Home to Woefield : a novel

Format:

Book

Title:

Home to Woefield : a novel

Author:

Juby, Susan, 1969-

ISBN:

9780061995194

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

306 pages ; 21 cm

General Note:

Originally published: Canada : HarperCollins Canada, 2010.

Summary:

"Prudence Burns, a well-intentioned New Yorker full of back-to-the-land ideals, just inherited Woefield Farm--thirty acres of scrubland, dilapidated buildings, and one half-sheared sheep. But the bank is about to foreclose, so Prudence must turn things around fast!"--Page 4 of cover.

Subject(s):

Farmers -- Fiction.

Farms -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Domestic animals -- Fiction.

Canada -- Fiction.

New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Canada -- Fiction.

New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

Canada.

New York (State) -- New York.

Genre:

Humorous stories.

Humorous fiction.

Fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Silver Falls Library	FIC JUBY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	Fic Juby, S. 2011	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"I laughed out loud more times reading this book than any book I've read in years....I never wanted to leave Woefield, and you won't, either."

--Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and Insatiable

Susan Juby, already a reader-favorite YA author, makes her triumphant first foray into adult contemporary fiction with Home to Woefield, a hilarious, wildly original, and wonderfully insightful tale of no-so-ordinary life down on the farm. Told in four delightfully distinct narrative voices--a crusty 70-something farmer, a hair band-loving teen, a precocious 11-year old, and an earnest New Yorker in her 20s--Home to Woefield will enchant readers of all ages, as its motley cast struggles to avoid foreclosure with outlandish schemes and prize-winning chickens.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Juby, author of the Alice MacLeod books for young adults and a memoir of alcohol addiction (Nice Recovery), borrows from both genres for her first foray into adult fiction. The result is a sweetly cockamamie tale of the emotional, physical, and spiritual recovery of lost souls sharing a neglected farm, a seriously depressed sheep, a coop of fancy chickens, and a last shred of hope. In alternating voices, sunny optimist Prudence, who inherited the money-losing spread from her uncle; boozy blogger Seth; tween Sara, who raises poultry to console a life otherwise torn apart by two warring parents; and old-coot Earl, who has a mysterious and illustrious past, put their shaky lives and a dilapidated house together by discovering the best and forgiving the worst of each other. A wounded little girl and an indomitably hopeful big one book-end this lightly funny and touching yarn about an endearing band of social wrecks who are impossible not to love, at least a little. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

When Prudence Burns inherits her uncle's farm, she pictures barn raisings, strawberry socials, and the pastoral idyll. The reality: 30 acres of scrub land. Undaunted, her naive optimism, which alternately astounds and amuses, attracts a rag-tag band of misfits who join her bumbling, madcap efforts to make a go of Woefield Farm. There's Earl, the gruff farmhand, who harbors a secret past; Sara, an 11-year-old member of the junior poultry club with stomach problems caused by her battling parents; and Seth, a snarky blogger who hasn't left his mother's house since the trouble with the drama teacher back in high school. A half-shorn sheep and an amorous rooster add to the high jinks. In her sparklingly witty and charming first novel for adults, the author of the Alice MacLeod YA series delightfully combines satire and a distinctly modern voice with old-fashioned sweetness, and her laugh-out-loud writing is tempered by the characters' emotional pain and efforts to help one another heal. Woefield Farm may not produce a single crop, yet it's fertile ground for superb storytelling.--Wetli, Patty Copyright 2010 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Prudence, who lives in Brooklyn, NY, is longing for a greener lifestyle when she learns she has inherited a farm from a distant uncle in British Columbia. The farm is in woeful condition physically and fiscally. As Prudence arrives at Woefield, Juby shifts the point of view among four characters. Earl is Prudence's deceased uncle's hired hand, Seth is a 19-year-old alcoholic blogger who has been kicked out of his mom's house, and tween Sara needs a place to house her chickens. Trying to keep the farm afloat financially, Prudence and her motley crew strategize various plans to make money. With a good dose of humor, all of the characters work through their respective issues. VERDICT This heartwarming and upbeat novel marks young adult author Juby's (Alice, I Think) successful foray into the world of chick lit. Her adult fiction debut is certain to attract readers who enjoy their chick lit in the style of Marian Keyes or Meg Cabot. [Galley mailing to select libraries.-Ed.]-Kristen Stewart, Pearland Lib., Brazoria Cty. Lib. Syst., TX (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.