a truly wonderful read

I confess...this type of book is the best part of the HarperCollins deal. I'd never have picked it up on my own but I loved every moment.

• The Bucolic Plague; How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir, by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

I tend to be a fiction reader so I don't open memoirs with the highest of hopes. This book, however, exceeded all expectations and was a true pleasure to read.

The story follows two urban men as they discover and attempt to run a mansion in a small town that time has passed by. It doesn't glamorize farm life or have any sort of "holier than thou" air. It shows both the challenges of rural life as well as the difficulties of urban life. Along the way, it shows how life can affect relationships and how we press on through.

The prose is wonderful. It captured me and pulled me through. I rarely feel like I can't put a book down but I wanted to devour this one whole. Absolutely recommend both for laughs and for lessons in true meaning and life goals.

(This review based on a copy provided to me by HarperCollins).