E. C. Murray

Beautifully written, this book tells the story of Elizabeth. After finishing college and ending a relationship, Elizabeth heads to Paris to become a writer. Instead she becomes a goatherd far from Paris. During this time she begins to think clearly for the first time in a long while. She discovers the value of family, hard work and a job well done. The story is touching and at times funny but best of all it reminds you of what is important in life.

I enjoyed this memoir, because it describes not only a quirky adventure of herding goats in southern France, but is also a journey of self discovery. The author readily admits her insecurities and failings, and describe her struggles with them. Of course she wrote her book many years after the fact, so it was easier to be honest. I am glad to have won the book in a giveaway.

E. C. Murray's memoir of her 1980 foray into goatherding in southern France is a wonderful read. Filled with humor, we walk with Murray as she disengages from an unhealthy relationship. The book picks up steam as it goes, as we get emotionally attached to the goats and the people she meets. Murray is a generous, honest writer with a gift for description that has us shivering in the midst of a freezing French winter.