The Last Farm on Chappaquiddick

by Edo Potter

The other island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, has for almost 80 years occupied and fascinated Edo Potter. With her two sisters, Edo worked from May to late September on the truck farm their father started on Chappaquiddick in the 1930s and explored on foot and on horseback every inch of an island where there were no footprints on the beaches but their own. This is a book for anyone who has stood on Memorial Wharf in the old whaling village of Edgartown and watched the On Time ferries ply the channel to what's locally known as Chappy and wondered what goes on over there. It is a book for anyone who values the history of a place that is out of step with modern times -- by choice -- despite assaults of growth and change that threaten it every day. And it is a wonderful and gentle story of a life lived in an unusual place by an unusual family.

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the pictures and the narrative about the author's experiences with her family living on Chappaquiddick ("Chappy") from 1932-1945. The writing style was a bit choppy and reflective of the fact that the author didn't have much writing experience before she wrote this book. On the other hand, the acerbic and brief descriptions did seem to mirror the stark living that occurred on the island during that period of time. I haven't been to Martha's Vineyard or Chappaquiddick but I'd like to go now!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edo Potter's memoir of her time spent on a small farm on Chappaquiddick Island during the 1930s and '40s is not great literature, but it is an interesting read. She tells of freely roaming the largely unpopulated island and offers details of life mostly without cars, indoor plumbing, electricity, and easy access to luxuries like grocery stores and telephones - different, and not necessarily in a bad way!

[Gaylen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of life on the island of Chappaquidick in the 1930s and '40s written by an 80 something woman looking back at her childhood. And she still lives there! It recalls a way of life that some of us may have experienced a bit of in our own childhoods and perhaps still have a longing for. Beautiful photographs as well. A treasure!