by Brad Kessler

(Scribner, $24)

About a decade ago, novelist Brad Kessler and his wife moved to a 75-acre farm in the mountains of Vermont, where they planned to raise dairy goats. The couple knew nothing of goat herding, let alone living by nature’s rules, so each day brought its share of dismay, discovery, and delight. In this spellbinding memoir, Kessler chronicles his adventures and his transformation from urban writer to artisan cheesemaker, while also gracefully weaving in historical musings that illuminate the pastoral roots of our modern world. Fascinating, poetic, and erudite, this is a book that beckons the reader to return to its pages time and again.

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