I first noticed this book because of the picture on the cover and the name of the author – it turns out Helen Rebanks is the wife of James Rebanks, also a writer. His books have been on my radar for a while since he writes about life as a farmer in the Lake District, which is where a good chunk of my ancestors are from. His book The Shepherd’s Life has gotten a lot of attention, and I keep meaning to read it – in fact I’ve tried a couple of times, without managing to get very far. But to see Helen Rebanks as simply the wife of a writer is to do her a disservice – this book proves that she deserves her own place on our bookshelves, because she is most definitely a writer of quality herself.
This book is mostly a memoir of Helen’s life, travelling forward and backward through time to show us where she and James began, their time outside of the Lake District while James was at school and Helen was working, and how they decided to return and begin farming again. It tells of her becoming a mother, of their life as a family, and how their lives are deeply entwined with both the land and community around them.
I loved the feelings she evoked as I was reading, and though my life has been very different from hers, I could still find things she shared that I could connect to. Particularly some of her experiences as a mother and a wife, and the challenges that brings while also being full of joy and love. She also talks about how her marriage, at times, became strained as the two were trying to find a way to support their family in jobs that didn’t make them happy and that left them stressed and distant.
There were a lot of wonderfully captured moments in this book, and a lot of love shared for not only her family, but her community and her way of life. At the end of the book she embarks on an art project – I won’t tell you the details, but the project and, in particular, its title felt like it encapsulated the whole feeling of the book for me. It was a beautiful concept, and brought the whole book together for me. Definitely one I’d recommend if you enjoy unassuming memoirs of everyday life as a woman, particularly as a mother trying to find a balance between family and self.
A portrait of life at Helen Rebanks’ Lake District farmhouse that beautifully captures the unsung work of keeping a home and raising a family.
As dawn breaks on the farm, Helen Rebanks makes a mug of tea, relishing the few minutes of quiet before the house stirs. Within the hour the sounds of her husband, James, and their four children will fill the kitchen. There are also six sheepdogs, two ponies, 20 chickens, 50 cattle and 500 sheep to care for. Helen is a farmer’s wife. Hers is a story that is rarely told, despite being one we think we know.
Weaving past and present, Helen shares the days that have shaped her. This is the truth of those days: from steering the family through the Beast from the East and the local authority planning committee, to finding the quiet strength to keep going, when supper is yet to be started, another delivery man has assumed he needs to speak to the ‘man of the house’, and she would rather punch a cushion than plump it.
This beautifully-illustrated memoir, which takes place across one day at the farm, offers a chance to think about where our food comes from and who puts it on the table. Helen’s recipes, lists and gentle wisdom helps us to get through our days, whatever they throw at us. – Goodreads
Book Title: The Farmer’s Wife
Author: Helen Rebanks
Series: No
Edition: Audiobook (Audible)
Published By: Faber Faber
Released: August 31, 2023
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Farming, Family, UK
Pages: 319
Date Read: May 5-21, 2025
Rating: 8/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.85/5 (2,123 ratings)