The Farm Wife's Almanac (Dreamseeker Poetry)
Shari Wagner
BOOK REVIEW

In the sprawling landscape of American poetry, few voices resonate as deeply as Shari Wagner's. The Farm Wife's Almanac emerges not merely as a collection of verses etched on paper but as an emotional tapestry woven through the threads of rural life, womanhood, and the delicate balance between labor and love. With every page, you're invited to step into the sun-soaked fields and rustic homes, breathing life into the everyday experiences that shape women who cradle the earth in their calloused hands.
✨️ Wagner's profound sense of place and time captures the heart and spirit of those who toil in the fields, delivering a raw intimacy that makes you feel like you belong. Each poem serves as both a gateway and a guide, offering nuggets of wisdom and fragments of love against the relentless backdrop of change. The narratives leap off the pages-stories of seasons shifting, children growing, and love blossoming despite the grime and grit of everyday labor. It's a world that pulses with a wild, unrestrained beauty-a beauty that only a true "farm wife" could articulate.
Readers have passionately engaged with Wagner's heart-wrenching tales, some finding solace while reflecting on their own lives, and others reveling in the nostalgia of simpler times. One critic noted how the poems possess a "haunting simplicity," while another described the collection as a "celebration of resilience." It's this duality that elevates The Farm Wife's Almanac beyond mere literary art; it becomes a guide not only to understanding rural existence but also to embracing the truths we all face in our own lives.
Yet, not everyone is enamored. Some readers express a longing for more complexity, arguing that while Wagner's simplicity is refreshing, it can verge on the overly sentimental. However, therein lies the beauty of this collection-it refuses to get lost in the pretentiousness of literary elite. Instead, it lays bare the inherent worth in the mundane, inviting us to embrace our own realities with the same affectionate grace.
As you flip through the illustrated pages, you can't help but sense the pulse of history-the unbreakable bond between the earth and its caretakers. This is a poetic almanac rich with insights not just for the farming community but for anyone who finds themselves drawn to nature, rooted in their heritage, or seeking to understand the struggles of resilience and joy. Wagner's verses spill out like the very soil she writes about, each word rooting you deeper into the landscape of human experience.
To read The Farm Wife's Almanac is to awaken a part of yourself that may have grown dormant amid city lights and responsibilities. It dares you to remember, appreciate, and even romanticize the sweat of labor, the joy of family, and the bittersweet passage of time. It is a reminder that beneath the complex layers of modern existence lie the simple truths; love, loss, and the relentless cycle of life.
💫 In our fast-paced world, Wagner beckons us to pause, to reflect, and to soak in the beauty of the ordinary. This isn't just poetry; it's a lifeline-a chance to reconnect with your roots, however far-flung they may be. Each poem is a call to arms for anyone yearning for sincerity, depth, and a reminder of life's most profound joys hidden in the fields of our daily struggles. Will you heed the call?
📖 The Farm Wife's Almanac (Dreamseeker Poetry)
✍ by Shari Wagner
🧾 116 pages
2019
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