The Milkweed Ladies the memoirs of poet Louise McNeill, is written our deep affection for and intimate knowledge of the lives of rural people and the rhythms of the natural world. It is a personal account of the farm in southern West Virginia where her family has lived for nine generations.

Born in 1911, McNeill tells the story of her own growing years on the farm through the circadian rhythms of rural life. She presents the farm itself, its level fields, its fence row, and hilly pastures . . . some two hundred acres of trees and bluegrass, running water, and the winding,...