The Rural Diaries

Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm

By: Hilarie Burton

Narrated by: Hilarie Burton

The beloved actress and star of One Tree Hill, White Collar, and Lethal Weapon, Hilarie Burton, tells the inspiring story of leaving Hollywood for a radically different kind of life in upstate New York with her husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan - a celebration of community, family, and the value of hard work in small town America.

While Hilarie Burton’s hectic lifestyle as an actress in New York and Los Angeles gave her a comfortable life, it did not fulfill her spiritually or emotionally. After the birth of their first son, she and her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the star of The Walking Dead, decided to make a major change: they bought a working farm in Rhinebeck, New York, and began a new chapter in their lives.

The Rural Diaries chronicles her inspiring story of farm life: chopping wood, making dandelion wine, building chicken coops. Burton looks back at her transition from urban to country living - discovering how to manage a farm while raising her son and making friends with her new neighbors. She mixes charming stories of learning to raise alpacas and buying and revitalizing the town’s beloved candy store, Samuel’s Sweet Shoppe with good friend Paul Rudd and his wife, Julie, with raw observations on the ups and downs of marriage and her struggles with infertility. Burton also includes delicious recipes that can be made with fresh ingredients at home.

Burton’s charisma, wide eyed attitude, and fortitude - both internal and physical - propels this moving story of transformation and self-discovery. The Rural Diaries honors the values and lifestyle of small-town America and offers inspiration for anyone longing to embark on their own unconventional journey.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Hilarie Burton (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Blown Away at the Honesty

I know now that all Burtons are liars 😜, but I am so blown away with how raw and honest this book was. At first, I just wanted to listen to one of my favorite actresses (OTH & White Collar & Christmas Movies-what’s not to adore?!) tell her story, thinking it would mention our shared home state of Virginia, give some gritty details about best and worst cast members, and talk a little about the farm I’ve seen on instagram. Little did I know, I’d be transported to a place where I’d fall in love with real life people and animals she talks about, and have my heart break over and over again. Hilarie’s story is like a raw, honest Christmas movie, but not in a “everything is perfect” way. She shares her love, loss, and deepest feelings with us in this book in such an amazing way, and I’m so grateful for her words. Her daughter’s birth announcement rocked me, as today is the day before another Mother’s Day where I’m not yet able to celebrate with a baby of my own. I’m so thankful for this book, Hilarie’s honesty, and her bravery in telling her full story. Highly recommend this to anyone.

love love love!

joy and happiness and all the beautiful things in life make up this book. I could listen to this book over and over again it was beautiful.

A beautiful story, from beginning to end!

I always knew I loved Hilarie! I have a deeper connection to her beautiful soul now. Hilarie, thank you for sharing your story with me and the rest of the world and for being an inspiration.

So, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t keep up with celebrity’s personal lives. I enjoy and support the work of those I like and that’s usually the end for me. I believe in personal boundaries. They are human, just like us, at the end of the day. However, when I unboxed Hilarie’s book at work (I work for Barnes & Noble) and saw the cover, I knew I wanted to know more about her. I bought the hardcover and the audiobook as fast as I could. Honestly, I loved every second spent with her, listening to her journey, the recipes, the farm life, laughing, crying, completely relating to a lot of her pain from my own personal experiences. To see someone who came from the hustle and bustle of city and hollywood life, find their way to a humble settling shows a pure heart and speaks to my inner desires. I live right outside of a big city and was sucked into that lifestyle, wasted so many hours sitting in traffic, have killed myself by working multiple jobs while attending college full-time, trying to get the stamp of approval, missing so many precious beginning moments of my own son but for what? I wasn’t happy. It takes a lot of courage to walk away from what you always thought was your biggest accomplishments, but children, mindset, and setting really can make a huge impact. Focusing on building lasting relationships with your family and community really can take you back to your roots, bringing back a childlike adventurous spirit, and reestablishing a love for Mother Nature and our beautiful planet. Do some soul searching if you need to, build a life you can truly love and be proud of, help the people around you to the best of your abilities, and simply just be kind and appreciative to others.

The Rural Diaries will surely stick with me forever and I look forward to revisiting soon.

Highly recommend

I absolutely loved this audio book. Highly recommend. Favorite listen of the year. Recommending to all of my girlfriends.

Love!!!

Beautiful. Humorous. Honest.

Hilarie’s narration was amazing! It’s like she was talking directly to me. She is a women after my own heart. She is just so down to earth. Loved it!

Wow wow wow 👏

This was am amazing read (listen) and so worth it!! Thank you to the angel that is Hilarie Burton for allowing as in her life, family and farm! You are my absolute idol! Sending you lots of love from the Sunny Seychelles!

Just like us

Hillary reading her book feels like a friend sharing her story. She let us know with all her fame she a normal, down to earth, real person saving the world one project at a time. She and Jeff have good times and bad just like the rest of us. Loved every minute of it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Beautiful

Everything about this book was magical. It will make you laugh, cry, dream, and create.

Utterly Raw and inspiring!

I want to be like Hilary when I grow up! And I'm 30 years old, ha!! Living in the same Hudson valley, I appreciate her love and dedication to her community. One can only aspire to have as big of a heart as Hilary does.

a wonderful read

this was great! heartfelt, interesting, sweet, funny! I have always lived Hilary since OTH and White Collar. and Jeff since he was Denny on Grey's or Negan on TWD. it was such a treat to hear their story and o hope to visit the candy shop one day! gotta try some recipes too! thanks Hil! 😉