The Heron Nest

Pleasant family drama set in early 1900's or late 1890's upstate New York. The Herron clan, led by heroic, inventive, handicapped older brother Billy, has fallen on hard times due to one of the depressions that occurred before the Great one of the 30's. He manages to charm their way out of the tenements and into the country where he and his younger siblings farm their way to success, albeit on a small, Waltons-esque scale. Features many detailed gardening tips. Minor quibble with a sub-plot involving borderline incest but all in all, an inspirational work for the get-er-dun generation. - Summary by BellonaTimes (7 hr 42 min)

Chapters

The End of All Things	18:07	Read by Bellona Times
Rack and Ruin Villa	15:28	Read by Bellona Times
Bone Labor	17:20	Read by Bellona Times
Getting Into Harness	20:12	Read by Bellona Times
The Sowersbys	13:43	Read by Bellona Times
The Plebeian Onion	19:25	Read by Bellona Times
The Great Conspiracy	17:39	Read by Bellona Times
The Snare of the Fowler	11:34	Read by Bellona Times
At Work in Earnest	18:18	Read by Bellona Times
The Hen That Lays the Golden Egg	17:29	Read by Bellona Times
Getting the Best of Dame Nature	22:34	Read by Bellona Times
The Threatening Cloud	17:54	Read by Bellona Times
The Bolt from the Cloud	23:20	Read by Bellona Times
The Transplanting	22:22	Read by Bellona Times
In The Grip of the Gale	25:47	Read by Bellona Times
The Christmas Spirit	23:03	Read by Bellona Times
Clearing The Way	21:16	Read by Bellona Times
The Road Makers	20:32	Read by Bellona Times
The Old Man of the Sea	19:12	Read by Bellona Times
Uncle Calvert	20:21	Read by Bellona Times
The Fat's in the Fire	20:48	Read by Bellona Times
No	13:29	Read by Bellona Times
The Fire Fight	25:47	Read by Bellona Times
Yes	16:32	Read by Bellona Times

Reviews

Gardening and Love

(5 stars)

Linda in PNW

If you enjoy gardening as I do, there are neat little lessons in this book. I don't know how people in such unfortunate circumstances, as in this book, continue on. Billy apparently had access to a great library (the book doesn't say where he got his gardening knowledge), which was the savior of the Heron family. Their are many suggestions here on how to live a kind and honest life while suffering in horrible poverty. We also learn that good people survive hardships while mean, dishonest people may not. I only wish that life was more similar to this book. Ah, there has to be romance, right? Those stories are expertly woven into the family survival story and are quite sweet. This reader, at first, seemed annoying, but as I grew accustomed to his pace, I rather enjoyed listening to him.

Nice story but

(3 stars)

Janelle

Great story until I reached the part with the borderline incest, as mentioned in the book's description. I wish the author had taken the plot in a different direction as it spoiled the story for me. It was just weird. The narrator was a little difficult to listen to as his reading was stilted. But he has a good voice.

A Gardening Book with a Bit of Melodrama

(3 stars)

Phxjennifer

I agree with another reviewer; the author loves the minutiae of gardening and 'making do'. It's a prepper's delight with lots of hints on living off the land, and a realistic assessment of how much physical labor is involved. Still, I enjoyed it as a product of its time and milieu.

A Romantic Novel Centered around Gardening

(4 stars)

Dragonflyer

This is a very nice solo reading, more about gardening and farming than romance. As I enjoy gardening and farming, the book was a pleasure to me, but if a reader is not interested in growing vegetables and raising chickens, it would be tedious.