Rooted, Sarah Langford
Rooted, Sarah Langford
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Rooted
Stories of Life, Land and a Farming Revolution

Author: Sarah Langford

Narrator: Sarah Langford

Unabridged: 10 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 07/07/2022


Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

A fascinating personal account of a revolution in British farming

Sarah Langford had left her country roots behind to live and work in the city as a barrister. But when she found herself moving to the countryside, back to an agricultural life she had left behind, she saw farmers dealing with very different problems to those faced by her grandfather, who had fed a starving nation after war. Beleaguered with the challenges of climate change, Brexit and falling incomes, they faced accusations of ecological mismanagement from a hostile media and public. But, as Sarah looked to them to teach her about the land, she also found a new generation of farmers on a path of regenerative change.

In Rooted, Sarah weaves her own story around these farmers - from dairy to arable, traditional to experimental - who taught her what being a farmer means. Intimate and moving, these stories shine a light on the human side of modern farming, and show us how land connects us all, not only in terms of global sustainability but in our relationships with our physical and mental health, our communities, our planet and ourselves.

An authentic, beautifully written portrait of 21st Century farming, this deeply personal account puts a powerful case: that the task of restoring our earth and ensuring a sustainable future both for our food and ourselves, lies in the hands of those who live closest to the land.

© Sarah Langford 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Reviews

Goodreads review by Pam on November 28, 2022

In 2022 I’ve read a number of books with “very good food for thought.” Yes, that is a joke given the subject of this book. Rooted qualifies near the top of these books. It is really well written. Who would have thought I’d eagerly pick up a book about farming—thanks Nature Literature group. My fathe......more

Goodreads review by Mitch on July 18, 2022

This is one of those times when the right book falls into your hands at the right time! Having recently moved from the city to the Suffolk countryside - we've been craving to understand the landscape around us, what's happening in those fields (both above and below ground). We've been fascinated by......more

Goodreads review by Richard on November 01, 2023

The relationship between town and country, between those who produce food and those who consume it (although, of course, farmers eat too, and city dwellers can grow food!) has not always been an easy one. However, with the added dimensions of global climate change and ever more mouths to feed that r......more

Goodreads review by Dawn on November 24, 2025

If you loved reading Wilding by Isabella Tree, give this a try. The true story of author Sarah and her husband, who with their small children move in with her parents on their farm, as they find they are in difficulties when life in London takes its toll financially and emotionally. Suddenly thrust b......more

Goodreads review by Jasmine on January 23, 2025

I am always sceptical about books on farming for nature, nervous that the author will either demonise farmers, or over simplify really complex problems. This book did neither, this is a really nuanced look at farming & nature that I think would be really valuable for anyone to read to understand the......more


Quotes

Enthralling ... An unignorable call to understand the challenges facing not only farming but the Earth itself. Spectator

Absorbing, compassionate [and] galvanising. Guardian

Langford writes so movingly of the countryside and its effect on her heart and her family. TLS

More than a memoir; Langford manages to contain and convey the whole scale of the coming agricultural revolution. Daily Telegraph

A refreshing perspective on a overwhelmingly masculine world Financial Times

Sarah Langford's book on farming is really a book about healing. All of life and death is here: family, politics, nature, climate, history, humanity. Rooted is a beautifully written, powerful reminder of where we've gone wrong, what is at stake, and how we can change. I loved it. Christie Watson, bestselling author of The Language of Kindness

Rooted offers us an honest look at the farming life today. It is not an easy way to make a living, but through Langford's personal story - and those of who she meets - we appreciate how it offers a connection with the land, and a firmer sense of our place in the world. Raw, earthy and inspiring. Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

Moving, startling, uplifting, galvanising and unsettling, this plainly beautiful book is one of those rare few that changes how you see the world around you: the shape of fields seen from a train, the vegetables in a supermarket chiller cabinet, the earth beneath your feet and falling through your fingers. Ella Risbridger, author of Midnight Chicken and The Year of Miracles

A beautifully written, incredibly timely book addressing not just where our food comes from and why this matters so much, but also fundamental questions relating to our relationship with the land, and the definition of home. Clover Stroud, author of My Wild and Sleepless Nights

Heartbreaking and hopeful, this story of a farming revival has never been more important. It opened my eyes and touched my soul Esther Freud