Lambsquarters: Scenes from a Handmade Life

by Barbara McLean

At the age of twenty-four, Barbara McLean and her husband, Thomas, decided to make their home in the country, near a village called Alderney in Grey County, Ontario. Together they became homeowners, farmers and, eventually, parents. They called their farm Lambsquarters, and they remain there today, twenty-six years later.Life on a farm is a cycle of neverending work and discovery. Barbara and her family develop close relationships with every living the hearty lambs and the fragile ones, the pumpkins and the potatoes and the hollyhocks in the barnyard, a family of bluebirds with problems of its own. What at first seems an intensely independent act -- having one’s own land and space -- becomes more meaningful once it becomes possible to connect with the larger community. Strong bonds are formed with neighbours who share both in grief and in celebration.In striking portraits that are intensely intimate and yet reverberate with the universal hum of life, Barbara McLean describes the beauty, pain and wonder of the very essence of her surroundings and all who share them. We accompany her on a life’s journey, from a somewhat daunted dweller of a ramshackle farmhouse to a true inhabitant of a place.Lambsquarters is for everyone who has dreamed of reconnecting with the land, as well as for those already well acquainted with rubber boots, chicken manure and the long trajectories of the rural school bus.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cozy sort of book, more poetry than plot, that I found very soothing and lovely. I could also totally relate to much of what the author wrote. You come away from this book wanting to be best friends with her. And the fact that we both have bagpiping husbands increased the sense of connection!

[Maia Stratan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only rating it two stars because I personally didn’t enjoy it.

There were too many details that my brain could not focus on, and I felt like I dreamt the whole book by the end of it.
The only parts I could really get into were the stories about her husband, children, etc…

I think she did a great job overall, but I didn’t realize what I was getting into when I got the book, so I’m rating based on my experience, not what I think it might be rated by people who have a better attention span than me.

I will say that this book made me realize I don’t have what it takes to be an animal farmer, so I’m glad I could get rid of that delusion now.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely enjoyed this book.
As I begin my own homesteading journey, seeing life in little stories rather than one big one makes so much sense in this aspect, very inspiring.

On a funny note, the copy I have had 30 pages of a different book- 'Tepper isn't going out' smack in the middle of it! 😂 So, I did miss a few stories, and had some confusion and an extra laugh too.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautifully poetic odes to life and nature that I have been blessed to read. The author’s love of her life and her land permeates each sentence.

[Bec · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok- too 'fluffy' for me