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Over the Farmer's Gate
"Roger Evans has built up a large cult following over the last 25 years with his hugely popular column in the Dairy Farmer, for which he won the prestigious PPA Columnist of the Year Award in 2000. He also has a huge following every Saturday in the Western Daily Press.
An articulate Shropshire dairy and poultry farmer all his life, Roger Evans' lively prose sheds light on the joys and daily challenges of his work.
He is well-informed, realistic and funny in his comments about all aspects of his life as a farmer today.
Popular at all the agricultural shows and a hot-ticket as an after-dinner speaker, Roger is widely regarded as one of the best modern spokesmen for the British farmer. "
An articulate Shropshire dairy and poultry farmer all his life, Roger Evans' lively prose sheds light on the joys and daily challenges of his work.
He is well-informed, realistic and funny in his comments about all aspects of his life as a farmer today.
Popular at all the agricultural shows and a hot-ticket as an after-dinner speaker, Roger is widely regarded as one of the best modern spokesmen for the British farmer. "
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 23, 2021
I was quite excited about this one. I've always been interested in farming and the blurb had a James Herriot feel to it.
Roger Evans won the prestigious PPA Columnist of the year award in 2000 for his hugely popular column in the Dairy Farmer. He also has a big following on a Saturday in the Western Daily Press.
A Shropshire Dairy and poultry farmer all his life this books gives an insight into the daily joys and challenges of his work on his farm.
It started off really well, I loved his descriptions of the panoramic views of his fields whilst plowing slowly on his tractor with a stream of seagulls following behind.
But as the book went on it became very obvious that it was a collection of very short and often unrelated anecdotes about his observations of the countryside and bits of his daily life. Not that this is a problem but very often they would build to a punchline that wasn't really there.
I found the authors wit quite difficult to grapple with as well, simply because not only was it dry and sarcastic but often quite derogatory when it came to the female sex, which was a little surprising for a book published in 2010.
Due to this acerbic wit I actually assumed the author was divorced and so it was with great surprise that I found out he had a wife. Not that we ever find out her name or what she looks like or is like. He describes every other pretty girl and woman in the book in great detail but of his wife we know only that she has a corgi and tells him off on a regular basis.
Around the 140 page mark I was beginning to get a bit weary but I pushed through. I enjoyed his discussions on milk prices and bird watching and discussing how the world will grind to a halt from a lack of common sense.
This was a perfect book for evenings that are drawing in cold and to relax with but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.
Roger Evans won the prestigious PPA Columnist of the year award in 2000 for his hugely popular column in the Dairy Farmer. He also has a big following on a Saturday in the Western Daily Press.
A Shropshire Dairy and poultry farmer all his life this books gives an insight into the daily joys and challenges of his work on his farm.
It started off really well, I loved his descriptions of the panoramic views of his fields whilst plowing slowly on his tractor with a stream of seagulls following behind.
But as the book went on it became very obvious that it was a collection of very short and often unrelated anecdotes about his observations of the countryside and bits of his daily life. Not that this is a problem but very often they would build to a punchline that wasn't really there.
I found the authors wit quite difficult to grapple with as well, simply because not only was it dry and sarcastic but often quite derogatory when it came to the female sex, which was a little surprising for a book published in 2010.
Due to this acerbic wit I actually assumed the author was divorced and so it was with great surprise that I found out he had a wife. Not that we ever find out her name or what she looks like or is like. He describes every other pretty girl and woman in the book in great detail but of his wife we know only that she has a corgi and tells him off on a regular basis.
Around the 140 page mark I was beginning to get a bit weary but I pushed through. I enjoyed his discussions on milk prices and bird watching and discussing how the world will grind to a halt from a lack of common sense.
This was a perfect book for evenings that are drawing in cold and to relax with but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.
May 17, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed dipping into this every night before bed! Full of remarkable reverie, well written enough to make me read on, learnt a lot too. Lovely balanced view!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews