Field Notes : A City Girl's Search for Heart and Home in Rural Nova Scotia

Reflections on country life on Canada's eastern coast: "Gentle humor and prose as clear and lilting as the song of the hermit thrush at dusk." —Deborah Carr, author of Sanctuary: The Story of Naturalist Mary Majka Sara Jewell has lived at eighteen different addresses—but there was one that remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from the New Brunswick border, and the red soil stained her heart. Life, as it's wont to do, eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big-city life started to crumble, she wanted only one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash. Field Notes includes forty-one essays on the differences, both subtle and drastic, between city life and country living. From curious neighbors and unpredictable weather to the reality of roadkill and the wonders of wildlife, award-winning narrative journalist Sara Jewell strikes the perfect balance between honest self-examination and humorous observation—in a delightful memoir accented with original drawings by Joanna Close. "A born storyteller . . . her sharp-witted but kind-hearted portraits of country people, places, and customs make for a remarkable first book." —Harry Thurston, author of A Place Between the Tides and the Deer Yard When my husband told me he didnt want to be married any longer, I didnt call a lawyer, talk to my minister, or even tell my best friend. My first thoughtand only planwas go to Pugwash . So begins Sara Jewells tender and heartfelt collection of essays. After a childhood of idyllic summers on Canadas east coast, Sara knew the only place she could begin to rebuild her lifeto find her heart and homewas amid the salty air and red dirt roads of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. Part humorous observation and part honest self-reflection, Sara deftly explores the people, creatures, landscapes, and experiences that make her life in rural Nova Scotia so different from the big-city one shed grown accustomed to. They say you can never go back. But they are wrong. Advance praise for Field Notes : "Within the pages of Field Notes I found a soul sister. Sara Jewell digs, with tenderness and wisdom, into the rich loam of life that nourishes rural Atlantic Canada. Delivered with gentle humour and prose as clear and lilting as the song of the hermit thrush at dusk, her thoughtful reflections and observations remind us of the harvest of healing we reap when people, landscapes, and creatures find harmony." - Deborah Carr "Charming, brave, and spiritually refreshing, Field Notes is a love song to the country and all the humans and creatures who make their lives there. City-raised Sara Jewell's essays present a resonant array of subjects and themes, all compulsively readable and deftly explored. A funny and touching tribute to small rural communities, and the vibrant realities therein." - Marjorie Simmins "Sara Jewell's heart is firmly rooted in rural Nova Scotia: its landscape and its people. In Field Notes , a lively cast of characters helps Jewell learn about life, love, and belonging. Through them and their stories, she learns what it means to befinallyat home." - Pam Chamberlain Sara Jewell has collected lots of addresses--eighteen in total--including four in Vancouver, British Columbia, and three in her hometown of Cobourg, Ontario. But there was one address that always remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from the New Brunswick border, and the red soil stained her heart. Life, as it's wont to do, eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big­city life started to crumble, she only wanted one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash. Field Notes includes forty­one essays on the differences, both subtle and drastic, between city life and country living. From curious neighbours and unpredictable weather to the reality of roadkill and the wonders of wildlife, award­winning narrative journalist Sara Jewell strikes the perfect balance between honest self­examination and humorous observation.Accented with five original drawings from Joanna Close. "Sara Jewell has collected lots of addresses--sixteen in total--including four in Vancouver, British Columbia, and three in her hometown of Cobourg, Ontario. But there was one address that always remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from the New Brunswick border, and the red soil stained her heart. Life, as it's wont to do, eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big-city life started to crumble, she only wanted one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash. Field Notes includes forty-one essays on the differences, both subtle and drastic, between city life and country living. From curious neighbours and unpredictable weather to the reality of roadkill and the wonders of wildlife, award-winning narrative journalist Sara Jewell strikes the perfect balance between honest self-examination and humorous observation."-- Provided by publisher **Reflections on country life on Canada's eastern coast: "Gentle humor and prose as clear and lilting as the song of the hermit thrush at dusk." —Deborah Carr, author of __Sanctuary: The Story of Naturalist Mary Majka__** Sara Jewell has lived at eighteen different addresses—but there was one that remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from the New Brunswick border, and the red soil stained her heart. Life, as it's wont to do, eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big-city life started to crumble, she wanted only one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash.__Field Notes__ "A born storyteller . . . her sharp-witted but kind-hearted portraits of country people, places, and customs make for a remarkable first book." —Harry Thurston, author of Sara Jewell has collected lots of addresses--eighteen in total--but there was one address that always remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village, and the red soil stained her heart. Life eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big ­city life started to crumble, she only wanted one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash. Field Notes includes 41 essays on the differences, both subtle and drastic, between city life and country living. From curious neighbors and unpredictable weather to the reality of roadkill and the wonders of wildlife, award-­winning narrative journalist Sara Jewell strikes the perfect balance between honest self-­examination and humorous observation.