The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir

Love happy stories that end up happy.

A story that leaves us all thinking if we work hard enough.

Highly recommend

I thorough enjoyed reading this book. There are some marvelous realizations on the part of the author throughout this experience that many people could use as lessons. And there are some seriously funny laugh out loud moments that nearly had me in stitches.

Wonderful read!

Fantastic

LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

I was fortunate enough to catch the series on television first - otherwise I probably would never have even thought of reading this. I laughed out loud. Personally, I would love to move to this community because it sounds so colorful. I would not recommend reading this at bedtime because you will start laughing until you are in tears and you won't want to put it down but keep reading. Absolutely delightful!

Wonderful, funny and sincere.

I love this book. I laughed from the very beginning and teared up some also.

I read it first and then my husband. When he would laugh or sigh I knew exactly where he was in the book.

I then shared it with my two dear friends one of which took it to work and would read from it to his coworkers.

MORE PLEASE

A quick, quirky, happy-making read...

By now, many of you will have heard already of the Beekman Boys on Planet Green's Reality TV show, but I hadn't until now. The truth is that this memoir is so hilarious and yet so real, in a you-and-me-and-a-drag-queen sort of way, that I couldn't put the darn thing down. It is a lovely fairy tale about the wonders of country living. I've been guilty of dreams of domestic bliss and the homemade life more than once myself, but these guys do it bigger and better than I would or could. It's no wonder the town embraced them and their 88 goats.

Without a doubt, highlights of the story include a Martha Stewart Peony Party at her homestead near New York City, the fare reduction ad campaign that was created in less than five minutes, and the first time a crew went to the Beekman house to shoot a reality show. Now there really is a TV show, but it was not at all obvious that this would be the case when the idea was first explored:
"At some point during the morning, I realized that the most exciting moment of our potential reality show would be the copyright notice in the credits. To compensate, I came to the conclusion that if I ran everywhere-physically moved my body faster-the film might seem more engaging. I galloped out the end of the drive to get the mail. I trotted to the garage to grab a trowel.For even more" sizzle," instead of simply leading the goats out to graze as we usually did, I raced out in front of them, hollering an improvisational goat call that made me sound like a yodeling hillbilly. I turned back toward the barn and saw that the goats had stayed back, huddled together in fear in the barn doorway. They obviously preferred to skip dinner rather than get too close to the retarded scarecrow suffering a grand mal seizure."

Do yourselves a favor and don't wait for major surgery to take the chance to read this book. It's funny, heartwarming, recognizable, and real. You'll be glad there are folks like this around, and you'll wish they lived nearby.

I was so surprised

I was laughing outloud with 5 min into this biok! So wonderful! I am telling everone i know about this bk. Cant wait to read josh' s other books' Candis,, fl

Kilmer-Purcell makes goat-herding sparkle...READ THIS

I had this book in my library and, without reading it myself, lent it to a family member to help her through a difficult surgery. She never returned it, but when I read Dawn's review of her pilgrimage to Sharon Springs on her blog called She is Too Fond of Books, I went to get it back that very day. I'm so glad I did. It would have been perfect for the sick family member, had she read it, but she didn't and I did. It was perfect for me, too. What a wonderful, funny, painful, knowing memoir of a pair of busy city executives finding a "weekend retreat" in upstate New York (Sharon Springs) that turns into a full-time job and lifestyle change. Not ordinary executives, not an ordinary town.and not an ordinary house. By now, many of you will have heard already of the Beekman Boys on Planet Green's Reality TV show, but I hadn't until now. The truth is that this memoir is so hilarious and yet so real, in a you-and-me-and-a-drag-queen sort of way, that I couldn't put the darn thing down. It is a lovely fairy tale about the wonders of country living. I've been guilty of dreams of domestic bliss and the homemade life more than once myself, but these guys do it bigger and better than I would or could. It's no wonder the town embraced them and their 88 goats. Without a doubt, highlights of the story include a Martha Stewart Peony Party at her homestead near New York City, the fare reduction ad campaign that was created in less than five minutes, and the first time a crew went to the Beekman house to shoot a reality show. Now there really is a TV show, but it was not at all obvious that this would be the case when the idea was first explored: "At some point during the morning, I realized that the most exciting moment of our potential reality show would be the copyright notice in the credits. To compensate, I came to the conclusion that if I ran everywhere-physically moved my body faster-the film might seem more engaging. I galloped out the end of the drive to get the mail. I trotted to the garage to grab a trowel.For even more" sizzle," instead of simply leading the goats out to graze as we usually did, I raced out in front of them, hollering an improvisational goat call that made me sound like a yodeling hillbilly. I turned back toward the barn and saw that the goats had stayed back, huddled together in fear in the barn doorway. They obviously preferred to skip dinner rather than get too close to the retarded scarecrow suffering a grand mal seizure." Do yourselves a favor and don't wait for major surgery to take the chance to read this book. It's funny, heartwarming, recognizable, and real. You'll be glad there are folks like this around, and you'll wish they lived nearby. And check out their website.

Great Read!!!

"She's not a goat. She's a clown car."

Fun read!

This book takes you from Manhattan to Sharon Springs, from Martha to Farmer John, from city glamour to country charm. We are weekend farmers in this beautiful part of New York State and also 'suffer' from the Buccolic Plague...but even if you just dream of country life from time to time this book is for you.

LOVED THIS BOOK!

This is a fabulous weekend read! I loved every bit of it. It went too fast for me, I wish it were longer, or that I was able to read slower lol. I know this will be a book that I will read again and again, it's that great! If you're a fan of the T.V. show, you will absolutely love this book, it's just fantastic. :)

Highy Recommend if you are a Beekman Boy Fan !!!

I read this in paperback and LOVED it---it was a very quick read and very funny. I love their show and it was great to picture them going thru this book as they would be on their TV show. It left me wanting more!!!

Required Reading for Fans

"Bucolic" is required reading for fans of the reality series, "The Fabulous Beekman Boys." It provides vital background details on how the author and his partner wound up owning a country house and farm in upstate New York and how they almost lost both when the recession hit (saved, ironically, by a New York Times puff piece). Kilmer-Purcell crafts a funny memoir, an easy summer read. It's a cautionary tale for city folks who yearn for the simpler, country way of life. By the end of the book, the reader is rooting for the guys to find success and happiness. It does leave two questions unanswered-"Is money ever enough of an incentive to open up your private life to reality TV?" and "How did they ever get the llama?" I eagerly await the answers in a sequel.

One of the Year's Best Books!

What more can be said about THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE that has already been so well stated by all reviewers? Josh Kilmer-Purcell is not only a gifted writer, able to blend beautiful prose with microscopically descriptive situations - both of high comedy and of sensitive insight into the many facets of relationships among human beings (and humans with animals!) - but he is more. He is able to look at the world in which we live from so many vantages that this book could easily be a study of the NOW in the history of the world!

The topic of Kilmer-Purcell's memoir is one of high romance, not in the physical sense of the term (though underlying much of his writing is as fine a description of the many secrets of what makes a relationship tick), but in the Big Dream sense. As an ad executive he and his significant other, partner Brent Ridge who is a physician now part of the Martha Stewart television family, have been together for 9 years, living the life of overworked Manhattanites, but spending enough time to take annual autumn apple picking journeys outside of the city. During one of these adventures in autumn bliss they come across rundown Sharon Springs and discover Beekman Mansion, a grand old 200 year old home on a farm - in need of repair, but for sale. Of course they fall in love with the village and the mansion and the farm and decide to enhance their lives by buying the quaint bit of nostalgia. They work weekdays in the city, but spend every spare moment of the weekends to restore the farm, the gardens, the trees, the accompanying goats, and their fellow farmer John. The work is intense but exceptionally fulfilling - until an idea they share (making soap out of goat's milk) catches on, especially with Brent's connection on the Martha Stewart show. The farm and mansion become an internet sales success, but amidst the glories they have wrought by following their dreams, Josh and Brent have communication problems exacerbated by the dip in the economy and the concurrent loss of heir jobs. But as the future looks dim the light of friendship and camaraderie of their new home village overcomes a lot and they get a keener view of the value of 'things' versus 'home'.

This book is brimming over with hilarious incidents exceptionally well told by the witty and wise Josh Kilmer-Purcell: some moments with the goats, with New York Times reporters, with the zombie flies, the fellows' first observation of the birth of triplet goats, the preparations of canning, gardening, and party planning are bound to stay in the readers memory long after the book is finished. This is a dazzling bit of writing and a heart-warming story with just exactly the right balance of wit, sarcasm, and warmth that should make it appeal to everyone who's ever pondered a dream. Bravo!

Grady Harp

Order the soap!

I loved this book. Not only is it a story of the lives of small town folk and the 2 men from the big city who adapted, but it is a story that makes you laugh, inspires you to keep at it and how trying to be perfect can really screw things up.

Personally, I am a supporter of small independent business. I am one. Some times things take lots of planning and other times it just happens by a fluke followed up by a dream you never knew you had and lots of hard work and luck.

I plan to read it again in a few months to see if I missed anything. It was the first book I read on my new Nook I bought last week.

Yes, I will be ordering the soap this week.

Can't wait for his next installment

This was so funny in places, I actually 'guffawed' out loud. And at my age, that's pretty unusual. Couldn't put it down, passed it around the family. My mom was going to share it with her neighbor, but he couldn't wait a few days for her to finish, so ran out and bought his own copy. Loved it; want more.

What a laugh

This is the second book of his that I have read and the wit is just outstanding.

You really don't have to be a goat farmer...

I wasn't sure that I would have much to relate to in The Bucolic Plague, but read it after having the opportunity to interview the author. This book is an absorbing meditation on long term relationships and how they survive ups/downs and get back to remembering the essence of what truly important in life.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.