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

I adored every word in this book! While reading it, I wanted to rush over to Sharon Springs, make friends with these guys, and become part of their world, kind of like Ariel in Disney's Little Mermaid. This memoir was light-hearted, funny, sincere, and real, and was reminiscent to me of The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy by Robert Leleux . The Bucolic Plague inspired me to dream my own dreams, evoked nostalgic feelings in me for eras I never lived in, and caused me to stay up until 3 AM because it was just so good I couldn't put it down.

This book had me from the beginning, goats, diarrhea, and all. The moment Josh stuck his head out the window because he couldn't breathe, I knew I was in for a good book. The zombie flies, the paralyzing show more panic in Martha Stewart's kitchen, all these things and more made me laugh right out loud. The part where Josh realizes that eventually Brent is going to have to find out about the 88 goats in the barn is so something that I would do and feel. I would do something like that, and then be like, uh-oh, now I have to tell my husband? Eek! I did have to skip the scene where he slaughtered his turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, especially once he related that the turkey went with ease and calm under his arm, trusting and secure. So for anyone who is squeamish about animal death scenes, be forewarned!

But this book was not just about good times- in fact, this book illustrates how you should never take anything at face value. On the surface, Josh and Brent lived a utopian, idyllic life. For a while, at least. Then in the pursuit of perfection, they lost the sense of authenticity, the simplicity of what they were doing, and worst of all who they were together. The very traits that they loved in each other became traits they despised. I found myself wanting them to know that this was happening, to calm down, appreciate what they have, realize that it does not all have to be impeccable, Martha standard perfection. Eventually, after Josh left for work without telling Brent he loved him, they realized that the most important thing they had was each other. They seem to have it together, and I hope they do.

And anytime they want to invite me to dinner and to play with their goats, I am available. Just saying.

Review originally at http://quixoticmagpie.blogspot.com/2011/06/bucolic-plague-review.html. show less

This is the hilarious and yet touching true story of a former drag queen and his partner who decide to buy a mansion and become farmers. The pair are New Yorkers at heart and the transition to small town life is a tough one.

They tackle everything from raising goats to exploring the crypt on their property. All the while they are making new friends and trying to keep up with their old lives. The author works at an advertising agency and his partner works for Martha Stewart. Their attempt at running a farm isn’t an easy adventure, but it’s a unique one!

It’s not all funny stories on the farm though. The book chronicles not only their country escapades, but also their personal struggles and their full-time jobs in the city. It’s a show more bittersweet look at attaining your dreams and trying to live up to someone else’s. It’s about trying to find the balance between happiness and perfection and trying to determine what you really want out of life. It’s less about the actual act of farming and gardening and more about living the life you want.

BOTTOM LINE: I was expecting this to be a quick fun read, but I actually really liked it. The guys struggle with the things we all struggle with; balancing your personal life and work, balancing your expectations for yourself and others, etc. show less

Oh no you don't! No sighing, sneaking past this review, and saying how good it is! Sit there and READ this.

Josh and Brent, two of the most annoying perfectionist queens Manhattan has ever sucked into its lapidary drum of the effete, are bare-naked and warty as all get-out in this hilarious, touching, brutally honest memoir by the tall one. (Josh.) And he memoirs the way it feels to be human, alive, selfish and self-absorbed and sweet and lovable better than most. He's honest about how hard it is to work like a (highly paid) slave so you can have a dream come true. Then, as so many before him have, he wonders when in the HELL he's going to have time to enjoy the said dream.

Then there's the short one. (Brent.) He isn't writing the book, show more so of course he doesn't get all the best lines. Just most of them. He's the alpha perfectionist of the pair...good gravy, he worked for MARTHA STEWART!...and he decides, on hearing the tall one articulate his dream to live in their fantabulously gorgeous mansionfarm full time, that He Will Make This Happen. Because he loves, so much, the tall one. The scene in the book where they have that conversation, about why they'd have to give the place up in the rancid economy of 2008, made me cry. What they wanted, what their dreams hung on, *pffft* because the rotten shits on Wall Street wanted morebiggerfatter bonuses.

Now these two aren't guiltless little cogs in the Murrikin Machine, mind. They were both in the sizzle biz, taking home oodles of the spondulix selling people an unattainable dream's unattainable health goals for old farts (the short one) and unnecessary, overpriced goods and services (the tall one). But they made so much more out of their lives...they worked hard, they deserved their success...than the standard script for rural gay boys reads.

And then they found, accidentally and because the tall one is a lousy navigator, the perfect place to turn their well-honed swordsmanship skills at these useless pursuits into the plowshares of a real, and really funny, and very satisfying life.

Their website makes me drool. (Not over them, keep your minds out of the gutter.) The farm, the recipes, the products, the involving and addictive blogs, and of course Polka Spot the llama are tremendous pleasures.

Their TV show, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, is a gem and it's worth seeking out on Planet Green, the little bitty Discovery Networks offshoot they run on. This is Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House for the 21st century. Buy it, read it, and heavenly days, recommend it to your friends! The boys need money! Farmer John's goats don't eat air, and that hip replacement wasn't free, and the boys have aging parents who'll need to come live with them soon enough.

Think of the scuff marks. Poor short one. (Brent.) show less

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened up The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers (An Unconventional Memoir) by Josh Kilmer-purcell. My gut reaction was Green Acres in drag, and I suppose I wasn’t that far off. The author was a drag queen in a former life. Life changes though. Josh Kilmer-purcell (who from now on I will refer to affectionately as Josh, despite our having never met) was approaching middle age and ready for the “next stage” when he and his partner stumbled upon the Beekman Property during an apple picking trip upstate. It was love at first sight. The Bucolic Plague tells the story of the purchase of that historic 60 acre property, the couple’s life in Sharon Springs, N.Y. and their show more attempts to make Beekman a profitable enterprise. What began as weekends spent playing at gentlemen farmers quickly became a complete lifestyle change for the couple – in more ways than one.

Josh’s partner is Dr. Brent – beloved by millions as Martha Stewart’s wellness advisor. Martha, who plays a larger part in this book than probably even she knows, is Josh & Brent’s inspiration and torment. It quickly becomes apparent to them, and everyone reading the book, that running the Beekman as a small farm is the surest route to failure. Small, family-owned farms are failing across the country. It’s become a basic fact of rural life. And so - using Brent’s lifestyle knowledge, Josh’s ad exec experience, the help of friends and neighbors in Sharon Springs, even the assistance of Martha herself – Beekman 1802 was launched. A lifestyle company begun on a line of soaps made from goat milk (provided by goats kept on the farm). It quickly expanded to include an heirloom seed company owned by neighbors (featuring seeds planted in Josh’s garden), a baby line, quality stationary, heirloom linens, artisan goat milk cheese and a haberdashery section featuring a silk scarf which I will be ordering in the near future. Everything is the work of local artisans. The entire enterprise can be viewed, complete with blogs by both Josh and Brent, at the Beekman 1802 website.

It’s a great story, but the characters are what make this book stand out. For example: to say that Dr. Brent drank the Kool-aid over at Living is putting it lightly. He spearheads the project of making Beekman 1802 – the website, blog and now television show - a lifestyle brand every bit as powerful as MS. Brent’s OCD tendencies and laser focussed desire to emulate Martha should be irritating, even creepy, yet somehow it’s not. Mainly because for him it is all about fulfilling Josh’s dream to quit their day jobs and live at Beekman full-time. His desire to make Josh’s dream come true makes the mayhem that follows endearing rather than just manic. He is endearingly manic. And yes, it’s a good thing! (you should have seen that coming). Their relationship comes across as funny and sweet in all the right places.

For my full review, of the book and the reality t.v. show, please go to: http://booksexyreview.com/2010/06/16/the-fabulous-beekman-boys-book-vs-reality-t... show less

Two gentlemen with great New York City jobs--one, Dr. Brent Ridge, works for Martha Stewart, the other--the author--is an advertising agency rep, when they decide on an impulse to buy an old mansion they discover while on their annual apple picking trip. They take on the task of re-doing the mansion, putting in a huge garden, and also take on 70 goats and a goat farmer to tend them. The plethora of goat milk leads to a booming online business selling hand-made goat milk soap. Ahh....the bucolic life is wonderful ....except...

They are the stereotypical gay yuppie couple trying to have it all--living at the mansion on the weekends while still working full time in the city, driving and training back and forth, weeding, painting, pickling, show more weeding, canning, entertaining, weeding, sweeping flies (you gotta read the book), slaughtering a home grown turkey for a REAL Thanksgiving, etc etc etc. They are spending so much time trying to be perfect, that their relationship begins to suffer. When Brent is 'pink-slipped' by Martha, and Josh becomes disgusted with the advertising world and quits his job, they suddenly find themselves without a steady income, with a business that is severely impacted by the economic downturn that cost Brent his job, and with emotions they are not used to dealing with. They are in danger of losing everything---the mansion, the farm, themselves and their relationship.

Told with compassion, wit, and a unexpectedly deep understanding of human emotion and vulnerability, this is a well-written memoir of middle-aged reflection and contemplation. On his thirty-ninth birthday, spent alone in his garden, Josh reflects that

Flowers don't blossom then disappear into thin air. They fade. Then the plant drops its leaves. Then the stem browns. And then the whole thing topples over. I figured I was lucky to have been as colorful a bloom as I had been.... pg 225.

Their ability to see the beauty and positives in their lives, including the friendships they formed in the small town, allows them to muddle through and arrive at the other side of their troubles with a recommitted relationship, a re-energized business, and a future that bodes well. show less

I enjoyed this book. It's true - it's a bit unconventional for a memoir, but that's what gives it character. It is as much about the relationship between Brent and Josh as it is about the development of the Beekman mansion into a working farm. I found a lot to relate to....I am married to a man who is similar to Josh, who constantly has new ideas (our latest is turning a Model T showroom into a net-zero energy building called Green Garage Detroit), and so I could see the inevitable friction coming. I was intrigued by the evolution of the business model throughout the year, and how they balanced their lives in the process. I appreciated the fact that Josh honestly dealt with the concept of the face they put on for the public and the show more gritty details of the real life at Beekman. Well written. Now I'm going to get on their site and order some soap. show less

The Bucolic Plague is well written and funny. The story is interesting and has some tension and build up despite being a memoir. While it didn't make me rip through the book in one go, I never got bored with the narrative. It seems a great sort of book to read when you have a few loose moments or may be an afternoon.