Growing Up Country
Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl
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Growing Up Country
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Narrated by:
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Dorothy Deavers
About this listen
Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl delivers a treat as delicious as oatmeal cookies hot out of the oven - a memoir of a happy childhood. In charming and memorable vignettes, Carol Bodensteiner captures rural life in Middle America, in the middle of the 20th Century. Bodensteiner grew up on a family-owned dairy farm in the 1950s, a time when a family could make a good living on 180 acres. In these pages you can step back and relish a time simple but not easy, a time innocent yet challenging. If you grew up in rural America, these stories will trigger your memories and your senses, releasing a wealth of stories of your own. If the rural Midwest is foreign territory to you, Carol's stories will invite you into a fascinating and disappearing world.
©2008 Carol Bodensteiner (P)2015 Carol BodensteinerListeners also enjoyed...
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 167
Gypsies, faith-healers, moonshiners, and snake handlers weave through Drema's childhood in 1940s Appalachia after her father is killed in the coal mines, her mother goes off to work as a Rosie the Riveter, and she is left in the care of devout Pentecostal grandparents. What follows is a spitfire of a memoir that feels like a novel with intrigue, sweeping emotion, and indisputable charm. Drema's coming of age is colored by tent revivals with Grandpa, poetry-writing hobos, and traveling carnivals, and through it all, she serves witness to a multi-generational family.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Narrator’s attempt at a southern accent distracting to story
- By Ryan C. Bango on 01-05-22
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Father and I Were Ranchers
- Little Britches # 1
- By: Ralph Moody
- Narrated by: Cameron Beierle
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,959
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,608
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,609
The Moody family moves from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Experience the pleasures and perils of ranching in 20th Century America, through the eyes of a youngster.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Very dissappointed , too much cussing.
- By Lovelessnomore on 05-29-15
By: Ralph Moody
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The Choice
- Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1
- By: Suzanne Woods Fisher
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 139
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 119
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 118
Lancaster County has always been her home - but where does her heart belong? One moment Carrie Weaver was looking forward to running away with Lancaster Barnstormers pitcher Solomon Riehl - plans that included leaving the Amish community where they grew up. But the next moment she was staring into a future as broken as her heart....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Literary Amish Story
- By Carrie Fancett Pagels on 11-29-11
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The Beekeeper's Son
- Amish of Bee County, Book 1
- By: Kelly Irvin
- Narrated by: Angela Brazil
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 157
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 146
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 145
Phineas King knows better than to expect anything but shock and pity wherever he shows his face. Horribly scarred from the tragic accident that claimed his mother's life, he chooses to keep his distance from everyone, focusing his time and energy on the bees his family raises. So why does he start finding excuses to seek out Deborah Lantz, the beautiful new arrival in town?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Book lover. No matter what forum.
- By J.C. on 06-21-15
By: Kelly Irvin
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Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Emmie Lang
- Narrated by: Piper Goodeve, Peter Berkrot, Cassandra Campbell, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 809
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 710
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 710
Stopping a tornado was the first of many strange events that seem to follow Weylyn from town to town, although he doesn't like to take credit. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places. From freak storms to trees that appear to grow over night, Weylyn's unique abilities are a curiosity at best and at worst, a danger to himself and the woman he loves. But Mary doesn't care.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An Accidental Wonder!
- By Brandy Pendergrass on 02-16-18
By: Ruth Emmie Lang
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Dirty Chick
- Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer
- By: Antonia Murphy
- Narrated by: Antonia Murphy
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,098
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,005
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,007
One month into our stay, we'd managed to dispatch most of our charges. We executed the chickens. One of the cats disappeared, clearly disgusted with our urban ways. And Lucky [the cow] was escaping almost daily. It seemed we didn't have much of a talent for farming. And we still had eleven months to go." Antonia Murphy, you might say, is an unlikely farmer. Born and bred in San Francisco, she spent much of her life as a liberal urban cliché, and her interactions with the animal kingdom rarely extended past dinner.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!
- By kara-karina on 02-11-15
By: Antonia Murphy
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Like Family
- Growing Up in Other People's Houses, a Memoir
- By: Paula McLain
- Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 71
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Story4 out of 5 stars 72
This powerful and haunting memoir details the years Paula McLain and her two sisters spent as foster children after being abandoned by both parents in California in the early 1970s. As wards of the State, the sisters spent the next 14 years moving from foster home to foster home. The dislocations, confusions, and odd pleasures of an unrooted life form the basis of one of the most compelling memoirs in recent years - a book in the tradition of Jo Ann Beard's The Boys of My Youth and Mary Karr's The Liars' Club.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A famous writer describes her life growing up in foster care
- By Nancy C. on 12-21-18
By: Paula McLain
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Bone Gap
- By: Laura Ruby
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 335
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 309
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Story4 out of 5 stars 308
Bone Gap is the story of Roza, a beautiful girl who is taken from a quiet Midwestern town and imprisoned by a mysterious man, and Finn, the only witness, who cannot forgive himself for being unable to identify her kidnapper. As we follow them through their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, and their uncertain futures, acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Beauty is In the Eye of the Beholder
- By FanB14 on 11-23-15
By: Laura Ruby
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The Saturdays
- By: Elizabeth Enright
- Narrated by: Pamela Dillman
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 376
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 260
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Story5 out of 5 stars 259
The four Melendy children live with their father and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in a worn but comfortable brownstone in New York City. There's thirteen-year-old Mona, who has decided to become an actress; twelve-year-old mischievous Rush; ten-year-old Randy who loves to dance and paint; and thoughtful Oliver, who is just six-years-old.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent for children and adults
- By Dale on 05-15-04
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Little Blog on the Prairie
- By: Cathleen Davitt Bell
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 122
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4 out of 5 stars 94
Gen's family is more comfortable spending time apart than together. Then Gen's mom signs them up for Camp Frontiera vacation that promises the "thrill" of living like 1890s pioneers. Forced to give up all of her modern possessions, Gen nevertheless manages to email her friends back home about life at "Little Hell on the Prairie", as she's renamed the camp. But it turns out frontier life isn't without its good points, like the cute boy who lives in the next clearing.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absorbing and fun story for range of ages
- By Mary D on 07-04-10
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A Season for Tending
- By: Cindy Woodsmall
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 231
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 208
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 208
Old Order Amish Rhoda Byler’s unusual gift and her remarkable abilities to grow herbs and berries have caused many to think her odd. As rumors mount that Rhoda’s "gift" is a detriment to the community, she chooses isolation, spending her time in her fruit garden and on her thriving canning business. Miles away in Harvest Mills, Samuel King struggles to keep his family’s apple orchard profitable. As the eldest son, Samuel, farms with his brothers, the irrepressible Jacob and brash Eli, while his longtime girlfriend, Catherine, remains hopeful that Samuel will marry her when he feels financially stable.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining story, but......
- By Jojo on 08-11-18
By: Cindy Woodsmall
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The Walking People
- By: Mary Beth Keane
- Narrated by: Sile Bermingham
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York, along with her sister Johanna and a boy named Michael Ward. Labeled a "softheaded goose" by her family, Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Irish immigratn story
- By Chrissie on 09-10-13
By: Mary Beth Keane
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A Girl Named Zippy
- Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana
- By: Haven Kimmel
- Narrated by: Haven Kimmel
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 545
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 378
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 382
When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965, Mooreland, Indiana, was a sleepy little hamlet of 300 people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was possessed of big eyes and even bigger ears. In this witty and lovingly told memoir, Kimmel takes readers back to a time when small-town America was caught in the amber of the innocent postwar period - people helped their neighbors, went to church on Sunday, and kept barnyard animals in their backyards.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Beautifully written, beautifully read.
- By shopgirl on 03-06-08
By: Haven Kimmel
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The Plague of Doves
- By: Louise Erdrich
- Narrated by: Peter Francis James, Kathleen McInerney
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 513
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 364
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Story4 out of 5 stars 362
The unsolved murder of a farm family haunts the small, white, off-reservation town of Pluto, North Dakota. The vengeance exacted for this crime and the subsequent distortions of truth transform the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation and shape the passions of both communities for the next generation.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Avoid this Plague
- By Andre on 05-16-08
By: Louise Erdrich
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Prodigal Summer
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,102
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,358
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,355
Prodigal Summer weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives in southern Appalachia. At the heart of these intertwined narratives is a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches them from an isolated mountain cabin where she is caught off-guard by Eddie Bondo, a young hunter who comes to invade her most private spaces and her solitary life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!
- By Lily on 10-12-08
What listeners say about Growing Up Country
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mike and Jess
- 03-24-24
Charming and Beautifully Narrated
Charming and beautifully written story of times past, when families worked together, children learned from real experiences, and communities banded together. Highly recommend taking this journey back in time with Carol.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda
- 03-18-15
Grandma, tell me a story !
This book is a wonderful collection of real life events, with real families, & real people living real life on the farms of Iowa in the 1940s 1950s & 1960s. How do I know ? --well, As I listened, I felt as though the author was telling MY story, because I grew up on a farm in Iowa having the very same experiences. This book brought back many precious memories that I have ---growing up country.
The reader has a tone & lilt to her voice that made me visualize a Grandmother telling her grandchildren, who were listening intently, stories of when she was a girl.
The author has a true descriptive gift that makes the listener feel as though we are right there with her as she goes about her life on the farm. I loved the book & will listen to it again.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kerry Emerald 17
- 12-21-15
Loved this authentic and heartfelt reminiscence.
The narrator was perfect. I felt like I was on the farm, experiencing everything the writer did. The ending showed Carol's absolute passion for her subject. Awesome! Thank you, Dorothy Devers, too. Your telling was obviously well-prepared.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 09-06-21
Wonderful story
I too was a farm girl with two sisters growing up on an Iowa farm. The author brought back so many memories.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Darren Sapp
- 05-19-22
Wonderful
Perfectly wonderful coming-of-age memoir with fantastic descriptions of farm life from the eyes of a child. If you want to know how folks in the country lived, this book is for you. Deavers narration captures the moment.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ana
- 09-12-19
Family Love
I just loved this book. I could stop listening! I think I felt every emotion if not more as it went thru all the chapters! ♡
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lori Lipsky
- 10-24-23
Lovely Midwest Farm Life Book!
I loved reading Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl. Life was not without trials, but as the author capably shared her experiences of growing up in a close-knit farm family, she brought me along on her journey, and almost made me wish I was there on the farm too. Carol tells the story of decent, loving, hard-working parents, childhood chores, early morning milking, kind neighbors, and a supportive church community.
If you appreciate well-written 20th century Midwest memoirs concerning farm life, hard work, supportive communities, and strong family ties, then this is a book for you.
Terrific narration.
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