Driven Back to Eden

A crowded, unhealthy apartment and a scare over his children’s future push Robert Durham to trade New York City for a run-down farm up the Hudson, and this novel follows the family’s first year learning to live off the land. Roe, who was a serious horticulturist as well as a novelist, fills the story with practical detail about poultry, fruit trees, gardens, and the small daily victories and setbacks of country life. Part gentle domestic tale, part argument for wholesome outdoor work as a cure for urban ills, it reflects the back-to-the-land feeling of the 1880s. The Durham children grow capable and content as the seasons turn. Free to download as a PDF and EPUB edition.