Book Review of
The Rural Diaries
While Hilarie Burton Morgan’s hectic lifestyle as an actress in New York and Los Angeles gave her a comfortable life, it did not fulfill her spiritually or emotionally. After the birth of their first son, she and her husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the star of The Walking Dead, decided to make a major change: they bought a working farm in Rhinebeck, New York, and began a new chapter in their lives.
The Rural Diaries chronicles her inspiring story of farm life: chopping wood, making dandelion wine, building chicken coops. Burton looks back at her transition from urban to country living—discovering how to manage a farm while raising her son and making friends with her new neighbors. She mixes charming stories of learning to raise alpacas and buying and revitalizing the town’s beloved candy store, Samuel’s Sweet Shop, with raw observations on the ups and downs of marriage and her struggles with secondary infertility. Burton also includes delicious recipes that can be made with fresh ingredients at home, as well as home renovation and gardening tips.
Burton’s charisma, wide eyed attitude, and fortitude—both internal and physical—propels this moving story of transformation and self-discovery. The Rural Diaries honors the values and lifestyle of small-town America and offers inspiration for anyone longing to embark on their own unconventional journey.
Lynn's Review
The Rural Diaries is the story of Hilarie Burton Morgan. She gave up her lifestyle as an actress and bought a working farm in Rhinebeck, New York. This book is about life, livestock, small town life, and so much more. It is about finding community and learning what is important.
This book is considered a DIY memoir, but since it is about farm life and life in the country, I think it is also part food memoir too.
I love memoirs and this was an easy fun read for me.
After the first chapter or two, I almost put the book down. I thought it was going to be a book about two Hollywood people that by a house in the country for fun because they had the money to buy a fun project. That is not what the book is about at all and I am so glad I kept reading. This book is about wanting to escape the fast-paced life in California and New York City for a slower pace in the country. But it is about so much more. It is about how hard life in the country is. It is about learning to adjust to a small rural town. It is about sharing your life with others. It is about making mistakes, like buying a bunch of animals that you know nothing about, and learning from them. Yes, the author has money, but this isn’t your typical actress writes a book type of story. I don’t agree with everything in the book, but it was a fun food/farm type read.