House of Goats

By: Tammy Owen

Narrated by: Colleen Patrick

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Space for a big garden. Fruit trees. A huge barn. A deck with an amazing view. The blackberry-infested property on the hill seemed to have limitless potential. When Tammy Owen moved from the city to a five-acre farm, she hoped to learn how to live closer to the land. What she learned instead was a lot about life.

©2011 Wyrd Goat Press (P)2016 Wyrd Goat Press

Story of my life!

Wow, it was crazy listening to this story and feeling like I was listening to a well written version of my own story. I absolutely enjoyed this book. I could relate to so much of it that it was uncanny. I love the author's style and the narrator did such a great job. I would recommend this book. It is unlike my usual choice of book genres but I truly enjoyed it.

Enjoyable real life story of goats, dogs, and land

For people with some acreage, goats, dogs, chickens, cats, house dogs and Great Pyrenees mix dogs, maybe a garden too, and a never-ending To Do list and plans . . . this audio book will be a wonderful listen.

The story starts at the bottom of a steep learning curve and mistakes and triumphs happen along the journey. A listener may be tempted to be judgmental and critical, but none of us have been perfect and we all learn from mistakes. I learned quite a few things from Tammy's experiences and great research.

The best part, for me, was the author's reflections on life and death. The more animals people have in their lives, the more opportunities there are to reflect on the responsibilities, joys, grief, and valued interactions animals bring to us. There are moments of crisis or stress or loss that make humans think about what is happening, why, and how we can rise above the challenge. Tammy Owen beautifully shares such moments and her own thoughts and conclusions.

The best part of (hobby) farm or country life was beautifully described as well. Tammy Owens really knows how to bring the sensory experiences of views and scents and feel to the listener. The precious heart tugging cuteness of young animals was described in vibrant detail.

The narration, for me, was choppy and uncomfortable to listen to at first and it took almost 4 or 5 chapters before the narrator settled into a more flowing presentation that expressed the written words gracefully and with meaning. I almost returned the book due to the narration, but am glad I hung in there and waited for the narration to settle down.

The story was funny at times - I laughed out loud about ten times, and educational (if you like to learn from your own or others' mistakes) this book is a great for animal-lovers or people who want to "move to the country."

a fantastic listen for any goat enthusiast

Colleen does a good job of taking you right into the story you feel as if it's your goats having a fight with worms or getting out of the fence for the 10th time plus there's little Snippets of useful information to the new at goat-ing

Loved the story not the narrator

When you listen to this book you can here the authors intent and humor but the narrator just doesn't get the timing. I loved the book. I was moved by the story. The author has great skill at taking you on her journey into farming and animal husbandry to the point of laughter and tears. I just wish it was read by. someone with more feeling. I found myself distracted by the flat tone of her voice and often would imagine how the author truly wanted the words of her book read. That being said, it is a great book.