Rating: 
Summary: Heart Warming Story
Review: This was such a wonderful book, I am so glad that I found it. I am greatful to Ms. Laskas for sharing this story through her eloquent, humorous, highly relatable and at times heart pulling writing. For anyone who ever had a dream, this is the book that will make you realize that anything is possible. Ms. Laskas' outlook on life is so refreshing. She writes about her life, her relationship with her boyfriend turn fiance and then husband Alex, and their animals with such passion and truth that it is impossible not to keep turning the pages like you would with a captivating work of fiction. Her animals practically jump of the pages, and having grown up with poodles I could picture everything Marley did. The farm and all the people she and Alex befriend come to life as if they are your own neighbors, and the idea of owning a farm doesn't seem as foreign as it might have before. I hope Ms. Laskas chooses to write more anecdotes and memoirs. Perhaps a part II of this story. Her words were all chosen perfectly, and the story was charming, fun, and vibrant. I highly recommend it for a refreshing look at life, love, family, and animals.
Rating:
Summary: A laugh-out-loud review of a woman's adventure into love
Review: ...and farm life with her loved ones, which include the best friend she didn't admit she loved, and all the adventures that go along with a city couple buying the farm life and all the animals and local friends that seem to go along with it! An excellent, excellent writer, very witty in a wonderful sort of way! I'm buying ALL her books next, including the new one not yet out!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and funny book!
Review: This book was such a delight to read. Jeanne has such a wonderful, funny writing style. I felt like I really got to know her, Alex, and their dogs. I kept calling my sister and reading her funny excerpts from the book. This book is a gentle read: no sex or no violence. I think most people would enjoy this great book.
Rating:
Summary: Romance and transition
Review: A love story told with charm, humor and insights about mid life.
A delightful, light read that will bring you tears and laughs.
Rating:
Summary: Great Humor!!
Review: This is an easy read and it's best to read it alone.It seems to really annoy people as you laugh out loud while reading this book.Great style of writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Funnier than I expected
Review: What a hoot! I'm not usually the type to laugh out loud when reading a book. But laugh I did. And laugh. And laugh. And almost cried a bit, too. I'd expected _Fifty Acres_ to be a bit more...earthy, somehow. The author and her significant other are pretty clueless when it comes to farming and country living. Being clueless myself, this made for interesting reading. But I must take issue with other reviewers who have said that Laskas "throws everything away" to move to a farm. They really don't throw much of anything away except Pittsburgh's rapid transit. They install four phone lines, a satellite dish, and both continue their respective careers. There's nothing wrong with it, just different from what I'd expected. Perhaps the funniest thing in the story is they author's descriptions of their animals. She's got a real knack for anthropomorphizing: Betty the "movie star" mutt, Marley the groudhog-killing poodle, Bob the dying cat. Funny stuff. Don't expect _Fifty Acres_ to be some sort of "Farming for Dummies" book. Rather, read along while the author and the others discover their "inner hick."
Rating:
Summary: Seductive Country Dream Come True
Review: I ran across this book in the bookstore where I work and picked it up out of curiosity. I was raised in a small town, and living in Chicago, I miss greatly my garden and the moist smell of the earth in Spring. I found myself skimming much of the first chapter, as I felt it was too affectatious, but after a while, when the story shifts to the historical present, I became truly engrossed. I found myself laughing at Jeanne and Alex's naivete (wearing Eddie Bauer to a truck stop!) but also identifying with their dreams and desiring them for myself. After they land in their dream home, reality runs smack dab into their foreheads as though they drove into a brick wall. But they learn to dig into their inner resources and survive. I highly recommend this book, and I was deeply moved by Jeanne Marie's story and those of the characters surrounding her. I would be interested in reading an update of their story.
Rating:
Summary: A Memoir For The Ages!
Review: After completing spectacular literature, I have a tendency to really sputter. Over my Christmas break, I read a number of good books including Dennis Lehane's Mystic River and Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer. I thoroughly enjoyed both, but really needed a change of pace that did not come readily. Finally, in frustration I chose a recent read and plugged it into Listmania hoping for some sort of recommendation; SHAZAM!! I hit on Fifty Acres and a Poodle. The memoir deals with Ms. Laska's purchase, along with boyfriend Alex, of a Pennsylvania farm. A cast of humorous and lovable characters makes for a wonderful, moving piece of literature that everyone should read. Whether it is for the whole farm-purchasing adventure, journey of self discovery, love of animals, wonderful sense of humor, etc., I guarantee you will thoroughly enjoy this book. I fell in love with Bob the basketball-playing cat, Marley who sounds so much like my family's dearly-departed Airedale, Chumley, and leading lady Betty. The purchase of Sassy and Cricket, the "Joe Crowleys," the blaze orange hats, the wedding mums, etc. I could wax poetic forever. Please do yourself a tremendous favor and read this moving, funny memoir.
In closing, please Ms. Laskas, continue your tale! I want more.
Rating:
Summary: A "dream come true" ( thorns and all)
Review: Although seemingly the tale of a city woman and her boyfriend who chuck it all to find happiness on a 50 acre farm, this gem of a book is far more than that. It is also a revealing and often hilariously funny memoir about what happens to a woman who has the courage to follow her dreams, however far-fetched, and the unforeseen challenges and pleasures which follow. Think of this one as a picture postcard where the beauty shines through in spite of the sharp edges and rough spots which soon become apparent behind the pretty veneer.
In this case the dream is to live on a farm, even though author Jeanne Marie Laskas (and her boyfriend, Alex) know nothing about country life. The solitude. The occasional hunters who shoot at everything and everyone. The wildlife which ignores the boundary between inside and outside.
Undeterred, they take the plunge and buy their farm even after a daunting conversation with the former homeowners about well-water filtration systems, chain saws, raccoon invasions and a particularly gruesome tale of a rat which entered the house through a hole in an oven. But as the author herself notes, they are "in hot pursuit... of a dream" and a little reality isn't likely to stand in their way.
What sets this book apart from other country memoirs is the author's sense of what makes for a good story. You won't find lengthy and often boring descriptive passages here. Written in a crisp, action-packed style with plenty of soul, this one is a likely to become a classic. An absolute charmer, punctuated with plenty of wit and spirit to spare!
Rating:
Summary: From Urban Jungle to Rural Jungle
Review: A charming tale of urban escape to rural life. The book is filled with characters guaranteed to make the reader want to pull up stakes for the rustic life. My favorite part was the author's better half, a man's man, the proud owner of the title's poodle, who's first country purchase is a monster tractor of awesome power and noisemaking capability. I can relate to him, not the poodle, just the tractor.
| 
