I’m happily joining Kat and the Unravelers today, still plugging away on the sock and adding some length to the rainbow scarf. Inspired by Carole’s “sock in the wild” photo from Monday, I decided to take one of my own while I was checking in on Nugget.
What
struck me most is the balance between the daily grit of farm work and
the larger sense of rhythm and meaning that Whybrow finds in the cycles
of life and death. The book doesn’t romanticize shepherding or land
stewardship; it acknowledges the exhaustion, the heartbreak, and the
constant need to adapt. Yet at the same time, there’s a deep tenderness
in the way she connects her care for the sheep and the farm with her
love for her family and her responsibility to future generations.
This
is not a fast-paced book. it moves in seasons rather than chapters, and
its power lies in its quiet accumulation of moments. At times the
meditative tone can feel a little heavy, but the writing is gorgeous and
the reflections are well worth lingering over.
For readers who
enjoy memoirs rooted in place, nature writing that doesn’t shy away from
difficulty, and thoughtful explorations of what it means to truly
belong to a landscape, The Salt Stones will be a rewarding read.
Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye is an ambitious,
multi-generational story set in Bonhomie, Ohio, beginning in the shadow
of World War II and stretching into the postwar boom years. It starts
with a single fateful encounter between Cal Jenkins, haunted not by
combat but by his inability to serve, and Margaret Salt, a woman with
secrets of her own. Around them swirl characters marked by grief,
longing, and resilience: Cal’s wife, Becky, whose gift as a seer allows
her to bridge the living and the dead, and Margaret’s husband, Felix,
whose absence at sea casts a long shadow.
Ryan writes with warmth
and empathy, particularly when exploring the ways ordinary people carry
extraordinary burdens. The setting feels textured and true, and the
novel shines when it zeroes in on the small-town dynamics of Bonhomie,
where everyone’s business eventually comes to light. The consequences of
one “stolen moment” ripple through the next generation, reminding us
how personal choices can shape entire families.
The book’s scope
sometimes works against it. The narrative spans decades and multiple
perspectives, which occasionally left me wishing for more depth in
certain storylines rather than breadth. A few of the characters’
motivations felt underdeveloped, and the pacing sagged in places. Still,
there’s no denying the poignancy of Ryan’s themes - loss, love, and the
uneasy reconciliation between who we are and who we hoped to be.
Buckeye
doesn’t fully deliver on its sweeping ambitions, but it offers a moving
and often thought-provoking portrait of ordinary lives intersecting
with history. Readers who enjoy family sagas with a touch of mystery and
spirituality will likely find it worth the read.
What are you making and reading this week?
I am on the Sea of Blanket Knitting... calmly cruising along! And I am staying the course, haha! I need to beat Heidi's baby! I raced through Claire Lynch's A Family Matter and I loved it. I could not stop listening... it was so moving. Your rainbow scarf is just such a gorgeous bright spot...
ReplyDeleteNugget is of course right that every sock-in-the-wild photo is made better by her presence in it. I'm not sure how much scarf knitting you can get done in a day, but I have a feeling you won't need much time to get through those last 24 inches. I'm glad you enjoyed The Salt Stones. I keep seeing Buckeye around the internet, and it sounds like something I might like, so thanks for this great review.
ReplyDeleteOh, Nugget looks like she's keeping a close eye on you, Bonny! What a lovely cat -- and a really fun sock. And the rainbow stripes never fail to delight! I've been thinking about putting Buckeye on my fall reading list, although it may be deep into winter before I'm able to get my hands on a copy. (The hold lists on that one are daunting!) I'm reading The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy right now.
ReplyDeleteThe photography shots are beautiful. I try to get creative because I do the same shots, my problem is my house is dark and there are few places where colors are 'true'. That ball of yarn for the scarf is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI love the Nugget shot, Bonny. Keeping an eye on you, and you better bring on those treats! Due to house renovations (which are finally coming to a close in side, I hope), I have been unable to concentrate and find enough time to read. This week I am finishing up Heart the Lover, and I am enjoying it so far. My TBR stack is so tall that I cannot see the beginning or end of it. I just put Jesus and John Wayne on my TBR list. I am hopeful that if I understand the current situation that perhaps I can make peace with it. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the reviews. The Salt Stones sounds like a book I would want to read, but struggle to prioritize picking up. Borrowed the audio version on Hoopla, that may work around my preference to pick up fiction to read with my eyes. I'm planning to buy Buckeye at the Buckeye Book Fair in November (100 Ohio authors and illustrators at a long running book fair in Wooster), hoping that there are still copies when I get there.
ReplyDeleteThis is Jill :)
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