COME THE HARVEST

by Paul Hunter, Rodger Moody (Editor)

Poetry. From John Greenleaf Whittier and James Russell Lowell to Robert Frost and Wendell Berry, every generation or two it seems a poet has to redefine our shifting relationship to the land. "Over the river and through the woods," Americans retain their comfortable myths about farming, and their agrarian roots, though for better or worse most are now several generations removed from the rural life. Paul Hunter reaches back to 19th century practices and values, and by the end leaps ahead to the agribusiness and suburban sprawl of the 21st century. We are all in there somewhere, in how we value versatility and hearken to the mystery of growth, how we both shun and are drawn to the backbreaking labor and long contemplative silences of working on the land--how we stand apart, tilling our thoughts.

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2008

Reviews

[Amy Heap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read a book by Paul Hunter, but a book with the same title by New Zealand author, Patricia Lawson. I could have just not recorded it, as that book doesn't seem to be here, but I confess I am attached to keeping a tally of books read in a year. The Patricia Lawson book is set in small town New Zealand around WWII, where there are conscientious objectors. It's a quiet novel with a beautiful sense of place and a large cast of characters. The impact of WWI is still deeply felt as WWII approaches, and it is so sad how the town and its people suffer as much from each other as from the war directly. I hadn't known much about life for conscientious objectors before and found this interesting and gently moving.