brassard's Farm is a tale of misadventure, magic, and love. Her urban life in ruins and desperate for change, Ann Turner pitches her tent on a remote piece of Vermont woodland and begins working on a small dairy farm. Both experiences challenge her to the utmost -- and lead to unexpected transformation.
406 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
75 people are currently reading
1138 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Hecht
14 books170 followersI was born into an artist's community founded in 1946 by my parents and their friends in the wilds of Westchester County, N.Y. Surrounded by these individualistic yet communalistic bohemians, I saw artists in every discipline working their magic, and could not help but follow in their footsteps.
I've lived all over the U.S. and have worked at every kind of job to make ends meet, and I enjoy the labor of body and hands as much as the effort of the mind. Mailman, logger, carpenter, musician, musical instrument builder, graphic designer, apple picker, farmhand, nonprofit organizational director, college administrator, educator -- the great thing about a checkered past is that you see the world from a lot of perspectives. This is the best education for a writer!
I have lived in Vermont for many years, have three kids and several cats, am active on behalf of environmental causes, and am highly reclusive.
I've lived all over the U.S. and have worked at every kind of job to make ends meet, and I enjoy the labor of body and hands as much as the effort of the mind. Mailman, logger, carpenter, musician, musical instrument builder, graphic designer, apple picker, farmhand, nonprofit organizational director, college administrator, educator -- the great thing about a checkered past is that you see the world from a lot of perspectives. This is the best education for a writer!
I have lived in Vermont for many years, have three kids and several cats, am active on behalf of environmental causes, and am highly reclusive.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 21, 2018
Ann Turner felt untethered and alone. Both of her parents had died and her brother was incognito, somewhere on the West Coast. Ann, a middle school teacher, made some unfortunate professional choices. She decided to cut and run to Vermont and shed her prior life. To this end, she purchased a forty acre parcel of land on Brassard's Farm.
Brassard's Farm was a small dairy farm run by Jim Brassard, a man of few words and Maureen "Diz" Brassard, a dynamo and unrelenting "work horse" who kept the farm running. Earnest Kelly, an Oneida Indian who served with Jim in Vietnam, fixed farm equipment in need of repair and helped with the workload when he had breaks from his job as a tree surgeon. The farm was "old school"....a "mom and pop" operation.
Like most farmers, the Brassards were fiercely attached to their land. Fluctuations in market prices for items such as milk could signal disaster. It became necessary to sell off a forty acre plot of hard, uneven ground unsuitable for farming. Ann purchased the land as a refuge, a place to regroup. Due to economic market changes, she had insufficient funds to complete the final payment of the land sale. She now must work off her outstanding balance as a farmhand, a kind of "indenture" to the Brassards who intend to get their money's worth!
"On Brassard's Farm" is written in first person narrative where Ann recounts her relationship with Jim and Diz. Earnest is often nearby to provide assistance to his "Pilgrim". Ann works long, backbreaking hours on the farm then hikes up to her land at nightfall. By her own account, she learns to seal the seams of her tent after an awful downpour that created soggy bedding. She learns the difference between the nighttime sounds of deer and bears.
Author Hecht's descriptive writing style enabled this reader to "feel" the farm experience including the rigorous milking schedule and the difficulty laying pipe for a drainage system. It was clear that farmers honor their soil. Land is their foundation for living.
"On Brassard's Farm" by Daniel Hecht was a tome I connected with on many levels. I miss the rugged individuals who populate this novel. An excellent read I highly recommend.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "On Brassard's Farm".
Brassard's Farm was a small dairy farm run by Jim Brassard, a man of few words and Maureen "Diz" Brassard, a dynamo and unrelenting "work horse" who kept the farm running. Earnest Kelly, an Oneida Indian who served with Jim in Vietnam, fixed farm equipment in need of repair and helped with the workload when he had breaks from his job as a tree surgeon. The farm was "old school"....a "mom and pop" operation.
Like most farmers, the Brassards were fiercely attached to their land. Fluctuations in market prices for items such as milk could signal disaster. It became necessary to sell off a forty acre plot of hard, uneven ground unsuitable for farming. Ann purchased the land as a refuge, a place to regroup. Due to economic market changes, she had insufficient funds to complete the final payment of the land sale. She now must work off her outstanding balance as a farmhand, a kind of "indenture" to the Brassards who intend to get their money's worth!
"On Brassard's Farm" is written in first person narrative where Ann recounts her relationship with Jim and Diz. Earnest is often nearby to provide assistance to his "Pilgrim". Ann works long, backbreaking hours on the farm then hikes up to her land at nightfall. By her own account, she learns to seal the seams of her tent after an awful downpour that created soggy bedding. She learns the difference between the nighttime sounds of deer and bears.
Author Hecht's descriptive writing style enabled this reader to "feel" the farm experience including the rigorous milking schedule and the difficulty laying pipe for a drainage system. It was clear that farmers honor their soil. Land is their foundation for living.
"On Brassard's Farm" by Daniel Hecht was a tome I connected with on many levels. I miss the rugged individuals who populate this novel. An excellent read I highly recommend.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "On Brassard's Farm".
April 13, 2018
4 bucolic stars to On Brassard’s Farm! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🐄 🐮
Ann Turner leaves her urban life behind and moves to remote area of Vermont where she buys a small plot of land on an existing dairy farm. Financially, she comes up short on her obligation to the farm owners and ends up becoming an employee to pay them back.
Jim and “Diz” Brassard are the farm owners. Each of them hard workers, toiling arduously with the land, their equipment, their workloads, to keep their farm afloat. The author makes farm life clear - taking it day by day, facing each challenge as it comes, and many will come; many outside of their control.
Ann comes into her own in this novel. She finds her place. She finds her why. All the characters were well-developed, and the descriptions led me to truly feel life on Brassard’s Farm.
Overall, there’s deep meaning here. Much to be explored. A sense of peace to be obtained without ever leaving your home. I visited my aunt and uncle’s farm frequently growing up, and it brought back many of those memories. So much to see and do, so much work to be done, and so much joy to be found; all from the earth.
Thank you to my friend, Fran, for another treasured recommendation!
Thank you to Daniel Hecht, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC. On Brassard’s Farm is available now!
Ann Turner leaves her urban life behind and moves to remote area of Vermont where she buys a small plot of land on an existing dairy farm. Financially, she comes up short on her obligation to the farm owners and ends up becoming an employee to pay them back.
Jim and “Diz” Brassard are the farm owners. Each of them hard workers, toiling arduously with the land, their equipment, their workloads, to keep their farm afloat. The author makes farm life clear - taking it day by day, facing each challenge as it comes, and many will come; many outside of their control.
Ann comes into her own in this novel. She finds her place. She finds her why. All the characters were well-developed, and the descriptions led me to truly feel life on Brassard’s Farm.
Overall, there’s deep meaning here. Much to be explored. A sense of peace to be obtained without ever leaving your home. I visited my aunt and uncle’s farm frequently growing up, and it brought back many of those memories. So much to see and do, so much work to be done, and so much joy to be found; all from the earth.
Thank you to my friend, Fran, for another treasured recommendation!
Thank you to Daniel Hecht, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC. On Brassard’s Farm is available now!
January 13, 2019
On Brassard's Farm by Daniel Hecht has all the elements I love, rambling along in its self-awareness with nature and hard work as its guide.
Ann reaches a point in life when she loses everything and everyone she loves in rapid succession. As her only living relative, her brother isn’t necessarily gone from this earth, but Ann has no idea where he is – he’s as lost as she feels. She begins to wonder if he’s alive.
With nothing to lose other than her inheritance, Ann buys 40 acres of wooded land from a dairy farmer. No longer able to make a living as a teacher, she’s without income, but doesn’t seem to obsess about it. When she makes a grave error, Ann indebts herself to this farmer. This begins her life as official manure mover and cow milker.
I was frustrated by wastrel Ann at first but fascinated with her situation. She pitches a tent on her newly acquired land, but makes no move to improve it, or grow anything to feed herself. I fully expected her to at least try to grow some vegetables or something.
Eventually, she improves her situation with a pseudo outhouse and an outdoor kitchen. But I’m still horrified that building some sort of structure to get through winter is never on her mind. Ann is troubled by her life so far, but I kept hoping she’d gain some survival instincts.
The farm and the people who work the farm become Ann’s family and salvation. None of it is easy or predictable, and some of it is too mystical to believe in the moment, but overall, I was enthralled by her journey to self-preservation, and eventually, love.
Living within the woods we discovered while camping, I could easily understand Ann’s love of the forest. It felt familiar, as if I was part of the book while enjoying my own little paradise, even though it was just for a week or two instead of Ann’s lifetime. I couldn’t have picked a better book to relax with during our quiet vacation.
On Brassard's Farm is a great novel for those who love the land and its creatures. There are plenty of wildlife stories, people anecdotes, and farm wisdom to explore. I’m anxious to discover Daniel Hecht’s backlist and future endeavors. If you’re headed into the woods, On Brassard's Farm is entertaining fireside reading. It made my homestead yearning grow.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. Digital copy obtained through the publisher for an honest review.
Ann reaches a point in life when she loses everything and everyone she loves in rapid succession. As her only living relative, her brother isn’t necessarily gone from this earth, but Ann has no idea where he is – he’s as lost as she feels. She begins to wonder if he’s alive.
With nothing to lose other than her inheritance, Ann buys 40 acres of wooded land from a dairy farmer. No longer able to make a living as a teacher, she’s without income, but doesn’t seem to obsess about it. When she makes a grave error, Ann indebts herself to this farmer. This begins her life as official manure mover and cow milker.
I was frustrated by wastrel Ann at first but fascinated with her situation. She pitches a tent on her newly acquired land, but makes no move to improve it, or grow anything to feed herself. I fully expected her to at least try to grow some vegetables or something.
Eventually, she improves her situation with a pseudo outhouse and an outdoor kitchen. But I’m still horrified that building some sort of structure to get through winter is never on her mind. Ann is troubled by her life so far, but I kept hoping she’d gain some survival instincts.
The farm and the people who work the farm become Ann’s family and salvation. None of it is easy or predictable, and some of it is too mystical to believe in the moment, but overall, I was enthralled by her journey to self-preservation, and eventually, love.
Living within the woods we discovered while camping, I could easily understand Ann’s love of the forest. It felt familiar, as if I was part of the book while enjoying my own little paradise, even though it was just for a week or two instead of Ann’s lifetime. I couldn’t have picked a better book to relax with during our quiet vacation.
On Brassard's Farm is a great novel for those who love the land and its creatures. There are plenty of wildlife stories, people anecdotes, and farm wisdom to explore. I’m anxious to discover Daniel Hecht’s backlist and future endeavors. If you’re headed into the woods, On Brassard's Farm is entertaining fireside reading. It made my homestead yearning grow.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. Digital copy obtained through the publisher for an honest review.
March 13, 2018
Love, love of oneself, patient love, sustained love, dedicated love, reciprocated love, love is the redundant yet incredibly disparate theme that now haunts me after reading Daniel Hecht’s new novel, On Brassard’s Farm. Far from the classic mysteries and intrigues that he once wrote, the message is compellingly similar: compassion, empathy, patience and love are at the center of this new novel and seemingly his favorite subject. It is situated on the bucolic farm hills of the emerald green mountains of Vermont. Yet as you discover throughout the novel, the harshness of living on a dairy farm can both break your back and your will to go another day. Still, as your soul becomes fouled with manure and hard winters something else happens; we begin to observe through Daniel’s words the crumbling of the barriers that we imprison ourselves with, all for our meager survival in the modern world. From the erosion of the farmers’ heart and soul we witness a different kind of love painfully extracting itself, ageless love, complete love, strong and sturdy like the mountains themselves. With it, possibilities emerge, bets against all odds are made. Daniel takes you from heart beat to heart beat into Brassard’s Farm seasonal changes, year after year, day and night. I witnessed in my mind’s eye, as well as through Daniel’s amazing sensibility, the accomplishments and the failures of the people of the farm. The farmers opened their soul and mine by breaking through the granite hard difficulties of farming. Their love cracked open my heart and gave me the strength and courage to be who I always was and to re-enter the world of love and compassion for all humans. I generally don’t read love stories; this one is different. Read it! It will give you a new vision of love that is often forgotten and dismissed. Dare to become as sturdy as the mountains themselves by dousing yourself into the life of Brassard’s Farm!
July 4, 2018
I don't mind tales of Walden-esque escape any more than the next person, so I have no issue with the premise of this book, nor do I mind the hijinks that, of course, complicate the "I-just-want-to-live-in-the-woods" outset. What I DO mind, however, is a.- the almost unbelievable dialogue, particularly between the two younger female characters, along with the narrator's voice itself, and b.- the amount of minute detail provided in regards to farm operation. Realism is an honorable goal, but manure and farm machinery operation is something that readers don't need to know THAT much about, and the effect is a weird, blocky slowing down of the book's pacing. What I suspect you'll notice more, though, is that no 36 year-old woman sounds remotely like how Hecht has written the narrator, both in dialogue with other characters and in interior talk.
I wanted to like this book, even while thoroughly expecting a sort of cute, sappy love story (sign me up!), but I could never bring myself to like the characters enough to care about them.
I wanted to like this book, even while thoroughly expecting a sort of cute, sappy love story (sign me up!), but I could never bring myself to like the characters enough to care about them.
February 15, 2018
I enjoyed the author's descriptions of farm life and insights into the struggle to find yourself while spending time alone. However, I never really could connect with the characters. They just seemed more like the background while the farm setting took center stage as the character I connected with most. And hey I learned cows poop 110 lbs of crap per day.
April 28, 2018
Beautifully wrought and finely detailed description of small farm life in Vermont. Appealing, well-developed characters that stick with you after you're done. Highly recommended.
December 12, 2017
This book is a masterpiece! In this time of chaos it’s refreshing to read a reaffirming love story. Love of place, love of people, and the enduring love of the earth. The beautiful writing in this novel kept me fully engaged as struggles build and resolve with growing urgency - Like a beautiful hike up a mountain and the glorious vista when you reach the top.
February 14, 2018
I really enjoyed this beautiful, evocative book. The characters were wonderful, especially Earnest, and Diz. And also Ann, of course. Each time I read it and put it down, I would remain in that lovely environment in my head for hours. This book makes you feel good, like you, too, can find your place in the world. It's not like any other book you've ever read--it's unique, meaningful, deep, imaginative. I highly recommend it.
September 5, 2023
Beautifully written, I wasn't fond of the main character at first but things changed; she changed. The story transports you to this farm, full of hard messy work and at the mercy of the weather and market prices for goods. Thought provoking.
July 11, 2018
Ann takes what is left of herself and buys some remote land in Vermont. The land was once part of the Brassard’s Farm, a dairy farm ran by a couple and their hired hand, Earnest. This was an impulse buy for Ann, as her original plan didn’t pan out. Ann finds herself living in a tent and cooking over a camp stove. It’s scary living out on her own, under the stars, but Ann wanted to leave her old life behind and start anew.
She’s bought the land with some inheritance money that she had received from her aunt and when the rest of the monies didn’t come through, Ann finds herself working at the farm to pay off her debt. It’s hard work, harder than she thought. Every evening she struggles to make her way up the hillside to her land, to finish out her day, so she can repeat the process again the next day. Ann begins to find a rhythm to her daily life, finding both physical and mental strength as she helps around the farm. Slowly, she becomes a part of the inner workings of the other individuals who make up Brassard Farm. The farm becomes a part of Ann, she finds comfort and pride in her surroundings.
As I read this novel, I was immersed into the Vermont landscape. The green, rough terrain and vast beauty of the trees and brush, were at my side. As Ann cooked out on her camp stove, I imagined the smells and sounds as they trickled down through the hills. The wildlife ran free, they ate their fill and slept where they wanted, for they didn’t need humans to make their lives comfortable. The endless cycle of being a dairy farmer made me tired, it was the relentless upkeep and organization that filled their lives. The fear of the unknown, the fear of no control and the fear of tomorrow were always looming over their head. It all seemed too real yet it was something I hadn’t stopped to think about. It was called home for many but for me, this was an adventure. I was allowed an opportunity to view a life that I would never lead.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
She’s bought the land with some inheritance money that she had received from her aunt and when the rest of the monies didn’t come through, Ann finds herself working at the farm to pay off her debt. It’s hard work, harder than she thought. Every evening she struggles to make her way up the hillside to her land, to finish out her day, so she can repeat the process again the next day. Ann begins to find a rhythm to her daily life, finding both physical and mental strength as she helps around the farm. Slowly, she becomes a part of the inner workings of the other individuals who make up Brassard Farm. The farm becomes a part of Ann, she finds comfort and pride in her surroundings.
As I read this novel, I was immersed into the Vermont landscape. The green, rough terrain and vast beauty of the trees and brush, were at my side. As Ann cooked out on her camp stove, I imagined the smells and sounds as they trickled down through the hills. The wildlife ran free, they ate their fill and slept where they wanted, for they didn’t need humans to make their lives comfortable. The endless cycle of being a dairy farmer made me tired, it was the relentless upkeep and organization that filled their lives. The fear of the unknown, the fear of no control and the fear of tomorrow were always looming over their head. It all seemed too real yet it was something I hadn’t stopped to think about. It was called home for many but for me, this was an adventure. I was allowed an opportunity to view a life that I would never lead.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2018
I loved this book and it was so beautifully written that I was just amazed. A somewhat odd story about a woman who wants to live in the woods in Vermont after a divorce and losing a job. It doesn't seem to help her much, but eventually she emerges from her funk or whatever, and moves on. Part of the dialogue was in the form of a journal, and I didn't care much for that -- actually found it annoying. The other characters in the story were great -- even her promiscuous friend Kat. Her brother Erik was odd as well, but his story was another part of the book. I have to say that I saw part of his issue coming from the beginning. The owners of the farm were great, especially Diz. All that work to keep the dairy farm going was exhausting to read about -- I'll think of it every time I drink a glass of milk. Not the manure part. The cows sounded as if they were always filthy, which is something I never thought about. Still -- reality rears its head!!
Want to read
August 30, 2023I read about 15% and decided to give up. I like the storyline of the young woman living in the wilderness, but the bad language was not needed.
June 9, 2020
When I first starting reading, I hadn't looked at the book carefully, and assumed it was some sort of memoire based on the journal-entry style. Taken in that light, I thought the narrator was pretty naive and making a lot of bad choices, but I appreciated them admitting their faults and explaining their struggles.
However, when I realized it was a novel, it became obvious that it wasn't written by a woman. The description of every man is sexualized in a way I haven't heard women speak. Not just potential love interests, but young and old alike, including her brother and her teenage student. Due to that, you have no idea who she might even end up with, but not in a good way.
I like the focus on issues related to nature and rural life, but the focus on certain things is strange. The narrator has mystical experiences with bears, talks at great length about farm tools and processes, and has clashes with low income neighbours who live in trailers and are incestuous.
I wish this book was a memoire, but it's not, so it wasn't my favourite.
However, when I realized it was a novel, it became obvious that it wasn't written by a woman. The description of every man is sexualized in a way I haven't heard women speak. Not just potential love interests, but young and old alike, including her brother and her teenage student. Due to that, you have no idea who she might even end up with, but not in a good way.
I like the focus on issues related to nature and rural life, but the focus on certain things is strange. The narrator has mystical experiences with bears, talks at great length about farm tools and processes, and has clashes with low income neighbours who live in trailers and are incestuous.
I wish this book was a memoire, but it's not, so it wasn't my favourite.
October 31, 2017
Sometimes when I'm reading a novel, and I find that I'm not totally immersed, I question if it's my inability to concentrate due to other variables or if the book just isn't grabbing my attention. With this novel, it was a bit of both. If the book wasn't written as a journal of sorts, even though it wasn't actually a journal, but written in the first person, but addressing the readers as if we may have been reading a journal, I may have found the narrative to be more interesting. In the beginning, I had a hard time buying the female character because the author seemed to be struggling to create a believable female character. As I continued reading about life on the farm, the characters seemed more connected, and by the end, we learn this was a love story of sorts also. Perhaps the book was just a bit too long? Or, my attention span a bit too short?
January 26, 2018
This was a strange one for me. I enjoyed Hecht's writing, and the imagery he creates, but I couldn't really connect with Anne or the plot. It was a bit predictable, and nothing truly exciting happened, so I found myself skimming a bit. Also, Anne definitely felt like a female character written by a man. That may have turned me off in the beginning and soured my taste for the rest, unfortunately.
March 16, 2019
Wow! I learned more from this story about the detailed realities of dairy farming life than I did living in Vermont for 25 years with farming friends! The pace of the story is slow, reflecting the long, hard, working days, and the unwinding relationships of people with each other and the land. This is a 4.5 review-occasionally got a tad too boggy for me, but loved this trip back home seeing a place I love with a new perspective.
May 29, 2018
Daniel Hecht’s most recent novel, On Brassard’s Farm, is a beautifully written, musically written, story about the complexities of some deeply fundamental and most elemental aspects of life. Ann’s pursuit of herself by settling into
a clearing on 40 acres of forest behind a farm, is a story of love, courage and true structural transformation. For me, it was reminiscent of Pat Conroy’s The Water is Wide; the autobiographical telling of his early years as a teacher. Arriving by boat (there are no bridges to the mainland and no roads on this remote island), long periods of loneliness and isolation ensue. Unwelcome by native islanders, he bravely became the teacher of the only school of all black, poverty stricken black children.
a clearing on 40 acres of forest behind a farm, is a story of love, courage and true structural transformation. For me, it was reminiscent of Pat Conroy’s The Water is Wide; the autobiographical telling of his early years as a teacher. Arriving by boat (there are no bridges to the mainland and no roads on this remote island), long periods of loneliness and isolation ensue. Unwelcome by native islanders, he bravely became the teacher of the only school of all black, poverty stricken black children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2018
In a beautiful narrative by Ann, we get a gritty, lyrical and hands on picture of small dairy farming and its rigorous and heart-breaking work, and loss. The characters of this story are remarkedly detailed and compelling; the story of a woman at a turning point in her life looking for a place and being challenged beyond any circumstance she could envision is moving and atmospheric. I could smell every load of manure and the hops and the lush forest. I could feel her loneliness, her connection to her land and her fears. I believed her experiences. This is a realistic and absorbing picture of a dying slice of Americana and the people who continue to live it. And the most stark description of why one would choose to be a vegan is only one of the brilliant themes that made this a perfect read.
April 9, 2018
An interesting story about finding yourself after all of life's challenges. Though, the narrator repeatedly tells you that it's a love story. While Ann does in fact fall in love, it's no more than the tip of the iceberg of the story. Rather, its an "oh by the way" within the last 20 pages of this 600+ page journey. For the avid reader of detective and romance, you may pick up on the subtleties throughout the story that lead you to the big reveal, but really, it's more a coming into your own kind of journey than a love story.
May 28, 2018
Earthy, original story on the primo level of The Story of Edward Sawtelle. Exquisite pacing; raw, real, and rugged female characters that are to be admired. A neat side benefit is learning about the struggles of the dairy farming industry and the life cycle of hops--all set in Vermont, known for its rugged individualism. I will looking for the rest of Daniel Hecht's books when I return this one to the library.
September 11, 2018
Painfully slow! I really wanted to like this but it was tough to get through.
October 30, 2018
Great book about finding love and family. I loved the characters and the ease of reading this story. It kept me reading well into the night!
November 4, 2018
Rather bland.
November 8, 2023
3.5 star read. I was not a huge fan of Ann (the main character) at the beginning of this story, but she grew on me as did this entire tale. Ann is introduced to us in a troubled state. After some mistakes in her career as a middle school teacher in Boston, she impulsively decides to use her inheritance to buy 40 acres of forested land in northern Vermont. Her plan is to build some sort of cabin on the space with her own bare hands. The problem is, she has no idea what she is doing, and has never built anything with her own hands. She struggles to even build a flat platform to put her tent on. Yes, you read that right... she planned to stay on the land in a tent and build this cabin with absolutely no experience and barely any money left after purchasing the land.
The book meanders quite a bit in the beginning chapters. I learned far more than I expected to learn about the trials of running a dairy farm (which is adjacent to Ann's land and also the man she bought the land from). The story unfolds slowly, introducing each character and then gradually letting you peek into more and more of their inner selves. The book ponders philosophical questions about nature and human's place in it, the purpose of life, and the hardships of farming.
There are a few journal entries interspersed in the text which I found a little unnecessary; the entire book is written like a journal so these entries could just have been regular chapters, especially since Ann seems to narrate directly to her readers at times.
I became attached to these characters, especially Earnest and Jim, and of course Ann who grew by leaps and bounds in character after her adventures on her small piece of land. This is not the type of book I would normally have picked up if it weren't for my US state reading challenge. I actually had a different book in mind for Vermont, but I am glad I landed on this one because it is very quintessentially Vermont.
The book meanders quite a bit in the beginning chapters. I learned far more than I expected to learn about the trials of running a dairy farm (which is adjacent to Ann's land and also the man she bought the land from). The story unfolds slowly, introducing each character and then gradually letting you peek into more and more of their inner selves. The book ponders philosophical questions about nature and human's place in it, the purpose of life, and the hardships of farming.
There are a few journal entries interspersed in the text which I found a little unnecessary; the entire book is written like a journal so these entries could just have been regular chapters, especially since Ann seems to narrate directly to her readers at times.
I became attached to these characters, especially Earnest and Jim, and of course Ann who grew by leaps and bounds in character after her adventures on her small piece of land. This is not the type of book I would normally have picked up if it weren't for my US state reading challenge. I actually had a different book in mind for Vermont, but I am glad I landed on this one because it is very quintessentially Vermont.
May 28, 2024
On Brassard’s Farm: A Novel by Daniel Hecht is a fast-paced contemporary story that takes place in Vermont’s farm country.
Ann Turner seeks a change from her urban life in Boston. She buys a piece of land, a forested section of a dairy farm owned by the Brassards. She clears enough land to set up a tent in the deep forest. Life in the wilderness is a lot harder than she anticipated. She’s faced with harsh weather, aching loneliness, unsettling encounters with wild animals, and intruding neighbors. To make her life even more difficult, the money she plans to use to purchase the land is suddenly unavailable and she is indentured to the Brassards.
Brassards farm is in deep trouble. Milk prices have gone down, feed and equipment prices risen to the point that it’s hard to make ends meet. The money the Brassards were expecting from Ann is desperately needed. She signs on as a farm hand to pay her debt and learns the hard way what it takes to run a dairy farm. The work is relentless, the hours grueling. She chaffs at the cutting and sarcastic remarks from her stern boss, Diz Brassard, the farm’s matriarch.
Ann finds comfort and understanding from Earnest Kelley, an Oneida Indian, a friend of the Brassards who makes his home on the farm, but works as a tree surgeon. For Ann, Earnest’s wisdom and quiet humor is a balm to an otherwise bleak existence on the farm.
Brassards’ Farm is not only a good read, but informative about the life of a dairyman. The author, Daniel Hecht , does an amazing job of describing the feelings of a woman. The story is told in first person, vividly showing the struggle and demanding work of farm life, the growth, toughness and resiliency Ann develops, and finally the joy of unexpected love.
Ann Turner seeks a change from her urban life in Boston. She buys a piece of land, a forested section of a dairy farm owned by the Brassards. She clears enough land to set up a tent in the deep forest. Life in the wilderness is a lot harder than she anticipated. She’s faced with harsh weather, aching loneliness, unsettling encounters with wild animals, and intruding neighbors. To make her life even more difficult, the money she plans to use to purchase the land is suddenly unavailable and she is indentured to the Brassards.
Brassards farm is in deep trouble. Milk prices have gone down, feed and equipment prices risen to the point that it’s hard to make ends meet. The money the Brassards were expecting from Ann is desperately needed. She signs on as a farm hand to pay her debt and learns the hard way what it takes to run a dairy farm. The work is relentless, the hours grueling. She chaffs at the cutting and sarcastic remarks from her stern boss, Diz Brassard, the farm’s matriarch.
Ann finds comfort and understanding from Earnest Kelley, an Oneida Indian, a friend of the Brassards who makes his home on the farm, but works as a tree surgeon. For Ann, Earnest’s wisdom and quiet humor is a balm to an otherwise bleak existence on the farm.
Brassards’ Farm is not only a good read, but informative about the life of a dairyman. The author, Daniel Hecht , does an amazing job of describing the feelings of a woman. The story is told in first person, vividly showing the struggle and demanding work of farm life, the growth, toughness and resiliency Ann develops, and finally the joy of unexpected love.
January 6, 2024
Book #29 of 2022. "On Brassard's Farm" by Daniel Hecht. 3/5 rating.
This is a novel about a teacher who moves to the woods in Vermont as a respite after large portions of her life have fallen apart.
Ann was a teacher in Boston but had an issue in her school which made her want to leave it. After her bad breakup, she decides to buy a tract of land just above a farm. Because of some bad luck she is forced to pay off the last portion of her land by working on the farm. Completely unprepared for what she is up for, she is able to use the solitude, hard work, and camaraderie of the farm to begin her healing.
As Ann continues to work on the farm, she begins to fall in love, not only with the place, but one of the owners of the farm. While she never expected it, her move to Vermont set up the rest of her life and allowed her to find herself again.
As Ann says: "Insight frequently requires preparation in the form of a gradual melting of habitual stupidity. And when real revelation comes, it may not be something you can name; it may not make sense except in the deep places where our souls forge coherence from the world's various pieces."
This was a cute book, just not as much substance as I would have liked to make it truly great.
This is a novel about a teacher who moves to the woods in Vermont as a respite after large portions of her life have fallen apart.
Ann was a teacher in Boston but had an issue in her school which made her want to leave it. After her bad breakup, she decides to buy a tract of land just above a farm. Because of some bad luck she is forced to pay off the last portion of her land by working on the farm. Completely unprepared for what she is up for, she is able to use the solitude, hard work, and camaraderie of the farm to begin her healing.
As Ann continues to work on the farm, she begins to fall in love, not only with the place, but one of the owners of the farm. While she never expected it, her move to Vermont set up the rest of her life and allowed her to find herself again.
As Ann says: "Insight frequently requires preparation in the form of a gradual melting of habitual stupidity. And when real revelation comes, it may not be something you can name; it may not make sense except in the deep places where our souls forge coherence from the world's various pieces."
This was a cute book, just not as much substance as I would have liked to make it truly great.
August 14, 2023
This book surprised me in a lot of ways. I've had it on my shelf for several years and was trying to get out of a reading slump in which nothing I picked up could hold my attention and though I'd give this a try. It not only held my attention but kept me captivated and thinking about when I wasn't reading it. In fact, I'll be thinking about it for a long time, and then I'll be reading it again.
The book is layered. On the surface it's about farming, but it's not just about farming. It's about love (all different kinds of love, including for life) and purpose and inner strength and resilience and the world around us. It's about understanding life on this planet and how everything interconnects and impacts everything else. It's about finding yourself and figuring out who you are and who you want to be.
To sum it up in a single word, this book was beautiful. I never would have expected to say that about a book that talks about manure, for example, but the author perfectly showed the beauty in the mundane, the traditionally ugly or uncomfortable, in the surprising and unexpected. This is a book for your soul, even if you don't realize you need it.
The book is layered. On the surface it's about farming, but it's not just about farming. It's about love (all different kinds of love, including for life) and purpose and inner strength and resilience and the world around us. It's about understanding life on this planet and how everything interconnects and impacts everything else. It's about finding yourself and figuring out who you are and who you want to be.
To sum it up in a single word, this book was beautiful. I never would have expected to say that about a book that talks about manure, for example, but the author perfectly showed the beauty in the mundane, the traditionally ugly or uncomfortable, in the surprising and unexpected. This is a book for your soul, even if you don't realize you need it.
July 23, 2018
It's hard to rate this one because it has multiple levels and some of them were a success to me and some weren't. I'd give it 4 stars for the descriptions of Vermont, dairy farms, nature and the male characters in the book. However, the protagonist is a woman and the story explores her life, feelings, growth, fears, emotions etc. and the author is a male. I feel he didn't quite succeed in making her real. I also feel that this book was a vehicle for some important life and environmental issues that the author wanted to highlight and that though the story revolves around his main character, she ultimately isn't the most important point of the story. I would have rather seen Earnest as the main character or even Brassard himself and that probably would have brought some missing depth to the story. On the other hand, it is a lovely read, so I'm giving it four stars. If you like reading stories set in Vermont and if you like cows (actually MUST like cows) you'll enjoy this book. And some of the descriptions of nature are lovely as well.
December 7, 2018
After reading this book, it is apparent I will never make it as a dairy farmer. Ann, our main character, leaves the big-city life behind, buys a remote 40 acres from Farmer Brassard, and proceeds to live in a tent, in Vermont, full time. Thinking that her real-life troubles will be healed by nature, she dives in head-first with no prior knowledge of the basics of survival. Unforeseen circumstances force Ann to submit to two years of farm labor for the Brassards in order to cover her land-debt. Surprise! Life with nature is a picnic compared to the unrelenting schedule of farm work.
In reading this book, you will learn exactly what it takes to maintain and operate a small-scale dairy farm. There are no vacations, breaks, or me-time. The chores are grueling, relentless, never-ending. As Ann struggles to eliminate her debt, she learns what it takes to really survive, and she discovers true love and friendship, along with hard work, make for a real life.
In reading this book, you will learn exactly what it takes to maintain and operate a small-scale dairy farm. There are no vacations, breaks, or me-time. The chores are grueling, relentless, never-ending. As Ann struggles to eliminate her debt, she learns what it takes to really survive, and she discovers true love and friendship, along with hard work, make for a real life.
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