What do you think?
Rate this book
The Farm
Book by Louis Bromfield
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
3 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
Louis Bromfield
208 books101 followersLouis Bromfield was an American author and conservationist who gained international recognition winning the Pulitzer Prize and pioneering innovative scientific farming concepts.
Bromfield studied agriculture at Cornell University from 1914 to 1916,[1] but transferred to Columbia University to study journalism. While at Columbia University, Louis Bromfield was initiated into the fraternal organization Phi Delta Theta. His time at Columbia would be short lived and he left after less than a year to go to war. After serving with the American Field Service in World War I and being awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor, he returned to New York City and found work as a reporter. In 1924, his first novel, The Green Bay Tree, won instant acclaim. He won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for best novel for Early Autumn. All of his 30 books were best-sellers, and many, such as The Rains Came and Mrs. Parkington, were made into successful motion pictures.
photograph by: Carl Van Vechten
Bromfield studied agriculture at Cornell University from 1914 to 1916,[1] but transferred to Columbia University to study journalism. While at Columbia University, Louis Bromfield was initiated into the fraternal organization Phi Delta Theta. His time at Columbia would be short lived and he left after less than a year to go to war. After serving with the American Field Service in World War I and being awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor, he returned to New York City and found work as a reporter. In 1924, his first novel, The Green Bay Tree, won instant acclaim. He won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for best novel for Early Autumn. All of his 30 books were best-sellers, and many, such as The Rains Came and Mrs. Parkington, were made into successful motion pictures.
photograph by: Carl Van Vechten
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 10, 2012
Johnny is of the last generation to live on The Farm, land owned and farmed by his family for over 100 years (about 1794, just after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, until about 1915, a year into WWI. A brief revisiting of the farm, twelve years later, extends the tale to the late 1920s). The story begins with him and his first memory of the farm, arriving in a horse-drawn sleigh in the winter, in his mother's lap. This very short lead-in is captivating, as the author describe the smallest details, from the odor of the old buffalo robe across their laps to the sound of the sleigh bells; from the moment the door opens and music pours out until he's warming in the Colonel's chair, a little terrified by all the adults, and "the grandmother" brings him a cookie.
If you're a jaded modern reader, you're probably going to expect the web Bromfield weaves to disappear immediately. That always happens in books, lots of pretty prose and evocative imagery to suck you in and then, bam, boring story that drags on forever without the least bit of eloquence. It doesn't happen here, I promise. In fact, the web merely draws you in further, instantly transitioning from Johnny to the Colonel, the ancestor whose chair Johnny occupies, and the farm as it was when that ancestor first set foot on it and began to build a family legacy that would both sustain and destroy their dreams. The quiet war that even the Colonel doesn't see looming is set up in the first pages, with the shopkeepers on one side and the farmers on the other. The war is conducted throughout the book, with never a shot fired or even a mean word said.
The book details the lives of the generations and their interactions with each other and the nearby Town, introducing characters ranging from stoic and hardworking to eccentric and isolated, just like almost any family in America. The Farm is home base to the family, a touchstone even for those that move far away, and serves as shelter in times of trouble or joyful gathering place for holidays and weddings, a place everyone returns to eventually. Until, that is, they don't anymore. The end isn't any more sudden than the Farm itself was sudden. The Farm took time to build and it took time to decay. It wasn't bulldozed and didn't vanish, it merely sank back into the earth from which the Colonel had pulled it, a slow and almost imperceptible death. The former Underground Railway stop becomes more of a burden than a blessing as industry crowds out farming, landowners lease farms to slovenly, uncaring tenants and, all around, young people leave their family farms, never to return. National and local politics play a part in the demise of the farms and rise of the towns and, eventually, the shopkeepers that the Colonel despised are the victors. In the end, it is Johnny who is left to determine that the dream of the Colonel is over.
I've been working on my genealogy for decades and love the idea of the family homestead, something that's disappearing from American life, where generations worth of treasured possessions, letters, photos and memories are available to each generation in turn. I was also raised by a father whose disdain for the crowded village that grew up right on top of the farmland he'd known all through his childhood was immeasurable. Reading this book gave me a strong and somewhat heartbreaking idea of the things my father felt he'd lost with the farms. For that reason alone, I love this book. I don't think I've ever read fiction that is more blatantly personal that The Farm. The author's life parallels Johnny's in many ways, and it's clear that he loved the Farm very much and probably regretted deeply the way things ended, and that they ended at all. Bromfield manages, throughout, to paint an extraordinarily eloquent picture and convinces you that you can smell the hay, hear the birds, feel the breeze. It's a book that's difficult to hurry through because there comes a moment when the reader simply knows how this is going to end and doesn't want it to.
There's also a very 2011 reason that you should read this book, especially if you have an interest in politics and/or history. It's amazing how little has changed in the last 140 years. Circa 1875: "Once he had been a Republican because he was an Abolitionist, but by nature and principle he had always been a Jeffersonian Democrat, and once he left the Republican Party for good and found himself allied with the part which professed to follow the teachings of Jefferson, he felt freer and more happy... the battle was no longer over Secession and Abolition, but a struggle between farmer and industrialist... he fought on the losing side... On the other side there was power, wealth, dishonor, corruption, tariffs, and all the instruments of great manufacturers and bankers, many of whom, in another time and in another country, would have been judged criminals. But in the 'nineties and the beginning of the twentieth century there was no one to judge them save a few conscientious men within the Republican Party and the mass of Americans belonging still to a dying tradition who saw political power slipping farther and farther from them... The opposition brought out its time-worn weapons and denounced all Grangers as 'enemies of society' and above all else of PROSPERITY. At that time they had not yet the words 'Red' and 'Bolshevist' to cast about carelessly in the direction of anyone who threatened the strongholds of money and privilege... In some of the Western states which were purely agricultural the Grange did succeed in passing laws establishing railroad rates, and the cry went up from the big men of the New Era that this was Socialism, which was the worst word they could think of at that time." Apparently they STILL can't think of a worse word, 136 years later. It's fascinating to discover how little progress America has made, in some ways.
One last word, not quite negative, more of a caution. Bromfield disparages entire groups based on their nationalities in the book. This might offend some of those people of those nationalities. I did a kind of double take, myself, when he assaulted Bohemians, so it's something I can understand. I think it's important to keep in mind the times in which he was writing and maybe more important to remember that we're not much different in that way, either, with discrimination against blacks, Hispanic groups and anyone who "looks" Muslim running rampant these days. It's an ugly mirror, sometimes, but you can spend five seconds in someone else's shoes. It's a stunningly well-written stroll down a memory lane that is more the nation's than an individual's and it's very well worth reading. Slowly.
- AnnaLovesBooks
If you're a jaded modern reader, you're probably going to expect the web Bromfield weaves to disappear immediately. That always happens in books, lots of pretty prose and evocative imagery to suck you in and then, bam, boring story that drags on forever without the least bit of eloquence. It doesn't happen here, I promise. In fact, the web merely draws you in further, instantly transitioning from Johnny to the Colonel, the ancestor whose chair Johnny occupies, and the farm as it was when that ancestor first set foot on it and began to build a family legacy that would both sustain and destroy their dreams. The quiet war that even the Colonel doesn't see looming is set up in the first pages, with the shopkeepers on one side and the farmers on the other. The war is conducted throughout the book, with never a shot fired or even a mean word said.
The book details the lives of the generations and their interactions with each other and the nearby Town, introducing characters ranging from stoic and hardworking to eccentric and isolated, just like almost any family in America. The Farm is home base to the family, a touchstone even for those that move far away, and serves as shelter in times of trouble or joyful gathering place for holidays and weddings, a place everyone returns to eventually. Until, that is, they don't anymore. The end isn't any more sudden than the Farm itself was sudden. The Farm took time to build and it took time to decay. It wasn't bulldozed and didn't vanish, it merely sank back into the earth from which the Colonel had pulled it, a slow and almost imperceptible death. The former Underground Railway stop becomes more of a burden than a blessing as industry crowds out farming, landowners lease farms to slovenly, uncaring tenants and, all around, young people leave their family farms, never to return. National and local politics play a part in the demise of the farms and rise of the towns and, eventually, the shopkeepers that the Colonel despised are the victors. In the end, it is Johnny who is left to determine that the dream of the Colonel is over.
I've been working on my genealogy for decades and love the idea of the family homestead, something that's disappearing from American life, where generations worth of treasured possessions, letters, photos and memories are available to each generation in turn. I was also raised by a father whose disdain for the crowded village that grew up right on top of the farmland he'd known all through his childhood was immeasurable. Reading this book gave me a strong and somewhat heartbreaking idea of the things my father felt he'd lost with the farms. For that reason alone, I love this book. I don't think I've ever read fiction that is more blatantly personal that The Farm. The author's life parallels Johnny's in many ways, and it's clear that he loved the Farm very much and probably regretted deeply the way things ended, and that they ended at all. Bromfield manages, throughout, to paint an extraordinarily eloquent picture and convinces you that you can smell the hay, hear the birds, feel the breeze. It's a book that's difficult to hurry through because there comes a moment when the reader simply knows how this is going to end and doesn't want it to.
There's also a very 2011 reason that you should read this book, especially if you have an interest in politics and/or history. It's amazing how little has changed in the last 140 years. Circa 1875: "Once he had been a Republican because he was an Abolitionist, but by nature and principle he had always been a Jeffersonian Democrat, and once he left the Republican Party for good and found himself allied with the part which professed to follow the teachings of Jefferson, he felt freer and more happy... the battle was no longer over Secession and Abolition, but a struggle between farmer and industrialist... he fought on the losing side... On the other side there was power, wealth, dishonor, corruption, tariffs, and all the instruments of great manufacturers and bankers, many of whom, in another time and in another country, would have been judged criminals. But in the 'nineties and the beginning of the twentieth century there was no one to judge them save a few conscientious men within the Republican Party and the mass of Americans belonging still to a dying tradition who saw political power slipping farther and farther from them... The opposition brought out its time-worn weapons and denounced all Grangers as 'enemies of society' and above all else of PROSPERITY. At that time they had not yet the words 'Red' and 'Bolshevist' to cast about carelessly in the direction of anyone who threatened the strongholds of money and privilege... In some of the Western states which were purely agricultural the Grange did succeed in passing laws establishing railroad rates, and the cry went up from the big men of the New Era that this was Socialism, which was the worst word they could think of at that time." Apparently they STILL can't think of a worse word, 136 years later. It's fascinating to discover how little progress America has made, in some ways.
One last word, not quite negative, more of a caution. Bromfield disparages entire groups based on their nationalities in the book. This might offend some of those people of those nationalities. I did a kind of double take, myself, when he assaulted Bohemians, so it's something I can understand. I think it's important to keep in mind the times in which he was writing and maybe more important to remember that we're not much different in that way, either, with discrimination against blacks, Hispanic groups and anyone who "looks" Muslim running rampant these days. It's an ugly mirror, sometimes, but you can spend five seconds in someone else's shoes. It's a stunningly well-written stroll down a memory lane that is more the nation's than an individual's and it's very well worth reading. Slowly.
- AnnaLovesBooks
June 2, 2013
Louis Bromfield’s books were all best sellers in their time and some were made into movies. His story is a great one. He was one of the few writers to enjoy success in his lifetime. He was a writer, but grew up on a farm and loved farming. He was one of the first people to ban the use of pesticides on his farm and go organic. He brought science and technology to his farm.
While this book is a work of fiction it is based on his experiences and real life on the farm. I found this book to be a wonderful nostalgic look at life on the farm. My father grew up on a farm and I found that it reminded me a lot of my paternal grandparents and their lives on the farm. Louis Bromfield wrote this book to preserve the past for his daughters. He realized that farm life as he knew it was changing.
In the 1800s and 1900s the goal of farming was to have a self-sufficient farm. A successful farm raised all the crops and livestock needed to feed the family. They raised cows and chickens. They grew all sorts of vegetables and berries. They had a smoke house, a sugar house and a fruit house. They made their own butter. The horses were work horses for pulling the wagons and buggies. Then gradually things begin to change with the introduction of tractors and trains and mechanization. Science and technology changed many aspects of farming. A way of life was lost.
This book preserves the past. It is like a time warp back to the simpler days of farm life when things did not move so fast. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
While this book is a work of fiction it is based on his experiences and real life on the farm. I found this book to be a wonderful nostalgic look at life on the farm. My father grew up on a farm and I found that it reminded me a lot of my paternal grandparents and their lives on the farm. Louis Bromfield wrote this book to preserve the past for his daughters. He realized that farm life as he knew it was changing.
In the 1800s and 1900s the goal of farming was to have a self-sufficient farm. A successful farm raised all the crops and livestock needed to feed the family. They raised cows and chickens. They grew all sorts of vegetables and berries. They had a smoke house, a sugar house and a fruit house. They made their own butter. The horses were work horses for pulling the wagons and buggies. Then gradually things begin to change with the introduction of tractors and trains and mechanization. Science and technology changed many aspects of farming. A way of life was lost.
This book preserves the past. It is like a time warp back to the simpler days of farm life when things did not move so fast. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
January 13, 2016
I am completely befuddled about why this book isn't up there with Grapes of Wrath or Gone With the Wind in the American psyche. It is a wonderful time capsule of a life past but still remembered by many, if not directly, then via the tales of our parents and grandparents.
The writing is good but, obviously, old-fashioned which involves more on the part of the reader but it provides such a clear picture of the time, place, and the people that it's worth the effort.
While focusing on white European immigrants and that experience over several generations in America, there is mention (albeit minor and seen via the European lens) of Native American, African-American, and later immigrant experiences. Bromfield's purpose appears to be to provide as complete a picture as he was capable of.
I was also surprised at the amount of frank discussion regarding "relations." Again - it is certainly not a focus of the book, but the fact that it is addressed at all makes it outstanding in the novel.
I had a special affinity for the book because of its agrarian nature - the pride these families had in their ability to produce for themselves from a land they loved and the subsequent leaving it all behind within a couple of generations as the Industrial Revolution took hold.
My edition had some lovely woodcuts in it, too, that made a nice addition to the story.
The writing is good but, obviously, old-fashioned which involves more on the part of the reader but it provides such a clear picture of the time, place, and the people that it's worth the effort.
While focusing on white European immigrants and that experience over several generations in America, there is mention (albeit minor and seen via the European lens) of Native American, African-American, and later immigrant experiences. Bromfield's purpose appears to be to provide as complete a picture as he was capable of.
I was also surprised at the amount of frank discussion regarding "relations." Again - it is certainly not a focus of the book, but the fact that it is addressed at all makes it outstanding in the novel.
I had a special affinity for the book because of its agrarian nature - the pride these families had in their ability to produce for themselves from a land they loved and the subsequent leaving it all behind within a couple of generations as the Industrial Revolution took hold.
My edition had some lovely woodcuts in it, too, that made a nice addition to the story.
August 4, 2016
The Farm by Louis Bromfield is a work of historical fiction written in 1933. It draws on the authors own farming experiences and details the life of a family farm from the late 1700s to the early 1900s.
There's quite a few enthralling parts to the book, but between these there are many highly detailed, rather dull parts. Perhaps they would be of more interest to an American from New England, however being an Australian it simply wasn't relevant to this reader.
Overall, it's a slow paced but reasonable book if you can tolerate the above mentioned parts. It touches on the large historical events throughout the time period and how they effect life on the farm.
The ending however is horribly depressing, yes good things usually come to an end but it's the depth and sheer intricacy the author goes into on the downward spiral that really gets to you (especially as a farm owner). Then if the message hadn't gotten through to the reader the story skips ahead to 1920 when the main character returns to find even more depressing news.
There's quite a few enthralling parts to the book, but between these there are many highly detailed, rather dull parts. Perhaps they would be of more interest to an American from New England, however being an Australian it simply wasn't relevant to this reader.
Overall, it's a slow paced but reasonable book if you can tolerate the above mentioned parts. It touches on the large historical events throughout the time period and how they effect life on the farm.
The ending however is horribly depressing, yes good things usually come to an end but it's the depth and sheer intricacy the author goes into on the downward spiral that really gets to you (especially as a farm owner). Then if the message hadn't gotten through to the reader the story skips ahead to 1920 when the main character returns to find even more depressing news.
June 14, 2020
What an interesting saga!! My book is very yellowed, as it was a war issue for the troops. Have no idea how I have it. Years ago, we visited Malabar Farm in Ohio. I was enamored with Louis Bromfield`s farming theories, so read several of his books soon after. Recently, to my surprise a new biography has been published so many years after his remarkable life. Checking my library, I found my old collection with this one his very first. No plot---story of a family from the earliest days of our country. At the last few pages, I realized it ws HIS family history. Loved it!!
August 20, 2009
Took me many times to get through this book. Some good nuggets but far too few and far between. It did describe the Farm very descriptively. One more book done from my 8th grade reading list though!!
May 8, 2022
Malabar Farm is located fairly close to where I live, and it's an interesting place. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married there. On a recent field trip to see how they make maple syrup there, I asked one of the docents if there was a book by Bromfield that they would recommend. They told me "The Farm" is semi-autobiographical and probably comes closest to the history of Malabar.
The story opens in the late 1700's/early 1800's and progresses to about the time of the end of WWI. There is hardly any dialogue because it's mostly narrative. It was definitely an interesting view on how Bromfield sees the development of America. It was somewhat of a political commentary, which held the development of characters and the story in check. I was probably more interested in the story. All in all, it was worth a read.
The story opens in the late 1700's/early 1800's and progresses to about the time of the end of WWI. There is hardly any dialogue because it's mostly narrative. It was definitely an interesting view on how Bromfield sees the development of America. It was somewhat of a political commentary, which held the development of characters and the story in check. I was probably more interested in the story. All in all, it was worth a read.
April 29, 2023
An agrarian view of the American lens, spanning from the late 18th century to early 20th century. A wide sweeping chronicles of a piece of land, and the inhabitants that populate it. At the center is Johnny, also thought to be a stand-in for the author. Through its specificity, the story echoes the changes to agriculture and climate happening today.
June 24, 2017
Quaint, but not strongly attractive as a read.
December 26, 2016
Entrancing, if deeply conservative, depiction of life in Ohio from settlement through the First World War. Though not explicitly a memoir/family history, certainly reads like one. Some echoes of incidents and characters discussed here in other works, particularly A Good Woman.
January 22, 2014
One of the two best novels I've ever read that were set in Ohio, the other being Dawn Powell's "My Home Is Far Away" (1944). Bromfield knew that part of rural Ohio much as I did earlier in my life. I was fortunate to have spent a great deal of time with relatives who lived in that same area.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews