Milking Time [en]

This book, by Tasmanian author Rachael Treasure, was a happy book. Well, not the first half of the book, which was really difficult to read because the main character, Connie, had just come back from university without a diploma and in disgrace and traumatised, and her family really made her pay for it. Connie hated herself, was miserable and depressed, and didn’t know what to do with her life. She felt that she didn’t belong with these people, on that horrible farm where everything was done only for profit’s sake. It was not easy to read and sadly, I could relate to some painful parts of the story.

The second half of the story was very different, as Connie was sent to Ireland and discovered a new world, made friends, and had many fun and eye-opening adventures. She learned new ways to run a farm, and new ways to perceive herself and the world around her, too. When she had to go back to Tasmania, the situation looked hopeless, but armed with her new knowledge, new friends, and inner strength, Connie was going to start changing things little by little.

I found the ex-professor’s story horrible but unsurprising: not everyone likes to be challenged when money and ego are at stake. I found the father’s story tragic and loved how his story was wrapped up. I found the mother’s story sad and hilarious at the end; she reminded me a lot about my mother. I found the brother’s story a bit easy and cheesy. And I found the Irish doctor’s story a bit dumb, but oh well, the ending had to be happy, of course.

There was also quite a lot of jargon about agriculture, unsustainable farming, cows, chemicals, genetically engineered animals, and ecology, but nothing too complicated, and I liked the rarely discussed information about vegan food and the fact that a vegan diet was not touted as the solution to all problems. The scene in the vegan restaurant with Connie explaining to the couple of cooks that their food was destroying the environment as much as her dad’s farm, was hilarious and very cool. Things went a bit on the feminist and « magical » side, with Irish mythology and mysticism and a totally hilarious protest by very angry women, and the ending was too cheesy, but it didn’t bother me too much. It’s good to find positive things in the world sometimes; and the message of possibilities, rebirth, women’s strengths, what healthy food really is, the importance of kindness and resilience, and the power of nature and taking your life into your own hands, which was shared through Connie’s story, is very important.

Overall, it’s a well-researched and interesting book with great characters, some really funny moments, and some great plot twists. It was a very unusual love story–love of oneself, love of the land, love of our family, love of our children, love of animals, love of nature, love of our friends, love of possibilities.