Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea

Loved this book!! Great pace... great story... funny and poignant writing. A lovely book, and a more lovely present.

Who knew a memoir mainly about chickens could be so interesting? Catherine Goldhammer starts her life over in a house by the sea which might not look that appealing but has charm nonetheless. She divorces and her daughter, Emma who is 12, move about 1 1/2 mile from their old home and begin a new life. The only thing to ensure Emma's happiness at moving is to promise the purchase of chickens! There is heaps to do with setting up a new home and the caretaking of chickens is no small task. This memoir will surely entertain and inspire. Perhaps you will wish you had a coop of chickens in your yard by the end!

This book is witty, charming, and a complete delight from first page to last. When this single mom has to move from her big house in a wealthy town to a tiny fixer-upper, and agrees to get six chickens for her 12 year old daughter, many adventures ensue. She writes with humor and grace, and her descriptions of the chickens, her daughter, their friends, and their houses, capture the beauty and depth of everyday moments. If you like a wise, smart, funny, and moving book you will LOVE this one.

A charming, profound book, Ms. Goldhammer's memoir has a remarkable quality-- it is transcendent; it resonates with anybody. The author finds a subtle divinity in the ordinary. When Goldhammer gets divorced and moves from her wealthy suburb home into a small rundown house by the ocean, nobody is sure that she has made the right decision (except perhaps her tireless realtor!). Her teenage daughter, a young artist and a wonderfully free spirit, resents the changes imposed upon her. In an effort to take her daughter's mind off of the move, Goldhammer brings six baby chicks into their lives. Soon, as they care for them, Goldhammer begins to see the wisdom in their actions. With the chickens to pull them forward into a new way of thinking, Goldhammer and her daughter make a new life for themselves. Ms. Goldhammer's story will appeal to a wide audience. It is both witty and touching; it speaks both in details and universally. This sublime memoir is most certainly on my top 10 list of 2006.

Still Life With Chickens is a captivating memoir of the life and times of Catherine Goldhammer. An exceptionally well written and entertaining memoir, Still Life With Chickens tells of the poorly positioned Goldhammer, her daughter, and their move from their suburban home to a rustic dwelling by the sea -- and the Goldhammer family's transformation from a life of chaotic disorganization to one of confluent diligence and an eclectic servitude to a brood of six newly purchased baby chickens. Very highly recommended reading (especially for those interested in a riveting tale of mother and daughter in pursuit of a better and more fulfilling life for themselves), Still Life With Chickens is an inspirational story of personal growth and familial revival.

Chickens! Who would have guessed? An amazingly delightful little book! I was captured on page one and couldn't put it down until I was finished. I came across Still Life with Chickens purely by accident - it was a gift for my mother, who simply adored it and suggested that I give it a read. Judging by the description (a newly single woman, starting over, etc.), I thought this book would resonate mostly with women. But I couldn't have been more wrong, as Catherine Goldhammer's style and humor easily bridges both genders. I truly loved this book, and I can't wait to see what Ms. Goldhammer offers us next! It's that good.