Gladys Taber has become a true kindred spirit to me over the last couple of years. And I'm delighted and honored to share about her with you today...
I first heard about Gladys Taber probably seven years ago or so through a book I was reading as well las a blog I read frequently back in the day. I would also see random quotes from her on Pinterest and such and whenever I did, they always stood out to me. They spoke to me in a way. I related to what they were saying, to what she was saying. Susan Branch has also mentioned her numerous times, as has Miranda Mills on her YouTube channel. Then about two years ago, a couple of dear readers who happen to be sisters shared her again with me. I was so glad that they did, because I had forgotten about her quotes at that point and didn't think to check out any of her books. But when they mentioned her name in an email, I immediately remembered her and how I loved the quotes I had seen here and there.
Fast forward to that Christmas of 2021 and I asked for a few of her books and there they were, wrapped in festive paper under our tree. Of course, I didn't know for sure they were there until I opened the packages on Christmas Eve. But oh, was I ever so thrilled!
I immediately began reading my very first book by Gladys Taber. And boy, was I in for a treat!
It is rare when I find a character in a book that I truly relate to. It's only happened once or twice and even then, it wasn't a true kindred spirit sort of connection. But when I read even just the first few pages of The Book of Stillmeadow, a nonfiction memoir written by a simple woman living a rather simple life loving simple pleasures, I found a kindred spirit. It was just as I'd hoped it would always be...finding a kindred spirit within the pages of a book. It just wasn't a novel...it was a memoir. (Which got me on a real kick for finding and reading more memoirs. It has since become a favorite genre of mine!)
It was like finding a true bosom friend.
Gladys Taber writes of her life in Connecticut on her farm in her house she lovingly called, Stillmeadow. She wrote of her daily happenings and her daily home and farm chores. She wrote of her dogs and cats and of all their silly antics. She shared deeply profound thoughts on the world at the time of her writing. And she wrote so much about nature, beauty, home, domesticity, the seasons, enjoying life's simple pleasures and the richness found in a simple life. In a life she loved so very, very much. And she had no idea just what her words would mean to those who would read them decades later.
I find her books to be full of wisdom and comfort. She lived through two World Wars. She lived through the Great Depression. She saw evil country leaders, and others who were upright. And what's so interesting about it is that what she wrote about those things, how the world was "back then", the things she was observing, witnessing, and pondering...they are the same things as today. For that, I find her words so comforting. So wise. So gentle. So profound. They give me peace, and hope, for our days.
While the title for this post specifically mentions The Book of Stillmeadow, what I have said could be said about any of her works. I have only just begun to delve into her writings, as she has so many books out there to read. But what I have read, I have loved more than I can say. As with Susan Branch's Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams, I feel the same about Gladys Taber. Her books are a gift, a true gem, and a light. I'm so very thankful for them!
It isn't all the time I find a book or an author who just really speaks to my soul, but Gladys Taber is one of the few.