“The Browne’s foray into slower living in Whatcom County is an enjoyable read. Their delightful, yet very real, experiences in making the big leap toward their dreams make for a humorous and charming book.” ...Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh, for the Summer Reads booklist
“A delightful account.” ...The Bellingham Herald
“…It's the story, in memoir form, of a couple's commitment to their ‘starter homestead,’ a ten-acre former clear-cut in the western foothills of the Cascades. Author Susan Colleen Browne and her husband, John, relate their tale of migration from the overdeveloped suburbs of Bellingham to a place they could raise their own food, start a small orchard, and generally live what they thought would be the slow life of boomers at the cusp of retirement. Along the way, they discover that what they want is not always what may be best for them.”…BackHome Magazine
“Describing their yearning for a return to nature and a slower-paced lifestyle in this memoir, author Susan Browne and her retired policeman-husband trace the origins of this sentiment in a deeply personal story. Raised in a city, she longed for ‘outdoor space’…the story of the complications that went with this search for a rural site to homestead reveals the hopes and foibles of a couple in pursuit of the ‘Great American dream.’” …Current Books on Gardening and Botany (published by the Chicago Botanic Garden)
“I loved your book. It tells volumes about finding and building a new lifestyle and reminds me a little of A Year in Provence.” …Kenneth A. Morrow, author of A Boyhood in Nelson.
