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Farm Girl: A Wisconsin Memoir
When Bunny Coburn was growing up, neighbors came together in times of hardship. No matter the trouble, they faced it with determination, camaraderie, and resourcefulness. In the midst of the Great Depression, despite record-breaking heat and crop failure, growing up on the family farm was nevertheless filled with bucolic pleasures.
Farm Girl is Beuna "Bunny" Coburn Carlson's loving tribute to the gently rolling hills of western Wisconsin. With an inviting and fluid voice, she shares intimate moments of happinesses from her collecting butternuts for homemade maple candy, watching her father read by the flickering light of a kerosene lamp, and the joy of finding a juicy orange at the bottom of a Christmas stocking. Underlying each vignette is the courage of a strong family surviving adversity and finding comfort in one another. Hers is a memoir that readers can dip in and out of with pleasure.
Farm Girl is Beuna "Bunny" Coburn Carlson's loving tribute to the gently rolling hills of western Wisconsin. With an inviting and fluid voice, she shares intimate moments of happinesses from her collecting butternuts for homemade maple candy, watching her father read by the flickering light of a kerosene lamp, and the joy of finding a juicy orange at the bottom of a Christmas stocking. Underlying each vignette is the courage of a strong family surviving adversity and finding comfort in one another. Hers is a memoir that readers can dip in and out of with pleasure.
216 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 4, 2020
This charming book is divided into sections, which feel like separate visits with a cherished family member. A family member reminiscing about a time long gone. Beuna Coburn Carlson somehow compiled her childhood observations of how the family, the farm, and community clicked along during the oppressive time of the Great Depression, into a curious read.
It is interesting, how families got along during the Depression and learn a little history of a small Wisconsin town not so far away.
A favorite quote pulled from the book was: “Having no money did not mean there was no beauty in our lives.” What a positive outlook coming from those dark years of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
Another quote I reflected on: “Electricity was a blessing, but the memory of that dark, star-filled night is also a blessing to be cherished.”
By her words I can see that her character was strengthened and appreciation for the simple things grew, as they met all these challenges and got a little help along the way.
I would give this book 4 stars.
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It is interesting, how families got along during the Depression and learn a little history of a small Wisconsin town not so far away.
A favorite quote pulled from the book was: “Having no money did not mean there was no beauty in our lives.” What a positive outlook coming from those dark years of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
Another quote I reflected on: “Electricity was a blessing, but the memory of that dark, star-filled night is also a blessing to be cherished.”
By her words I can see that her character was strengthened and appreciation for the simple things grew, as they met all these challenges and got a little help along the way.
I would give this book 4 stars.
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November 15, 2020
This was the perfect post-election book to read! It will take you back to a time, mostly the 1930s, when people worked hard just to survive the Depression. The author, in her early 90s as she is writing this and still as sharp as ever today, tells her story of what it was like living in Western Wisconsin on a farm when she was just a young girl.
There were plenty of hard times - people, adults and children - worked from sun-up to sunset. They tended the livestock, the fields, their gardens, and their homes, and in spite of their hard work, they enjoyed a simpler life of close family. Carlson narrates a tale that is engaging and peaceful. But perhaps I enjoyed this book so much is that it gave me a glimpse into what life must have been like for my father and his parents who lived on a farm sometime up until the early 30s. Their farm, in fact, was about 40 miles north of where this story takes place.
Five stars and a special thank you to this author for sharing her beautiful memories of farm life and family.
There were plenty of hard times - people, adults and children - worked from sun-up to sunset. They tended the livestock, the fields, their gardens, and their homes, and in spite of their hard work, they enjoyed a simpler life of close family. Carlson narrates a tale that is engaging and peaceful. But perhaps I enjoyed this book so much is that it gave me a glimpse into what life must have been like for my father and his parents who lived on a farm sometime up until the early 30s. Their farm, in fact, was about 40 miles north of where this story takes place.
Five stars and a special thank you to this author for sharing her beautiful memories of farm life and family.
June 29, 2020
This is an absolutely delightful book. She has shared the treasure of her life growing up in the 1920’s-30’s on the farm in Wisconsin. Her observations are from the eyes of a child who is processing them as an old woman. Her descriptions are full of life and her appreciation really comes through with every story. I especially loved the different seasons and how she takes the reader through them with snippets of daily life.
September 7, 2020
Hard to believe that this is how some people lived 80 years ago. Farm life and family live in the depression. What a joy to remember your parents with so much love and tenderness. Little chapters about various jobs, weather and animals on the farm. There was some concern at school about being a farm kid versus a city kid. Beautiful to have this documented for us all.
September 24, 2024
"Why have I recorded my memories, I, an elderly woman, known to friends and family, but unknown and unimportant to the rest of the world? Why should anyone read these stories of a time of great hardship in America? And why, in these times of relative prosperity, should anyone care about people who lived so differently nearly one hundred years ago?"
These questions are addressed in the rest of her preface, but I think the answers are self-evident: because everyone has a story, or at the very least a collection of memorable anecdotes, and the fact that this woman published such beautiful recollections of her childhood at the age of 94 is nothing short of wonderful.
She's an excellent writer, too; there's none of the awkward cadence or self-conscious style typically seen in beginning writers, the way it would probably look if I tried to write something like this. Crisp nature details stand out in capturing the beauty of the farm and landscape, and the sketches of her family members, particularly her parents, are so well drawn I feel like I know them.
(She does frequently repeat details between chapters, sometimes almost verbatim, but I think that may be on purpose so that chapters can be read at random or over a long period of time without losing the momentum of the story; each chapter is a fairly self-contained essay.)
I love the way she describes how labor-intensive many farm and household chores were, taking them from interesting products of research displayed in historical fiction, to a living part of someone's life. My grandparents on my mother's side, and my grandfather's parents, were also Midwestern farmers, and though long gone, my grandparents were pretty much her contemporaries. How lucky in particular for her grandchildren, and other descendants, to have such a personal record. And perhaps some artifacts as well -- a number of times she mentions furniture, household or personal items that she or a relative still has.
Finally, I appreciate that she acknowledges she has mostly focused on positive memories, and that perhaps she is biased to remember the good more strongly than the bad, but still concludes that it's because her childhood was more happy than not, and she credits the strength of her parents working extremely hard throughout the Depression to give them that despite very little money. The warmth and love within this family is evident on every page. You can really see just from these stories, too, why this generation was known for maintaining careful "waste not, want not" habits throughout their lives.
Oh, and there are about 10 pages of photos in the middle, depicting mostly people but also a few places including a 1950s aerial shot of the farm, which was a pleasant surprise.
Really, I'm hard-pressed to find anything I don't like about this one (other than the wish-I-hadn't-read-it story of her apparently one and only pet dog . I want to hear even more about her life; one epilogue chapter quickly summarizing her life after age 17 only piqued my curiosity.
So while it didn't give me the thrilling, heart-bursting-with-rainbows feeling I look for in 5 stars, it's a solid 4.5 so that could change, and in the meantime I will be recommending it to everyone I know. Perhaps particularly to people familiar with the area (west-central Wisconsin, near Lake Pepin) and those with similar family history.
These questions are addressed in the rest of her preface, but I think the answers are self-evident: because everyone has a story, or at the very least a collection of memorable anecdotes, and the fact that this woman published such beautiful recollections of her childhood at the age of 94 is nothing short of wonderful.
She's an excellent writer, too; there's none of the awkward cadence or self-conscious style typically seen in beginning writers, the way it would probably look if I tried to write something like this. Crisp nature details stand out in capturing the beauty of the farm and landscape, and the sketches of her family members, particularly her parents, are so well drawn I feel like I know them.
(She does frequently repeat details between chapters, sometimes almost verbatim, but I think that may be on purpose so that chapters can be read at random or over a long period of time without losing the momentum of the story; each chapter is a fairly self-contained essay.)
I love the way she describes how labor-intensive many farm and household chores were, taking them from interesting products of research displayed in historical fiction, to a living part of someone's life. My grandparents on my mother's side, and my grandfather's parents, were also Midwestern farmers, and though long gone, my grandparents were pretty much her contemporaries. How lucky in particular for her grandchildren, and other descendants, to have such a personal record. And perhaps some artifacts as well -- a number of times she mentions furniture, household or personal items that she or a relative still has.
Finally, I appreciate that she acknowledges she has mostly focused on positive memories, and that perhaps she is biased to remember the good more strongly than the bad, but still concludes that it's because her childhood was more happy than not, and she credits the strength of her parents working extremely hard throughout the Depression to give them that despite very little money. The warmth and love within this family is evident on every page. You can really see just from these stories, too, why this generation was known for maintaining careful "waste not, want not" habits throughout their lives.
Oh, and there are about 10 pages of photos in the middle, depicting mostly people but also a few places including a 1950s aerial shot of the farm, which was a pleasant surprise.
Really, I'm hard-pressed to find anything I don't like about this one (other than the wish-I-hadn't-read-it story of her apparently one and only pet dog . I want to hear even more about her life; one epilogue chapter quickly summarizing her life after age 17 only piqued my curiosity.
So while it didn't give me the thrilling, heart-bursting-with-rainbows feeling I look for in 5 stars, it's a solid 4.5 so that could change, and in the meantime I will be recommending it to everyone I know. Perhaps particularly to people familiar with the area (west-central Wisconsin, near Lake Pepin) and those with similar family history.
July 29, 2025
always a sucker for farm memoirs
November 15, 2023
Farm Girl: A Wisconsin Memoir - Beuna Carlson
Farm Girl depicts growing up on a family farm in chilly Wisconsin during the 1930’s, including the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Mrs. Carlson describes everyday life through specific events, topics, and people by using chapter names such as ‘Harvest,’ ‘The Coburn Kids,’ ‘The Milking,’ ‘Washday,’ ‘The Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940,’ ‘The Leek Party,’ and ‘The Mystery of Charlie Stone.’ Each chapter is short but includes great detailed descriptions that help the reader experience what her life was truly like on the farm. While musing on this book, I realized that the writing was grammatically impeccable - maybe this is reflective of the relative simplicity of education during those years. Maybe… just maybe… kids don’t need an iPad to learn how to write with clarity and attention to the mechanics of Standard English.
Because of the arrangement of chapters, there is some repetition because topics overlap each other occasionally, but that doesn’t distract from the enjoyment this book brings. It is not a maudlin lecture about how hard life was: indeed, it is a testament to how a positive attitude can be the basis for happiness, no matter the circumstances.
Buena Carlson was 94 when she published her memoir. This fact alone should be encouraging to others who are interested in becoming writers but might be discouraged because of their chronological place in life. Just do it!
Farm Girl depicts growing up on a family farm in chilly Wisconsin during the 1930’s, including the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Mrs. Carlson describes everyday life through specific events, topics, and people by using chapter names such as ‘Harvest,’ ‘The Coburn Kids,’ ‘The Milking,’ ‘Washday,’ ‘The Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940,’ ‘The Leek Party,’ and ‘The Mystery of Charlie Stone.’ Each chapter is short but includes great detailed descriptions that help the reader experience what her life was truly like on the farm. While musing on this book, I realized that the writing was grammatically impeccable - maybe this is reflective of the relative simplicity of education during those years. Maybe… just maybe… kids don’t need an iPad to learn how to write with clarity and attention to the mechanics of Standard English.
Because of the arrangement of chapters, there is some repetition because topics overlap each other occasionally, but that doesn’t distract from the enjoyment this book brings. It is not a maudlin lecture about how hard life was: indeed, it is a testament to how a positive attitude can be the basis for happiness, no matter the circumstances.
Buena Carlson was 94 when she published her memoir. This fact alone should be encouraging to others who are interested in becoming writers but might be discouraged because of their chronological place in life. Just do it!
April 30, 2026
3.25 stars
If you want to read a book about life for a young girl growing up in a family of 6 during The Depression, this is a really good one to pick up! Beuna gives a good depiction of her life in Wisconsin specifically in the same area where the Little House books took place of Plum Creek/Pepin (it actually felt a little bit like reading a newer Little House on the Prairie book). It was really interesting to learn how this family was happy and never felt poor even though technically they were. They had a really good family structure with loving parents. I liked learning how they lived, farmed, and had time together with those in their families. Some of the stories were a bit sad, but most of them had a cheery side to them. The chapters were really short, and sometimes I would have enjoyed them being a little bit longer.
There are also a few pictures included in this of Beuna's family that were really beautiful!
content: one use of God's name in vain, the small a word (and parents telling the child to not say it), one of the siblings did not survive past 12 and it was heartbreaking reading that little bit near the beginning of the book (I would have liked to have learned more about this too, as it was pretty brief), a blizzard and dust bowl was mentioned where some people died
If you want to read a book about life for a young girl growing up in a family of 6 during The Depression, this is a really good one to pick up! Beuna gives a good depiction of her life in Wisconsin specifically in the same area where the Little House books took place of Plum Creek/Pepin (it actually felt a little bit like reading a newer Little House on the Prairie book). It was really interesting to learn how this family was happy and never felt poor even though technically they were. They had a really good family structure with loving parents. I liked learning how they lived, farmed, and had time together with those in their families. Some of the stories were a bit sad, but most of them had a cheery side to them. The chapters were really short, and sometimes I would have enjoyed them being a little bit longer.
There are also a few pictures included in this of Beuna's family that were really beautiful!
content: one use of God's name in vain, the small a word (and parents telling the child to not say it), one of the siblings did not survive past 12 and it was heartbreaking reading that little bit near the beginning of the book (I would have liked to have learned more about this too, as it was pretty brief), a blizzard and dust bowl was mentioned where some people died
February 2, 2023
Short chapters about growing up on a Northwestern Wisconsin dairy farm during the Depression years. Very readable, and I feel like it really gives an accurate portrayal of those years and place as seen from a child's perspective. It seems very much a collection of newspaper or magazine articles that have been collected into book form. Sometimes this means the author repeats herself several times. We hear over and over again how times were hard during the Depression years. There are also hints of family drama (her mother had an abusive father and left home at 18 to never see her parents again, a brother of the author died young, etc.), but we never really hear the whole story. It's much more about the walk to school in below zero temps. Or how the family collected butternuts from the special tree. Or what it felt like to be the first to see the new Sears Roebuck catalog. They are good stories, but it could have been a lot more. Still a quick, easy read about rural America in the 1930's.
August 28, 2020
This book was a joy to read. I felt as though I was sitting in front of a fireplace as Beuna Coburn Corlson told me about her childhood in Wisconsin. Describing her early life from the 1930's-40's sounds so distant and unbelievable compared to the current rural Wisconsin. The only thing that didn't seem to change were the incredibly hot summers and frigid winters! (At least I didn't have to walk to primary school in the snow up the hill in negative Fahrenheit snowy days!)
At just over 200 pages, each chapter goes through small 1-3 page snippets of life on a farm in 1930's Wisconsin. I finished it in just a few hours.
This is someone's personal history recorded for us. Despite living almost my whole life in Wisconsin, I have not had the fortune of reading that many books about the history and life of people in this state. So, what a treat this was!
At just over 200 pages, each chapter goes through small 1-3 page snippets of life on a farm in 1930's Wisconsin. I finished it in just a few hours.
This is someone's personal history recorded for us. Despite living almost my whole life in Wisconsin, I have not had the fortune of reading that many books about the history and life of people in this state. So, what a treat this was!
August 2, 2024
This memoir about Wisconsin farm life in the 1930s reminds me of the Little House book series.
1. The farm in this book is near Lake Pepin and The Big Woods referenced in Laura Ingalls Wilder's first book title. Many decades separate Wilder (born 1867) and Beuna Carlson (born 1920s), but the approach to describing every day life is very similar. Harvesting maple sap and making syrup/candy, walking to school, blizzards... there are more farming machines and a telephone to ease the work a bit.
2. Carlson's memoir also shares the kind of upbeat tone and American obsession with minimizing tragedy and privation for the glorification of hard work. The majority of this book focuses on the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Seeing beauty and appreciating your "blessings" can be good for morale. But there is a kind of worship here of that American myth of the poor are happy to get by by making do.
I liked the subjects of most of the book's many short vignettes. Buena includes extended family, details about farm chores and the house. But other (often sad) details are minimized. Her younger brother died when he was twelve. The family is devastated, but the details are vague and the book quickly moves on.
Interesting book but in some ways lacking depth. My selection for one of the "Reader's Choice" titles in the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge.
1. The farm in this book is near Lake Pepin and The Big Woods referenced in Laura Ingalls Wilder's first book title. Many decades separate Wilder (born 1867) and Beuna Carlson (born 1920s), but the approach to describing every day life is very similar. Harvesting maple sap and making syrup/candy, walking to school, blizzards... there are more farming machines and a telephone to ease the work a bit.
2. Carlson's memoir also shares the kind of upbeat tone and American obsession with minimizing tragedy and privation for the glorification of hard work. The majority of this book focuses on the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Seeing beauty and appreciating your "blessings" can be good for morale. But there is a kind of worship here of that American myth of the poor are happy to get by by making do.
I liked the subjects of most of the book's many short vignettes. Buena includes extended family, details about farm chores and the house. But other (often sad) details are minimized. Her younger brother died when he was twelve. The family is devastated, but the details are vague and the book quickly moves on.
Interesting book but in some ways lacking depth. My selection for one of the "Reader's Choice" titles in the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge.
April 9, 2021
The NYT called this spare and charming and I agree. Beuna "Bunny" Carlson writes a series of short essays loosely collected into sections on growing up and the seasons on the farm. Some of the details are repeated across various essays such as the way her mother would crochet borders on feed sacks she made into tablecloths. Her family farmed through the Depression and faced much adversity, but the author says she never felt poor. Despite the hard work the farm required, she loved living on the farm and always felt part of her family and the larger community.
It was a very positive and dreamy account of living on the farm which skimmed over anything sad such as her brother's death at age 12 (mentioned exactly once).
It was a very positive and dreamy account of living on the farm which skimmed over anything sad such as her brother's death at age 12 (mentioned exactly once).
February 26, 2021
Farm. The family of Beuna (author), Neva, Burr, Add and their parents Marie and John Coburn on a farm near Plum City Wisconsin from the author's birth in 1926 until her graduation from high school in 1943. A first hand account of what life was like for a family in the 1930s which included the Great Depression and the extreme drought. As a farm girl myself growing up in the 50s rather than the 30s there was a lot of similarities in our lives on the farm so therefore this was an entirely awesome book for me to read and to remember my own life on the farm with my parents and my brothers and sisters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2020
Humbling story
I enjoy stories from the time period of The Great Depression but never have I read a book told by someone who lived it. I am humbled by Mrs. Carlson's telling of her story and I wish I knew her personally so I could hear her voice as she shares her experiences in high hopes of her remembering something not written in the book. This is certainly one of the best books I've read this year. I would never tire of hearing her talk about her life, he truly wonderful life, on that little farm in central Wisconsin. Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Carlson. You are a gem.
I enjoy stories from the time period of The Great Depression but never have I read a book told by someone who lived it. I am humbled by Mrs. Carlson's telling of her story and I wish I knew her personally so I could hear her voice as she shares her experiences in high hopes of her remembering something not written in the book. This is certainly one of the best books I've read this year. I would never tire of hearing her talk about her life, he truly wonderful life, on that little farm in central Wisconsin. Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Carlson. You are a gem.
January 21, 2022
“We didn’t have money but we weren’t poor.” “we did the best we could with what we had.” “We ate what was placed before us”
I usually do not gravitate towards non-fiction but this memoir came highly recommended. While there were a few stories I had hoped the author would elaborate, I thought it was written like I was was sitting at her kitchen table as she recalled her life as a child growing up on the farm. It also brought a few memories of my grandma’s farm and our visits. I would recommend the read.
I usually do not gravitate towards non-fiction but this memoir came highly recommended. While there were a few stories I had hoped the author would elaborate, I thought it was written like I was was sitting at her kitchen table as she recalled her life as a child growing up on the farm. It also brought a few memories of my grandma’s farm and our visits. I would recommend the read.
March 14, 2024
I loved this book because it reminded me of my grandma, who was a Wisconsin farm girl of the same era. It was like sitting down and having little chats as she recalled the different processes and details of the farm. There is a lot of overlap in the vignettes, which I found annoying at first, but then became endearing. (I.e. repeated mentions of her mother’s jam, the large white pine in their yard, their inability to afford to use their car and it being “up on blocks in the garage,” etc.)
January 7, 2021
Family Farm Life in the 20’s and 30’s
I thoroughly enjoyed Carlson’s story of growing up on a small farm near Plum City, WI. It is sweet, charming, and nostalgic. Carlson has a gift with words. I am awed that she is writing this in her mid-90’s. In some ways, it reminds me of a “Little House” book. A relatively quick, heart-warming read.
I thoroughly enjoyed Carlson’s story of growing up on a small farm near Plum City, WI. It is sweet, charming, and nostalgic. Carlson has a gift with words. I am awed that she is writing this in her mid-90’s. In some ways, it reminds me of a “Little House” book. A relatively quick, heart-warming read.
April 22, 2021
What a wonderful book!!! So many things that I have heard from my dad about growing up in very small farm town...he worked at times in a harness shop. And all the stories I heard about growing up during the Depression (dad was in the CCCs) and WWII....this was like listening to my great aunts and my grandparents!
October 18, 2020
This book reminded me so much of my amazing grandmother and her stories of growing up that I sent her a copy and we read it together. Beautifully written and according to my grandmother a very accurate telling of what farm life was like at that time. What a treasure for her family to have.
February 21, 2021
Does anyone know this author? I loved this book and would love to talk to her!
March 29, 2021
Simply adorable. Thank you for taking me to a beautiful time and place.
November 20, 2021
Exactly what I needed to read in this troubled world today. We think we have it hard... wow -- Delightful vignettes from her life on the farm.
September 6, 2022
A beautiful simple memoir from a generation past. Easy for any age to read about how people lived in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s on midwestern farms.
February 22, 2023
Such a great story! I loved this book and enjoyed every chapter. The only thing I would have liked better is more!
Owned
Owned
April 12, 2023
Simple, endearing prose about life and an approach to life that is sadly so long ago and far away
July 16, 2023
This book was so cozy and it made me wish I could raise my children on a farm. The chapters were short and sweet. I felt like I knew her parents by the end.
August 14, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. The vignettes of growing up on a Wisconsin farm during the depression were so eloquent that I actually felt like I was back in my home state when I read it.
November 10, 2024
2 3/4 maybe...
November 26, 2024
3.5 good stories giving a glimpse into depression era farm life. Book needed better editing.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews