Still Life with Chickens

"Frank, funny and helpful."—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For the millions who loved A Year by the Sea comes a memoir of a woman who awakens at midlife to find wisdom in a most unlikely place 

In this beautifully written and frequently funny memoir, Catherine Goldhammer, newly separated, along with her twelve-year-old daughter, starts life anew in a cottage by the sea, in a rustic town where live bait is sold from vending machines. Partly to please her daughter and partly for reasons not clear to her at the time, she begins this year of transition by purchasing six baby chickens—whose job, she comes to suspect, is to pull her and her daughter forward out of one life and into another.

An unforgettable story filled with hope and grace, Still Life with Chickens shows how transcendent wisdom can be found in the most unlikely of places.“When divorce takes [Goldhammer] . . . to a honky-tonk town with a preteen daughter and six chickens in tow, there is no still life! Only deeply felt, humorous, and, at last, happy life.”—More
 
"A frank, funny and helpful memoir of a year in transition for a newly divorced woman of limited means."—Teresa K. Weaver, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“A captivating memoir of the life and times of Catherine Goldhammer. An exceptionally well written and entertaining memoir, Still Life With Chickens tells of the poorly positioned Goldhammer, her daughter, and their move from their suburban home to a rustic dwelling by the sea—and the Goldhammer family's transformation from a life of chaotic disorganization to one of confluent diligence and an eclectic servitude to a brood of six newly purchased baby chickens. Very highly recommended reading (especially for those interested in a riveting tale of mother and daughter in pursuit of a better and more fulfilling life for themselves), Still Life With Chickens is an inspirational story of personal growth and familial revival.”—Internet Bookwatch
 
“Plucky.”—O, The Oprah Magazine
 
“Goldhammer, a published poet, has an eye for life's mundane details… her recounting of her frustrations and her joys while remodeling the house and rearing the chickens is not only amusing but sometimes reads like a self-help manual, in which readers conclude that rolling up one's sleeves, getting busy and staying occupied with any strange new interest can successfully distract one from life's larger trials.”—Publishers WeeklyCatherine Goldhammer is a graduate of Goddard College and was a poetry fellow in the fine arts program at the University of Massachusetts. She has been published in the Georgia Review and the Ohio Review.