A review by serendipitysbooks
Graft by Maggie MacKellar

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

 Graft is a memoir which traces a year on a Tasmanian sheep farm. The book is divided into sections, one for each season, with each being composed of multiple components - journal entries recounting farm events particularly those related to lambing, ornithological field guide entries accompanied by a sketch of the relevant bird, dictionary like entries entitled Words it Might be Useful to Know, and regular standard memoir type prose sections. It sounds eclectic but it all came together for me. I especially enjoyed the bird sections, all the more so since I’ve now seen many of the species mentioned, MacKellar’s musings on motherhood especially the changes as her youngest child approaches the end of his school years, her recollections of a childhood marked by a disabled brother - an experience I also share, and the difficulties of farming in a rapidly changing climate. I found it to be honest and relatable. Her love of nature, farming and her family shone through. 
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