A review by rebekahvldz
Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm by Erin Byers Murray

adventurous informative inspiring medium-paced

This book had so much potential. I was fascinated by the sea-to-table lens this book promised about oyster farming and a look at making a living with your hands. It kept my attention until about halfway there, when I got really frustrated with the author's writing style and poor decision making. Hearing about every physical touch these twenty-something guys gave her or how attractive her boss was when her marriage was detoriating was really off-putting. For one thing, I'm not sure why so much of this book was spent devolving Murray's crumbling marriage or deciding if she wanted kids or not. It's one thing to write about a close-knit community in an endearing manner and another to openly share your jealousy and defensiveness when other women join the crew. While informative, I came at this book with absolutely no knowledge of oyster farming and still don't really know what a grower is, how oysters grow their shells or a the ins-and-outs of the farm-to-table industry. I would have been interested to read some history of the bay and more in-depth analysis of this work. It almost felt like she didn't even try to explain oyster farming terminology or methods if you didn't already know. I'm also not sure what qualifies a food writer to assist with marketing, direct a food festival and act as a liaison from the farm to the restaraunt. Finally, my biggest disappointment was s