Elizabeth R. (esjro) -
I thought I would enjoy this book, but I gave up after reading about 60% of it. The author is obviously very talented, as her descriptions of the places and people from her life were very detailed and eloquently written. It was all too much though. I don't want to know about someone else's aunt or some garden to that level of detail. Nothing interesting happens; just descriptions of simple pleasures enjoyed during childhood and doing surprisingly well in school.
The book was written as though the author is talking to her unborn child, which is also weird.
The book was written as though the author is talking to her unborn child, which is also weird.
Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) -
My library book club motivated me to read Heartland by Sarah Smarsh. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author while following along in the print copy for an immersive reading experience.
This book's subtitle describes it well: âA Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth.â Ms. Smarsh reflects on her childhood in rural Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s. She shares about life with her parents, hard workers who rarely achieved financial stability, her beloved grandparents who had important roles in raising her, and her nomadic and isolated youth, frequently moving from one home to another to live with various relatives.
As a fellow farmer's daughter from the Midwest (Nebraska), I could relate to a fair amount of the memoir, especially not comprehending the limits of your family's monetary resources because you had food raised on the family farm. I appreciated the cultural commentary about the working poor and other socio-economic issues.
The only aspect I didn't enjoy was the author's ongoing âconversation' with her non-existent child. She intentionally broke a generational family tradition of teen pregnancy, yet frequently addressed a child/embryo that doesn't exist.
Our group had a meaningful conversation about this memoir, and I'm glad I read it. I'll be checking out other titles by Sarah Smarsh.
This book's subtitle describes it well: âA Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth.â Ms. Smarsh reflects on her childhood in rural Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s. She shares about life with her parents, hard workers who rarely achieved financial stability, her beloved grandparents who had important roles in raising her, and her nomadic and isolated youth, frequently moving from one home to another to live with various relatives.
As a fellow farmer's daughter from the Midwest (Nebraska), I could relate to a fair amount of the memoir, especially not comprehending the limits of your family's monetary resources because you had food raised on the family farm. I appreciated the cultural commentary about the working poor and other socio-economic issues.
The only aspect I didn't enjoy was the author's ongoing âconversation' with her non-existent child. She intentionally broke a generational family tradition of teen pregnancy, yet frequently addressed a child/embryo that doesn't exist.
Our group had a meaningful conversation about this memoir, and I'm glad I read it. I'll be checking out other titles by Sarah Smarsh.
