Rating: 
Summary: This book stinks
Review: This memoir was self-indulgent and annoying, the tale of an urban woman and her boyfriend buying what was essentially a very large yard and calling it a farm, apparently in their mind becoming "farmers." It is so stupid, and so insulting to people who actually do farm for a living that I felt compelled for the first time to share my views on a book to urge people to avoid it
Rating: 
Summary: You'll laugh, you'll cry
Review: This was a fabulous book. Its a deceptively simple story about city folk who move to the country. Their misadventures as they try to adapt to farm living and rural western Pennsylvania "machismo" were hilarious. Of course the move to the farm is a metaphor for the main character's life -- she's following a lifelong dream, taking a risk, and upsetting her well-ordered life just when all the order is about to choke her. I found myself laughing out loud and crying at the same time as I read this book. As a native western Pennsylvanian and an animal lover, I especially identified with this book. Anyone who enjoys reading about a personal journey told with great humor and insight into the human condition will enjoy this gem.
Rating:
Summary: delightful!
Review: This was a lovely book. Laskas, a 40+ writer decides she wants to live on a farm. She and her boyfriend-soon to be fiance, then husband, find the perfect place and take the bait-they buy it. Both "city-fold," hilarity ensues as both come to terms with farm life, love, commitment, death and hope. This is a touching story that stays with you for weeks. Just loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This was such a wonderful book! Like other reviewers, I laughed and cried, often while reading the same passage. Ms. Laskas is able to laugh at herself, and she has such a wonderful view of life without being a pollyanna. The only problem with this book was that it ended. I delayed reading it as I got closer to the end so that I could put off the inevitable. It has been a long time since I have read a book that I enjoyed this much. It makes me want to read much more of what Jeanne Marie Laskas has written.
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: Great book
Review: What a great book. Funny, emotional, full of great insights. Laskas writes so well about friends and family--human and otherwise--and the pursuit of dreams, that her book gives the reader a world to fall into. It's a very eventful world, full of great characters and surprises. By the end of the book, I felt as if I really knew these people. One thing's for sure, if I ever do visit Sweetwater farm, during hunting season or not, I'll be covered in international orange from head to toe.
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: Hysterical
Review: Wow! The type of book I never wanted to end... especially since I felt like I had a new best friend in Jeanne Marie Laskas. I cannot wait for her next book to see how life is continuing on the farm. A great book to get through on the weekend!
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