The Rural Diaries Audiobook Review

Since I haven’t commuted to work since March, my Audible account hasn’t been getting much love. I decided to change that in 2021 and listen to audiobooks while doing my mundane tasks at work. Memoirs are my favorite genre for audiobooks, so I decided to start there. My first (full) listen of 2021 was The Rural Diaries written and narrated by Hilarie Burton. It certainly delivered! 

TRIGGER WARNING:

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This book discusses infertility and child loss.

Little Gold Book

The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm by Hilarie Burton

Genre: Memoir/biography
Format: Audiobook, narrated by the author
Date Started: January 18, 2021
Date Finished: January 22, 2021
Rating: 5/5 star

By Its Cover

Hilarie Burton, of One Tree Hill fame, details her life out of the spotlight in her memoir The Rural Diaries. From her relationship, to becoming a mom, to balancing a career, to infertility and child loss, to life on her farm in Rhinebeck, NY, Hilarie lays it all out. You almost forget that Hilarie is a celebrity as her memoir covers all of her “normal” life experiences. 

In My Book

I didn’t know what to expect when I downloaded this memoir. The title called to me, since my husband and I always joke about living on a farm someday. I knew that Hilarie was married to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who I’ve loved since he appeared as Denny on Grey’s Anatomy. Over the years since leaving One Tree Hill, I had seen Hilarie pop up in some shows and Christmas movies. But other than that, I didn’t know much about Hilarie Burton. 

This book blew me away, to be quite frank. It wasn’t about the glitz and glam about Hollywood life as a celebrity. Instead, Hilarie got raw with her life and experiences. She didn’t shy away from the difficulties she faced and didn’t sugarcoat things. I found Hilarie’s perspective on life to be inspiring. She faced every challenge with positivity and grew from it. Her life may not be as she planned it, but she has loved her journey and loves her life and family.

The small town charm of her cabin and farm warmed my heart. As someone who would love to live on a farm, I enjoyed the anecdotes of farm-life. Hearing about how Hilarie, her family, and her friends worked to give back to their community and add to the small town spirit was uplifting, and something I could totally see myself doing!

Hilarie’s narration of her memoir made this listen even more special. I could feel her emotion as she discussed the difficult times in her life and the happiness as she reminisced on the happy moments. The chapters on infertility, child loss, and her rainbow baby were so emotional to listen to, as her pain was palpable. Although I don’t want to be a mother myself, I’ve seen many women in my life struggle with infertility. Hilarie’s approach to this difficult topic was beautiful, as she gave a raw recounting of her years-long struggle to have a second child. 

To Close the Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen. It was fairly short, as far as audiobooks go, at just over seven hours. I listened to it within a work week, breaking it into one to two hour chunks. If you’re looking for an inspiring story of real life and perseverance, I’d highly recommend The Rural Diaries!

Did my The Rural Diaries audiobook review inspire you to get listening? Purchase your copy from Amazon here.

Check out my other reviews here.

From one Wordo to another, thanks for tuning in! See you next time!