The Bucolic Plague

A successful urban couple accidentally buys a rural estate and tries on weekends to make the place into a self-supporting farm while keeping their 9-to-5's in Manhattan. Both Martha Stewart and Oprah are heavily implicated; theirs is a dream of aspiration shared by many Americans, if different in details. Kilmer-Purcell, who has enjoyed success as a memoirist, a drag queen, and a high-powered ad exec, has a stylish wit, and he artfully moves his story from the shared fantasy to some harsh realities. There is much charm, real love, and wisdom here. Johnny Heller rushes his delivery ("had to" is always "hadda"), but you probably won't care. And when you're done, rush to Beekman1802.com for the author's strawberry galette recipe. It's hilarious. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine