"In the years after World War II, the Senter family built an Eden-like life on their isolated dairy farm in rural Maine. When tragedy strikes, the close-knit family is shattered. Each must fight the isolation their own grief and guilt as they attempt to reclaim some semblance of their old life -- if they can. Like the best work of Kent Haruf and Marilynne Robinson, Meredith Hall's Beneficence beautifully illuminates the effects of love and loss while...

Caldwell offers readers a balanced perspective on the current regulatory environment in which raw-milk lovers find themselves. Keepers of cows, goats, or sheep will benefit from information on designing a well-functioning small dairy, choosing equipment, and understanding myriad processes, including details about the business of making milk; managing the farm to create superior milk; understanding the microbiology of milk; and risk-reduction plans...

Eighteen-year-old Debbie was raised on her family's rural dairy farm, forty minutes and a world away from Dublin. She lives with her mother, Maeve, a skittish woman who takes to her bed for days on end, claims not to know who Debbie's father is, and believes her dreams are prophecies. Rounding out their small family is Maeve's brother Billy, who lives in a caravan behind their house, drinks too much, and likes to impersonate famous dead writers online....