A Year on our Farm. How the Countryside Made Me

by Matt Baker

Matt Baker is at his happiest on the farm.

Away from the bright lights of hosting our favourite television programmes, Countryfile, The One Show, Blue Peter and many more, he is often in the company of his family, dogs, array of sheep, Mediterranean miniature donkeys and a whole host of wildlife in the farm's ancient woodland.

Now, following the ever-changing seasons, Matt takes us on a journey with his family on the farm.

We see woodland animals emerge after a long winter of hibernation, hear the dawn chorus in the height of summer and see the preparations unfold for the harsh and wild winter months.

Peppered with hand drawn sketches, unforgettable moments from his TV career and stories of a landscape you'll fall in love with, Matt offers readers a touching insight into life on the farm, and how the power and beauty of the countryside can be an inspiration and source of joy for all of us.

A celebration of the natural year, Matt Baker takes us on a journey through the seasons, his life on the farm and how the power and beauty of the countryside has made him who he is.

Genres: Autobiography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Nature, Biography

329 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2021

About the author

Clarence Matthew Baker was an American comic book artist best known for drawing early comics heroines such as the costumed crimefighter Phantom Lady, and romance comics. Active in the 1940s and 1950s Golden Age of comic books, he is the first known African-American artist to find success in the comic-book industry. He also penciled an early form of graphic novel, St. John Publications' digest-sized "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust (1950).

Baker was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.

Reviews

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Винаги съм смятала, че истинската ценност на една книга е как те кара да се почувстваш и дали си тръгваш по-богат след прочита й. Осъзнавам, че изумително негативните ми чувства към тази книга са свързани по-скоро с мен, отколкото с написаното, но ако не беше толкова подвеждащо заглавието, то.. никога не бих я прочела и не бих изпитала тези негативни емоции. Та, време е за малко хейт.

Очевидно авторът е известен ТВ водещ тук в UK. Нямах си и на идея. Аз видях заглавието на книгата и си помислих, че е книга за човек, който си е сбъднал мечтата да си купи ферма и споделя за всички проблеми в процеса на това да се грижи за нея. Е, не е точно това.

Това е първият и основен проблем на книгата. Заглавието не отговаря на реалността. Не е книга, която разказва за фермата през различните сезони в рамките на една година. Това е мемоар, в който авторът говори за себе си и фермата е използвана като фон за неговата история. Имаше елементи, в които разказва за фермата и те бяха интересни, но бяха 30-40% от цялата книга. Не достатъчно да оправдае това безумно заглавие.

Отделно, не можеше тази книга да е по-хаотична. Леле, кошмар е. Уж е разделена на сезони и би следвало да ти разказва авторът за какво се случва във фермата през различните сезони... Мм, може би с малко въображение може да кажем, че имаше такива моменти, но по-скоро беше каквото му е хрумнало и това е. Хаосът беше пълен.

Накрая, причината поради, която аз лично намерих тази книга за изключително дразнеща и напрягаща е направо нагарчащият позитивен подход на писане и мироглед на автора. За човек като мен - това беше твърде много. Някои харесват хора, които бълват позитивизъм на талази от устата си, аз съм обаче от онези, дето не могат да ги дишат.

За пръв път четох книга, в която толкова ясно и ярко се вижда огромната разлика между различните хора и нации. И няма да лъжа - почувствах се отвратително. Като добавим и коментарите му, че видиш ли ако се трудиш, може да постигнеш всичко и ти си твърде наясно с факта, че не всеки човек в този свят тръгва от добра основа, ти идва да му цапардосаш един.

Мда... книгата много ме подразни, толкова много, че си наруших правилото да не давам единици на мемоари и до степен, че цялото ми желание да чета за фермерство се изпари през прозореца. Бога ми, неща да чувам за природа след приказките на този, толкова ужасно беше.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Baker is one of my favourite presenters and I love watching the TV programmes about his family farm so I was looking forward to listening to this audiobook which he narrates. Sadly I was a little disappointed. He talks about his early life in gymnastics and how much he loved life on his parent's farm growing up and then later on his mother's accident but overall his narration felt rather flat, as if he was reading from an autocue. Perhaps I've been spoilt recently by some other authors reading their autobiographies who really put some oomph and emphasis on their narration. Some parts felt very much like a nature lesson and a text book, and I would have liked to have a little more detail about the family and the farm. Various parts were very enjoyable and mainly it was interesting but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

[Tim M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up in the countryside- I could relate to a lot of what Matt described and his passion for nature and wildlife. I also particularly liked his style of writing and honesty in what he wrote.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice book I hope he writes some more great to read true life books instead of fiction all the time well done Matt for a great read

[Gill Woolley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Matt’s life, family and farm but many parts of the book were a bit boring. I skipped over the rules of organic farming, many different types of sheep and descriptions of tractors.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book to feel cosy and bring some outdoor country living to normal everyday life.

[HM Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, enjoyable

[Anne Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Baker is a broadcaster with an impressive CV. He is excellent at a wide range of skills and comes across as an exceptionally nice guy. In the background to his life has always been the family farm in the Durham Dales. The farm is 100 acres and organic. It is devoted to livestock as the land is unsuitable for growing crops. When Matt’s mother had an accident and his father’s health issues meant that he couldn’t simply take over, Matt and his family returned home to help. This book is part autobiography and part description of farming and, by extension, the natural world. A connection to nature is as necessary for Matt’s mental health as breathing is to his physical health. But Matt is no New Age shaman. He is just a down to earth guy who works incredibly hard at everything he does. A Year on Our Farm is inspiring, entertaining and informative.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed watching Matt Baker as a presenter on Blue Peter and more recently on Our Dream Farm. This was a great and interesting read, learning about his early years and his gymnastic experience, through all the different shows he presented as well as his time on the farm.

[Snicketts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad for my two star review as I like the author as a television presenter, but this book was simplistic and without a lot of substance in my opinion. In it, Baker explains some of how he came to be a tv presenter on two of the UK's most loved shows and this is interspersed with tales of life through the seasons on his farm in the far north of England. What there was of it was sweet and easy to read but when I picked it up I expected a lot more depth, particularly about the natural world of which he is a national champion. Sorry, Matt.

[Eileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It's the memoir of someone who genuinely seems like a nice person and it touches lightly in places on subjects that interest me a lot (sheep, sheepdog training, hedgelaying, bees, birds, bats...)

What's missing though is depth and the overall tone suggests that maybe he imagines his audience is children and perhaps particularly special needs children. He's famous in the UK from television shows including Blue Peter (but I'm American and was already college-aged when he was a presenter.) Other programs like Countryfiles and one he produced called Our Farm in the Dales sound right up my alley (but I'm in Spain so I haven't seen those either). A lot of the memoir recaps how he got various jobs and the exciting adventures he had on camera.

In the book there's a lot of virtue signalling and although he expresses gratitude and puts a positive spin on every challenge in his life (dyslexia, sports injuries, helping aging parents adapt their farm) there's part of me that still reels at the privileges in his life and how much he attributes them to his good attitude. The UK farmer narrative about passing a 100-acre farm on to children who he is raising to appreciate it is a story of intergenerational wealth. Stewardship is part of it, too, but that whiff of the implication that land should stay within bloodlines seems awfully British to me. There's some organic advocacy in the final chapters that suggest we should be supporting the kinder, gentler, not-so-profitable approach he and his family employ. It's not even that I disagree with him, but there's something flat (ghostwritten?) and maybe a little tonedeaf about this one.

(Free from a book swap at a language school in Sant Cugat)

[Joe M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet easy read, evoking lovely images of farm life in the Durham Dales, but felt a little shallow and scattered for my liking.

You can feel Matt’s passion for nature and the British Countryside pour off the page, but the book fell a little short for me. It’s trying to do so many things - recount his childhood on the farm, tell the story of how he came to be a iconic figure in British TV, recount his favourite exploits around the world, convey the importance of connecting with nature and tell it all through the medium of the changing seasons on the farm, while keeping it light and breezy. And it flits between them all erratically that it doesn’t really do a full job of any of them.

I really enjoyed the sections where he took a deep dive into aspects of farming through the seasons, be it the shearing/tupping/lambing of sheep, or drystone walling. And how he does it in such a clear and engaging way. I kind of wish he stripped it back a bit and gave us a more in depth insight into life on the farm, on his childhood there and on the importance of nature to him and his farm, with more limited mention of the rest. Matt has such a unique point of view, and this feels like a wasted opportunity to share it.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Baker comes across as a thoroughly nice bloke with a passion for the countryside. Lovely. He is also dyslexic and has clearly used a ghostwriter to put this book together. Fine. The intent seems to have been to make the text read in the chatty style that Baker is known for, which is fair enough. That said, and I'm going to be honest with you here, crikey, it can get a tad annoying after a while! If you know what I mean! Let me tell you, many of the things Baker has done are, well, amazing! Super! Do they make for a compelling narrative? You judge, if you can resist counting the exclamation marks!!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt is enthusiastic and passionate about his life on the farm and this book is a nice accompaniment to the TV series. However, the book is not accurately titled because it does not reflect a year on the farm. It is half about his farming life (over the cpurse of his life) and half a biography and the two things don't work very well together - for example, there is much about his gymnastics which as nice as that is for him, is not of any interest to me and I couldn't see any connection with farming either. I enjoyed all the elements relating to his family farm but struggled with the non-relevant aspects like his time on the One Show, gymnastics or the Rickshaw challenge.

[Annie Leadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched the Television programme `A Year on our Farm' I was a little hesitant about reading the Book which my husband gave me as a gift for Yuletide . This is the written account of all Matt & his young Family did to help his Parents on their Dales Farm after he'd left The One Show & heard that his mum had been involved in a nasty accident . The Book is about Matts life growing up on the Farm & how that influenced his life , It truly is a delightful read .

[Neil Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book by Matt as it was such an wholesome read. It was as if Matt was speaking to the reader himself. I found the book so informative and I learnt a lot of things that I wasn’t aware of such as what classifies a woodland as ancient. A thoroughly enjoyable book, one that I would say has been my favourite read this year.

[RosemaryU · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book on so many levels. Matt writes so well about the countryside and the challenges farmers face in the world today. It makes you realise the importance of looking after our precious land and the benefits we get from getting out into nature. Also his writing on being dyslexic and how to manage living with this.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, mainly because the people in it are so delightful. It was very interesting to learn about Matt's earlier life, his success as a boy gymnast and the ways he deals with his dyslexia. Would recommend this to anybody who enjoys a lovely read without having to worry too much, but go forward with better knowledge about nature

[Charlotte Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love Matt Baker - a woman in Inverness saw me with this book and called him a “real pet” and I have to agree with that assessment. This was a slow paced, gentle read but well worth it for snippets of his life and meditations on rural living. I think it does err on the side of glamourising farming as Baker himself admits that his organic sheep farm is not profitable…

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a thoroughly charming book. Matt's personality & enthusiasm shines through. His pen & ink sketches add to the 'story' rather than detract.
I have always thought he comes across as a really down to earth 'nice' (horrid word!) person who is the same on or off camera. This book only enhances that opinion further.
Good luck to him & his family.

[Pea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As charming as Matt himself is. Only one criticism, ever so slightly repetitive but Matt does get his love and passion through. You can almost hear his voice while you are reading, it’s written as he talks. Thoroughly enjoyable read, easy to pick up and put down, informative and sweet.

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable read.
I enjoyed the TV program, so I hoped the book would be a good read, and I wasn’t disappointed.
I hope Matt Baker will write more books. His genuine love and his enthusiasm for farming definitely comes through in his writing…even more so when you watch him on TV.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book ! Matt Baker comes across as the warm, genuine and down to earth character we see on our screens. Didn’t know he was such a good artist, the sketches are a really lovely feature of the book. His dedication to all things ‘countryside’ makes for a truly great read.

[Fortytwo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely insight to a warm farming family
Audio book is highly recommended. Matt has a warm open approach to sharing his life and that of his family. It's a great addition to the tv show, as it adds a lot of detail and background. Uplifting.

[Malcolm Quirie · Rating 5 out of 5]

life of Matt Baker

It was such an enjoyable read and I got swept along experiencing life for Matt through his writing. The joy of life is shown every step of the way even when the challenge was tough going. He gave his best shot and that was more than good enough for me.

[Rachel Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read, not just for animal, countryside and Matt lovers but also inspiring as a fellow dyslexic!

[Grace Machon]

A watered down version of a shepherds life, sweet and enjoyable if not repetitive.
Lost a star because Meg only gets a 6 minute mention which is in my young millennial opinion a travesty.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book reads as Matt speaks. At times it's a little repetitive but gives a lovely insight into his life and passion for farming

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from start to finish. A lovely mix of autobiographical sections and farm life for him and his family. A very easy and interesting read

[Ray O'Hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now get a little bored with autobiographies but the local geography and the farming knowledge presented in this book captured my interest throughout. Well done.