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Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm
S.A. Molteni is well loved for her essays on hobby farming and animal husbandry - from the pain of losing a cherished pet cow and calf during childbirth to the sweetness of spending Christmas Eve in a manger with her two Jersey cow babies.
In this new collection of short stories, she poignantly and reflectively brings to the surface the highs and lows of living on a hobby farm and the deep connection that a farmer has to her animals.
From predatory hawk attacks on her beloved chickens, to a goat with an attitude, to bottle-feeding a calf, along with a fictional tale based on Chicken Little, the narratives give a condensed version of the best times and the worst times during her past five years on a hobby farm.
In this new collection of short stories, she poignantly and reflectively brings to the surface the highs and lows of living on a hobby farm and the deep connection that a farmer has to her animals.
From predatory hawk attacks on her beloved chickens, to a goat with an attitude, to bottle-feeding a calf, along with a fictional tale based on Chicken Little, the narratives give a condensed version of the best times and the worst times during her past five years on a hobby farm.
28 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2015
8 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
S.A. Molteni
9 books36 followersS.A. Molteni can be found on the following social media sites:
Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HXPZKAU
Blog - http://samolteni.blogspot.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/author.samol...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 13, 2015
"The thought of the sky falling seemed to be ludicrous at present and the least of her worries."
Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is another endearing book filled with short stories by S.A. Molteni. The author has a down home comforting writing style that allows the reader to connect even if they have never lived this lifestyle. She brings you in with an open heart and genuine passion. Reading her stories is a great escape and a heart warming adventure.
I loved all the stories in the collection but I did get an extra fuzzy feeling from 'The Best Christmas Eve Ever'. Heartwarming and shares some precious moments in this family's life. The author manages to remind us that it is the simple things in life that are the most sacred.
These unusual, sometimes funny and at other times emotional stories are told from some unexpected voices. They are smart and precise. Each piece moved me and also brought a smile to my face.
Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is another endearing book filled with short stories by S.A. Molteni. The author has a down home comforting writing style that allows the reader to connect even if they have never lived this lifestyle. She brings you in with an open heart and genuine passion. Reading her stories is a great escape and a heart warming adventure.
I loved all the stories in the collection but I did get an extra fuzzy feeling from 'The Best Christmas Eve Ever'. Heartwarming and shares some precious moments in this family's life. The author manages to remind us that it is the simple things in life that are the most sacred.
These unusual, sometimes funny and at other times emotional stories are told from some unexpected voices. They are smart and precise. Each piece moved me and also brought a smile to my face.
March 15, 2015
I'm a picky reader, and this is not my "usual" genre (fantasy buff here), but this book was awesome. I devoured it in about a half hour. It's actually a series of short stories all written either about animals or from the point of view of animals. In books like this, there is usually at least one story that just doesn't do it for me, but I like ALL of these ones. My favorite was probably the second. I laughed out loud in two places (Chicken Little going to therapy for survivor's guilt). There was just a dark but playful humor to it.
Story One was almost Richard Adams as it detailed the struggles of a family of hawks during the winter.
The story about the spoiled goat also made me chuckle.
And the Christmas Eve story was straight out of James Herriot.
I grew up on a small farm in Oregon so this resonated really well with me in spite of not being my usual fare. Lots of heart, humor, and the last one made me tear up a little
Easy five stars.
Story One was almost Richard Adams as it detailed the struggles of a family of hawks during the winter.
The story about the spoiled goat also made me chuckle.
And the Christmas Eve story was straight out of James Herriot.
I grew up on a small farm in Oregon so this resonated really well with me in spite of not being my usual fare. Lots of heart, humor, and the last one made me tear up a little
Easy five stars.
April 12, 2015
Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats by S.A. Molteni is a short book of short stories and essays based upon real life experiences on a hobby farm in Florida that the author shares with her spouse.
A delightful collection of tales, some from the point of view of the animals, that highlight the ups and downs of living on a hobby farm, this book could be three times longer and I’d still enjoy reading it. In fact, I think I’d like it even more if it was longer, because the stories are so well written and entertaining. The story of the aftermath of Chicken Little’s ‘sky is falling,’ episode, “Chicken Little in Therapy,” was my favorite. The opening story, ‘Surviving the Winter,’ had me fooled until the mid-point, when I realized that it was being told from the point of view of a Chicken Hawk, and even though it had a sad ending, I found myself chuckling wryly at parts. Others are nonfiction accounts of events that significantly affected the author, and she gets that impact across in her prose with great effect.
Molteni is a master story teller who conveys a sense of reality in her stories, even when the main character is an animal. After reading this book, you’ll find yourself wondering if maybe it wouldn’t be nice to have a little piece of the countryside to call your own – until you read the bonus story at the end, and realize that life in the country is not all bucolic scenery and laughs.
Kudos to the author for a fun read.
A delightful collection of tales, some from the point of view of the animals, that highlight the ups and downs of living on a hobby farm, this book could be three times longer and I’d still enjoy reading it. In fact, I think I’d like it even more if it was longer, because the stories are so well written and entertaining. The story of the aftermath of Chicken Little’s ‘sky is falling,’ episode, “Chicken Little in Therapy,” was my favorite. The opening story, ‘Surviving the Winter,’ had me fooled until the mid-point, when I realized that it was being told from the point of view of a Chicken Hawk, and even though it had a sad ending, I found myself chuckling wryly at parts. Others are nonfiction accounts of events that significantly affected the author, and she gets that impact across in her prose with great effect.
Molteni is a master story teller who conveys a sense of reality in her stories, even when the main character is an animal. After reading this book, you’ll find yourself wondering if maybe it wouldn’t be nice to have a little piece of the countryside to call your own – until you read the bonus story at the end, and realize that life in the country is not all bucolic scenery and laughs.
Kudos to the author for a fun read.
May 17, 2015
Farm Life Short Stories
The collection of short stories runs the gamut of farm life.
In Surviving the Winter, a little family's hand-to-mouth existence will make you cry. In Chicken Little in Therapy, the chicken goes to therapy to help her deal with her survivor's guilt. Sweet Pea, the Goat with an Attitude, could have used some therapy herself to help her with her "lonely goat syndrome". The Best Christmas Eve Ever lives up to its name.
S. A. Molteni's Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is a wonderful collection of short stories. Ms. Molteni's photographs add to the stories. The book also includes the great bonus short story, Her Name was Half Calf.
The collection of short stories runs the gamut of farm life.
In Surviving the Winter, a little family's hand-to-mouth existence will make you cry. In Chicken Little in Therapy, the chicken goes to therapy to help her deal with her survivor's guilt. Sweet Pea, the Goat with an Attitude, could have used some therapy herself to help her with her "lonely goat syndrome". The Best Christmas Eve Ever lives up to its name.
S. A. Molteni's Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is a wonderful collection of short stories. Ms. Molteni's photographs add to the stories. The book also includes the great bonus short story, Her Name was Half Calf.
January 24, 2015
This collections of short stories is written from the author's experience of living on a hobby farm. The stories are heartwarming and will move you, a few like Chicken Little in Therapy will have you cracking a smile and a laugh.
The book give you get a glimpse into the author's life on the farm and her bond with the animals, The Best Christmas Eve Ever and Her Name was Half Calf shows her love of the animals.
If you're looking for stories that are wonderfully written and will touch your heart, this book is for you.
The book give you get a glimpse into the author's life on the farm and her bond with the animals, The Best Christmas Eve Ever and Her Name was Half Calf shows her love of the animals.
If you're looking for stories that are wonderfully written and will touch your heart, this book is for you.
January 17, 2015
It takes a lot to live on a farm. Life isn’t easy, and there are always surprises. Some of these are good, some not so good.
S.A Molteni has written a lovely combination of stories, both fictional “Chicken Little in Therapy”) and non-fictional (“The Best Christmas Ever”). Each one of them is different, and all are very entertaining.
We are introduced to wild and domestic animals alike, some funny and some heart-breaking.
Ms. Molteni has a wonderful way with words, and her offerings here were a joy to read.
S.A Molteni has written a lovely combination of stories, both fictional “Chicken Little in Therapy”) and non-fictional (“The Best Christmas Ever”). Each one of them is different, and all are very entertaining.
We are introduced to wild and domestic animals alike, some funny and some heart-breaking.
Ms. Molteni has a wonderful way with words, and her offerings here were a joy to read.
March 15, 2015
Reading the stories in Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats, was like déjà vu back to the fables read in early childhood for their simple pace and straight-forward message. It helps to know these stories were drawn from the author's real experiences, slightly fictionalized, as snippets of 'lessons in farm life'. They sometimes made me smile, and a couple times made me sad. But they were always enjoyable, even when it was time to face some harsh reality. Farm life is real and things don't often go the way they do in fairy tales. But they're still worth the experience. So is this book.
February 20, 2015
I received this thru First Reads giveaways. I received it today, opened it up, started reading and finished quickly... under an hour I guess. It is only about forty pages, but the short stories are very good. The first couple are obviously fictional, with the stories being told from the animals on the author's farm, but the rest are true stories from the author's farm life. I was raised in the city, but from the time I was two until I was about seventeen, I spent every weekend on my grandparents' farm, and these stories really brought that time back to me. They were a joy to read.
January 25, 2015
In this book, I found a kindred spirit...
I lived on a small rundown farm for 15 years, and each story took me back to the bittersweet existence that comes from farming. These four short stories brought tears to my eyes as each one conjured up memories long hidden. The descriptions were expressive and soon I was transported to a hobby farm in Florida. This is definitely a good read (have a handkerchief handy)
I lived on a small rundown farm for 15 years, and each story took me back to the bittersweet existence that comes from farming. These four short stories brought tears to my eyes as each one conjured up memories long hidden. The descriptions were expressive and soon I was transported to a hobby farm in Florida. This is definitely a good read (have a handkerchief handy)
January 31, 2015
A nice little read from Sherry Molteni, who's developed an easy-to-read style that doesn't talk down to her readers; her narrative streams like someone telling a good story. Her poignant tales of farm life ring true to anyone who's lived in the country, and should resound with you cityfolk as well.
February 7, 2015
Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm was a most enjoyable read. The perspective that the author took in this collection of short stories was uniquely fascinating. An amusing read that will put a smile on your face while a tear is still slipping down your cheek.
February 25, 2015
This is a unique collection of stories about farm animals, each one very different from the others, and each of them thoughtful. I will never think of goats, chickens, and hawks the same way again. The last story is poignant and unforgettable.
March 18, 2015
An odd little collection of short stories about life on the farm, half of them from the perspective of the animals! A pleasant way to spend the time. Good if you like stories with talking animals or stories about life on the farm.
January 21, 2015
Wonderful
Cute short stories of living on a farm. I really enjoyed it as I grew up on a farm. I could relate to a few stories but also brought back a flooding own stories.
Cute short stories of living on a farm. I really enjoyed it as I grew up on a farm. I could relate to a few stories but also brought back a flooding own stories.
May 24, 2018
Farm Life Reality
A good and quick read for folks who love memoirs and animals. Be prepared for tears and smiles, fences and reality.
A good and quick read for folks who love memoirs and animals. Be prepared for tears and smiles, fences and reality.
August 25, 2015
If you follow my reviews, you know that I am reading a lot about farming, gardening, and the like. Most of it is instructional. And so I went into this book thinking I'm reading some how-to book with personality. But into the second 'chapter' I realize I am reading an anthology of stories of farm life. Actually, I remember now, that in the first 'chapter' I was reading how this family was nearly dying of starvation and they were choosing which young one to not feed. I was horrified! At the end of that story, I figured out it was about chicken hawks and chickens. Not people. Whew! Then I realized I had liked that story after all.
But after a rather realistic story there is one that is about Chicken Little. I nearly stopped reading as it seemed too childish after what I had just read. But I gave it a chance and saw it was very cleverly written story of real life on a farm from the eyes of one of the chickens that had nearly died.
I don't usually like short stories. As you may well know by now. But somehow, I got into this little book and enjoyed the author's take on farm life. I picked up this book for free, but it is only $.99 right now. I think it is worth it if you want something different to read. I was so impressed that I went ahead and picked up a couple more stories by S.A. Moteni.
I did learn something. You can call yourself a farm hobbyist. That's what I'm going to be! :-)
But after a rather realistic story there is one that is about Chicken Little. I nearly stopped reading as it seemed too childish after what I had just read. But I gave it a chance and saw it was very cleverly written story of real life on a farm from the eyes of one of the chickens that had nearly died.
I don't usually like short stories. As you may well know by now. But somehow, I got into this little book and enjoyed the author's take on farm life. I picked up this book for free, but it is only $.99 right now. I think it is worth it if you want something different to read. I was so impressed that I went ahead and picked up a couple more stories by S.A. Moteni.
I did learn something. You can call yourself a farm hobbyist. That's what I'm going to be! :-)
July 19, 2015
Hobby farmer
An interesting book about life with farm animals and how they cam to have this as a life. A parent dies and they are lucky enough to get a foreclosure farm. It is a lot of work on a farm and a lot of love.
An interesting book about life with farm animals and how they cam to have this as a life. A parent dies and they are lucky enough to get a foreclosure farm. It is a lot of work on a farm and a lot of love.
June 13, 2015
A well written collection of heartfelt stories, each keeping in mind the author's experiences. Some are sad, others funny, yet all spark emotions that are real and deep.
Worth a look.
Worth a look.
June 14, 2015
An adorable collection of farming essays. Each is expertly written, told from a different perspective, and a delight to read. I am looking forward to reading more from Molteni!
September 9, 2015
Just didn't see the point in this one. None of the stories grabbed me. Sorry
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews