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A tale of family and the impact that war can have, in its many manifestations: death of loved ones, loss, grief or in the hardship it brings
A timely debate on women's rights and abortion. A unique and nostalgic study of Southern America following World War II. A dramatic mother/daughter conflict.
In The Farm, Olaf "Ollie" Weber, a wounded Nazi prisoner of war, escapes a POW camp in Tennessee intent on assassinating President Truman. Ginger "Snaps" Wright accidentally helps Ollie elude prison guards, and when confronted, he rapes and impregnates the wannabe actress, who must then choose between Hollywood and motherhood.
Finally, after years of shortages and suffering, it's time to dream big, and the Wright family, "Snaps," her mother Mary Lou, Uncle, and sisters Millie and Anne face tumultuous societal and economic changes. But the family must also grieve the loss of Millie's hero husband, Stanley, and help her find a way to find new meaning in her life. A battlefield medic, Stanley was one of the eighty-four victims of the Nazi war crime; the Massacre at Malmedy.
The Farm is an exciting new story from the author of the critically acclaimed literary historical novel Gettysburg by Morning
There was much to like about this book. The action is set mainly on the farm where Mary Lou and Brother live, the older members of the Wright family with Mary Lou's daughters, Millie, Annie and Snaps, whose real name is Ginger. The novel focuses mainly on Snaps but we learn about the lives of the other characters throughout the narrative as well.
O'Brien presents an environment where the women are required to work really hard to ensure the farm endures without men and as a result, that they all survive. They think of ways to make money in a time where everything is scarce and people are trying their hardest to make the best of a difficult life. There is loss, which is be expected at war time, although still a shock but there is a sense that life goes on, shown in the lives of all the characters, where there is a natural stoicism, maybe born of the farming life that they lead.
But not all of the daughters are content to live a life as a farmworker or indeed to stay in the rural community and become a farmer's wife. Snaps has ambitions to become a performer and has talent as well as looks.
Unfortunately, Snaps has an enormous setback which arrives unexpectedly and the latter part of the book deals with her coming to terms with this change in her circumstances and her thwarted ambition.
The book leads well through the action and it is well-written in terms of clarity: all of the characters are distinct and O'Brien shows their personalities through dialogue and their interaction with others as well as writing about their aspirations. I especially liked the way the Wrights were keen to adapt to keep going.
If I am honest, for me, the book needed vigour. I liked the characters and could recognise the difficulty of the hardships in their individual lives but, for me, my investment was not as deep as it has been for characters in other books and for me as a reader, that matters.
That being said, I wished them well and wanted to find out where the action of the book would lead me and to what conclusion. The ending is satisfying in that regard and I was not hesitant about reading it. The narrative flowed and the story was engaging throughout.
Worth a read.
Reviewed by
It's not easy to sum up who I am, enough to make me interesting anyway, so what's essential to know? I love to read. I love to review. I love to write and blog at scuffedgranny.com. Short stories and poems are my main writing successes, winning runner-up plaudits on Reedsy Prompts and Vocal.media.
A timely debate on women's rights and abortion. A unique and nostalgic study of Southern America following World War II. A dramatic mother/daughter conflict.
In The Farm, Olaf "Ollie" Weber, a wounded Nazi prisoner of war, escapes a POW camp in Tennessee intent on assassinating President Truman. Ginger "Snaps" Wright accidentally helps Ollie elude prison guards, and when confronted, he rapes and impregnates the wannabe actress, who must then choose between Hollywood and motherhood.
Finally, after years of shortages and suffering, it's time to dream big, and the Wright family, "Snaps," her mother Mary Lou, Uncle, and sisters Millie and Anne face tumultuous societal and economic changes. But the family must also grieve the loss of Millie's hero husband, Stanley, and help her find a way to find new meaning in her life. A battlefield medic, Stanley was one of the eighty-four victims of the Nazi war crime; the Massacre at Malmedy.
The Farm is an exciting new story from the author of the critically acclaimed literary historical novel Gettysburg by Morning
About the author
A retired award-winning radio journalist and book reviewer, Randy O’Brien was the News Director of WMOT-FM for three decades, reporting hard news and features. He was an adjunct writing instructor at Watkins Film School and former President of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association. view profile
Published on November 21, 2023
Published by Addison and Highsmith
70000 words
Contains graphic explicit content ⚠️
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by
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