The Exact Same Moon: Fifty Acres and a Family

by Jeanne Marie Laskas

In Fifty Acres and a Poodle , Jeanne Marie Laskas described how she survived her first hilariously tumultuous year at Sweetwater Farm. Now she returns with a funny, touching, and personal new memoir of what happens after your dream comes true...

With a picture-postcard farm, a wonderful marriage, two mules, and a new refrigerator that spits crushed ice, what more can a girl ask for? That’s precisely the question Jeanne Marie asks herself as she and Alex settle into their new life at Sweetwater Farm. Two years ago they left the city behind for a life filled with the practical, often comical, lessons of living close to the land—and they never looked back. Yet when her strong-willed mom is hospitalized with a sudden and mysterious paralysis, Jeanne Marie rushes home to Philadelphia and her extended, sometimes chaotic, but always loving family. It’s there that she realizes what is still missing from her a family of her own. Now it’s a matter of bringing up the subject to her husband, Alex, fifteen years older and with adult children of his own, who seems terrified that she’s thinking of adopting a Chihuahua.

With warmth, wisdom, and unfailing humor, Laskas tells the poignant story of her search for motherhood—and what happens when a woman risks happily-ever-after for something even more precious. As she tends to her own ailing mother, Jeanne Marie discovers that the challenges and rewards of living with Mother Nature pale in comparison to those awakened by the nature of mothering.

The Exact Same Moon is filled with hilarious and heartwarming vignettes of people and a way of life you’ll be glad you met. From "borrowing" sheep to help mow the lawn and sitting in on the racy hay jokes at the Agway Equine Clinic, to befriending the notorious old lady who holds the water rights to their future pond, corrupting the neighbors with satellite TV, and learning the fine art of going a-calling, Laskas proves once again that laughter, love, and wisdom are truly homegrown.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Adoption, Animals, Biography

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jeanne Marie Laskas is an American writer and professor.

From 1994 until 2008 she was a regular, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, where her "Significant Others" essays appeared weekly. She has written feature stories for GQ, where she is a correspondent. Formerly a Contributing Editor at Esquire, her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Best American Sportswriting. She also is the voice behind "Ask Laskas" in Reader's Digest and writes the "My Life as a Mom" column for Ladies' Home Journal.

A professor in the creative writing program at the University of Pittsburgh, she lives in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to give this author another try after being underwhelmed by Fifty Acres and a Poodle. It became increasingly obvious that the author follows a distinct (and to me, displeasing) formula and her chatty style began to grate. Still, I had the third book in the Sweetwater Farm series home from the library already so...

[Jeff Rosendahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but very different than "50 Acres & a Poodle." This one is much more serious, far fewer chuckles than the previous book. "Exact Same Moon" details the parenthood search the couple gets involved in. Still don't care a whole lot for Laskas' writing style...she comes out sounding like an emotionally unstable person who has to talk a lot to cover her nervousness during any dialog in the book. If you are a pet person, you should probably read these 2 books, plus "hit by a farm." I'm not a pet person, which is one reason I didn't think these were super books.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is absolutely no coherant story line to this "book." Just because events happen, writing about them in a diary does not make them a book. The author is likeable, and I'm happy for her, but this stream-of-consciousness was tedious and distracting.

[Sally906 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow -


Pg 214 "...I lower my head onto the steering wheel.  And it's here, outside an abandoned coal mine, sitting in a car next to a beagle wearing a bright red bow, that I sob the sob of a lifetime...

[JanB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good if not better than the first. Enjoyable read!

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only mildly interesting, and written in a very annoying style.

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for cogent and smart (oh, so smart) life advice, read this book.

This memoir by Jeanne Marie Laskas, the second of three in the series (and, yes, you really should read the first one before reading the second one), continues the story of her life with Alex on Sweetwater Farm as they realize they want children. This realization is sparked when her 75-year-old mother experiences a dire and scary health crisis. As Jeanne Marie travels back and forth between Philadelphia where her mother lives and her own near-to-Pittsburgh farm, she realizes as she is on the cusp of turning 40 that she wants to be a mom—something that never occurred to her until now. Alex, her husband, is 54 and already has two grown children. What will they do?

While the first book, "Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm," is one of the funniest books I have ever read—and I mean laughing so hard that tears ran down my face kind of funny—this one is more somber with thoughtful, soul-searching reflections on the meaning of life, love, family, happiness, children, parenting, and community.

This book is wise and wonderful and a true joy to read.

[Crafty Cristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Several years back, I read the first book, 50 Acres and a Poodle. It was a book that stuck with me long after reading it. When I discovered that Mrs. Laskas had written a second, I promptly bought it. This book is every bit as good as the first one.

Mrs. Laskas and her husband live in rural Pennsylvania on 50 Acres. Toward the first of the book, her mother has a severe health crisis. This, coupled with her 40th birthday gets her to thinking about motherhood.

She and her husband decide to adopt.

The book is humorous, gentle and uplifting.

[Abbey Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as her first book (Fifty Acres and a Poodle), because I wanted more of the farm. I know it's her life and she had so much going on with her mom and growing their family, but I became really invested in the farm in the first book and it felt like an afterthought here. That being said, the author is a brilliant storyteller and I did enjoy the book!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to Fifty Acres and A Poodle, this nonfiction focuses on jeanne's Mother's illness and Jeanne's focus on having children. Very descriptive of her feelings -- like journal entries. This doesn't grasp the reader as much as the first book.

[Melissa Kayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the second book in her series about her personal life on the farm. Looking forward to getting the third one soon!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I enjoyed Fifty Acres and a Poodle; this book just didn’t resonate as much with me. The book is about the authors quest to become a mother.

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story , living on a farm, and tried to have a baby.

[Marissa Rapone · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable and heartwarming story!

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally like non-fiction but this book is surprisingly great, funny & makes me contemplate complicated aspects of life & see them in a different view in a light-hearted way.

[Rachel Flora · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Antof9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We have been cooped up together for two happily-ever-after years. Recently we noted that we were beginning to finish each other's sentences. Pretty soon we may start speaking our own language, like kids raised by wolves."

I found that section rather surprising. Is this author that unaware of what people-who-spend-time-together do, or ... what? That's one of my favorite things about marriage. We know each other. And it's a favorite part of other relationships, too. When a friend and I start singing the same song at the same time, or start a quote from FRIENDS that we don't even need to finish, we know exactly what the other person is thinking. We know each other. And that's a good thing.

Maybe, though, what she's really saying, even in the beginning of the book without acknowledging it yet, that she wants a child. Because that's where this is going. Toward a baby girl from China. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

There's some great writing in this. I found myself tearing up so many times that I stopped tracking where. Her mother gets sick and there is just some great stuff in there, even if I don't have the relationship with my mother that she has with hers. I did think this was interesting, though, and it's the part that earned the "made me think" shelf tag here on Goodreads:

She said she's done with GBS. Just ... done. "Nothing more to say. It's time to go forward. That's me, I'm a moving-forward kind of person."
"Yes, you are," I said, because I believe her. Or I want to.
And I'm a here-and-now kind of person. Or I'm trying to be. My mother is a help. A mother's example is a kind of permission. A mother's example gets hardwired into you. My mother's example, I think, virtually assured that I wouldn't end up an emotional lingerer, a pouter, a moper.

She could write comedy - she has these quick comments like "Alex looks at me with the uncomfortable look you reserve for, say, a lunatic." That made me giggle (especially in context).

Plus, she has figured out humans...

This is the sort of thing a parent sees that helps her make the determination that her child is the most brilliant creature to set foot on this Earth -- a tendency that all new parents seem to have, no matter what else they are bringing to the table in terms of projection.

This is a beautifully written sort of random, stream of consciousness book that is the book equivalent of "easy on the eyes". It just went down easily, and was a good book for right now. And also? Another book that makes me want to garden.

Edited to add that I am still confused (4 days later) about something. I'm not 100% sure, but I am mostly sure, that she never said her brother's name in this book. The sisters are all named, but she (as far as I remember and noticed at the time) only ever refers to her brother as "my brother". That's weird.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this true story spanning cities and countries and families of all kinds. This is what life is all about.
I absolutely love that Jean is taking the flowers and paintings. She knows what's really valuable.
But, I feel cheated.
After going into excruciating detail about all of her thoughts and dreams and musings, Jeanne left out two areas that I really, really wanted to know in detail.
We missed the first five days of Anna's new life with her parents! I can't believe it! There was some reflection but certainly not what I would've expected. Say, 10 or so pages for those five days. And then… we miss the welcome of the "families". The book just incredibly jumps forward NINE months! If you wanted to shorten up the book then take some of the extensive musings out and bring in the love and learning that Anna brings to her parents and her American family.
This could've been a four or five star book. I doubt if I'll be reading Laska's other books.

Now a little personal story; My family wasn't physically affectionate either. My grandmother raised me and when I kissed her she would say' "Oh, you might get germs, I'm old." Silly, I know and I would insist on a goodby kiss. One day I was leaving and had my arms full. I neglected to go for the kiss goodbye and, surprise, my dear grandmother said, "No kiss goodbye?"
Just because your family is not Kissy does not mean that you cannot learn to appreciate and enjoy more physical affection.
Go for it! Do it now because if you don't, you will wish you had.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously I made a mistake by reading Growing Girls before reading Fifty Acres and a Poodle, and The Same Exact Moon. In my defense, I didn't realize they were a 'series' when I picked up Growing Girls, but still. I'd probably have enjoyed it more than I did if only I'd read them in order.

Anyway. Just as Fifty Acres and a Poodle made me want to live out my dream of living on a farm, The Same Exact Moon added to my thought of eventually wanting to adopt a baby (given my fear of pregnancy. Yes, that's a thing.) How she writes about her experience may have been glossed over a bit, but then again, maybe not. She has a way of being honest, and although the book never goes into depth about the hard times, she does mention them.

Being that I am not a writer, I don't have much else to say. I enjoyed the book and was sad when it ended, because I wanted to hear more.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a sophisticated city couple moves to the country kind of story here, plus a woman decides she wants to have children and she and her husband start on the journey of adoption. Nothing big new here as husband and wife are gradually befriended by neighbors and recover a wandering mule. The adoption story is familiar, too--will husband agree to this crazy plan? our child is out there somewhere! love at first sight! But this is a memoir, and the familiar tropes are charmingly told by an enthusiastic writer whose droll psychiatrist husband recognizes that if her train is leaving the station, he'd better get on board or be left behind.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first (Fifty Acres and a Poodle), it was still hard to put down, and one that I enjoyed very much. The subject matter is just more serious, but still, it had me crying in some parts, and laughing out loud in others. I love her writing style, the way she sees things, her humor, and personality she puts into her books. Really a delight to read. I just found out there's a third book out -- Growing Girls, and I ordered it on Amazon this morning!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all three of Jeanne Marie Laskas' books about living on a rural farm. They are absolutely delightful. This particular book resonated strongly with me as she shared the struggle with her mother's debilitating illness. She shares her discovery of the desire to become a mom herself. While I have never experienced this myself, she made me able to identify with all the gamut of emotions that this entailed. Bravo, Ms. Laskas. I do hope you continue to share your life with us.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had I not read "50 Acres and a Farm" I'd of easily given this book five stars. I enjoyed it very much. It was another easy read that delved a little deeper into Jeanne Marie and Alex's life. I felt like I was going through their journey to adopt their little girl with them. I'd recommend it to anyone who is thinking about adopting.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this author's stuff. It's non-fiction and based in Scenery Hill just south of Pittsburgh. This 2nd book of her life deals with her parents' aging problems, being a part of a family, and her pursuit to adopt a daughter from China. It has many funny parts that made me laugh out loud.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book for it's humor, insight, language, and personal connection. My husband and I actually took a slight detour yesterday to drive through Scenery Hill, PA, so I could see the landscape and picture the hardware store and the post office Laskas writes about in her tales.

[Kelly L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable, simple book. It is set close to where I went to college and I found that fun. It was a slightly humorous book. It would be a good book for someone who has adopted or is thinking about adopting a baby.

[M. Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book which rings true to real life. I enjoyed all the references to the location which I know well. It is a down home, real life type of book. Even though I am way past the stage of life depicted in this book, I enjoyed the fresh writing style, and it held my interest.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, entertaining, endearing account of Laskas' decision to become a mom and adopt her first daughter. I love her uncompromising commitments to her roles as independent professional woman, wife and mother. I had lots of smiles, a few laugh out loud moments, and hardly any tears. Amazing!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love the way she writes. If I ever took/found time to write anymore, a lot would come out like this. Except I wouldn't use that one word (and I wouldn't use the other one either, even though it slips out of my mouth on occasion. Oh and I probably wouldn't use damn either.)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this sequel to 50 Acres and a Poodle, Laskas continues with the often hilarious adventures on her farm but adds a moving discussion of her decision to adopt a Chinese baby. The issues she thoughtfully raises reminded me of another favorite book, Anne Tyler's Digging to America.