Apple Island Wife by Fiona Stoker

Today I am thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour for Apple Island Wife by Fiona Stoker,

Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours, the author, and publisher for a copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly.

 What happens when you leave city life and move to five acres on a hunch, with a husband who s an aspiring alpaca-whisperer, and a feral cockerel for company? Can you eat the cockerel for dinner? Or has it got rigor mortis?
In search of a good life and a slower pace, Fiona Stocker upped-sticks and moved to Tasmania, a land of promise, wilderness, and family homes of uncertain build quality. It was the lifestyle change that many dream of and most are too sensible to attempt.
Wife, mother and now reluctant alpaca owner, Fiona jumped in at the deep end. Gradually Tasmania got under her skin as she learned to stack wood, round up the kids with a retired lady sheepdog, and stand on a scorpion without getting stung.
This charming tale captures the tussles and euphoria of living on the land in a place of untrammelled beauty, raising your family where you want to and seeing your husband in a whole new light. Not just a memoir but an everywoman s story, and a paean to a new, slower age.

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My Review

I felt so honoured to be given an insight into the life of Fiona Stoker, husband Oliver, and their adorable children. Fiona’s memoir is an amusing account of how they moved to Tasmania and adapted to a new country, new climate and a totally new way of life.

The anecdotes are both informative and funny, Fiona has a way of making the most mundane tasks seem really amusing. However, by contrast, she describes the most outrageous occurrences as if they happen on a daily basis!

The Stoker’s new life meant that they had to build relationships with neighbours because of the remote rural setting. I like the way Fiona describes the quirky characters and the close sense of community. Everyone seemed to know each other and they pooled tools, resources, and knowledge to make the best of what was available.

I loved how Fiona described her husband Oliver’s tendency to start projects but never quite get round to finishing them. Something that I can certainly relate to! As an animal lover, the recollections of alpaca training and choosing the right hens (to name but a few) had me captivated and chuckling in equal measures.

I was in awe of the way that Fiona left everything behind, including family and friends and moved to a rural country she knew nothing about. It is something that many of us contemplate, but few have the courage to do so, and for that, I take off my hat to her.

Can’t wait for the next installment!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Fiona Stocker is the author of travel memoir Apple Island Wife – Slow Living in Tasmania, published by Unbound in 2018.

Raised in England, Fiona Stocker now lives in Tasmania where she writes freelance for magazines, newspapers and online publications, and runs a niche farm, food and tourism business in partnership with her husband.

She occasionally works as a ghost writer and editor, and was a judge in the Tasmanian Short Story Competition in 2016. Her first book, A Place in the Stockyard, a history of Tasmanian Women in Agriculture featuring its members, was published in 2016.

Fiona Stocker lives in the Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania, with her husband, two children and around forty-five pigs.

Apple Island Wife is her first travel memoir.