Garlic Is Life
by Chester Aaron
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Book Summary Information
Author: Chester AaronEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-03-01
ISBN: 0898158060
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Book Reviews of Garlic Is Life
Book Review: How to become a garlic farmer
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading Chester Aaron's Symptoms of Terminal Passion I needed to read a little more. Aaron's Memoir is a little premature, because his is still living and growing garlic more than 10 years later, using the garlic theme in all he writes.
It was fascinating seeing the real-life background for the stories I had read. I'm also looking harder for different kinds of garlics, and even tempted to try to plant a clove or two in one of the pots on our patio.
Strangely, I was reading this at the same time I read Out Stealing Horses: A Novel by Norwegian writer, Per Petterson. It was amazing how the two books complemented each other!
Both are written in the first person in beautiful, engaging prose. (Horses is so well translated that you don't notice that it was written in another language, except for the occasional Norwegian place names.)
Both utilize many flashbacks to childhood, Petterson's Trond mostly to 1948 in alternate chapters, Chester to the 30's in Pennsylvania.
Both have moved to the country to start over after losing their wives: Chester after a devastating divorce, Trond after a horrendous car accident.
Both recall strong relations to difficult fathers, who continue to influence the way they try to create new lives as 70-something "old men." (Their mothers are lurking in the background.) Both fathers are still lurking to show how to do practical things on their farms.
For both books the natural settings (fields, woods and ocean for Chester, forest, meadows and river for Trond) and the weather (wind, rain, and yes, also the sun) provide more than just the setting.
Trond's dog Lyra and Chester's cat Sadie are their constant companions, while sheep, horses, gophers and other creatures also play important roles.
Crops play important roles (garlic, of course, and fruit trees for Chester, trees for Trond.)
Neighbors and other humans provide insight and sometimes help, but occasionally are more of an irritant to their daily lives alone on their farms - although Garlic ends with a wedding!
But only Garlic provides you with numerous recipes for strange garlics, including 2 desserts!
Summary of Garlic Is Life
A charming story that combines a love of garlic with an extraordinary life, this is a college teacher turned Sonoma County garlic farmer's account of his introduction to the herb?from his family's farming techniques in former Soviet Georgia to his experiences supplying some of the best restaurants in the country. Growing tips and recipes are included, as well as close-up photos of a few of Chester's rare varieties.Loosely the story of how a divorced, middle-aged Jewish professor of English moved from San Francisco to rural Sonoma County, California, and found fulfillment in the ups and downs of garlic farming, this intensely personal narrative describes the interplay of generations and cultures in Northern California. It should have particular appeal for garlic heads, would-be writers, middle-aged men in transition, feisty septuagenarians, and touchy-feely types. Along with fiercely prejudiced discourses on garlic, Chester Aaron presents his sentimental story in crisp, no-nonsense prose loaded with Woody Allen-esque asides and self-deprecating observations. The book ends with 40 recipes.
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