"Soliloquy of a Farmer's Wife" is the bare-bones diary of a Geneva, Ohio, farmer's wife, Annie Perrin, who wrote during the last three weeks of 1917 and all of 1918, that is, during the final battles, climax, and close of World War I.
Her entries recount her family's trip to Florida where they considered settling before deciding to make a go of their farm near Lake Erie. She writes also of the daily chores and personal stresses of dealing with a difficult husband, sending a son off to the Navy, and worrying about the health of her younger son.
In addition to the work and worry, and...