What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

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► UNSOLVED: One specific book > Looking for a book I read—commune/farmhouse setting, pot-smoking, and a very specific cover image”

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message 1: by Amanda (new)

Amanda Donohue | 1 comments Hi everyone — I’m trying to identify a book I read, likely written or set in the 1960s or 1970s, possibly early ’80s. It had a counterculture / coming-of-age vibe with themes of disillusionment and communal living. I’ve been searching for a long time, and only have fragments, but they’re pretty specific:
• The story follows a young woman (teen or early 20s) who visits a farmhouse or commune — she is not raised there, but just stays temporarily.
• There are dirt rows of vegetables — she walks through them at some point, likely observing or reflecting.
• There’s a vivid scene where she’s lying on the wooden plank floor of the farmhouse getting high, with a guy in the room. The scene felt introspective and very rooted in sensory detail.
• The environment includes pot-smoking, guitar-playing, and the general feeling of communal life where not everyone pulls their weight.
• She becomes frustrated by the imbalance — the fact that some people work while others coast — and eventually decides to leave.
• The tone wasn’t wild or fantastical — it felt realistic, moody, and grounded in its time.

What I remember most clearly was the book cover:
• It had a black-and-white photo of a tree (maybe stark or leafless) with a disco ball hanging from one of its branches.
• The layout had a vintage aesthetic — possibly a yellow or warm-toned border, but that may be inaccurate.
• The imagery was surreal but quiet — like a symbol of faded idealism.

This could have been YA or literary fiction, maybe published by a small press. It’s possible it wasn’t a mass-market release.

Any leads would be hugely appreciated. Even a similar-sounding title or author might help unlock it!


message 2: by Adele (new)

Adele | 1423 comments I can't find a cover like that, but since you ask for leads these felt kind of like the same "vibe" you are describing: Hippie Woman Wild: A Memoir of Life & Love on an Oregon Commune Hippie Woman Wild A Memoir of Life & Love on an Oregon Commune by Carol Schlanger
The Peter Pan Bag The Peter Pan Bag by Lee Kingman
No Rules: A Memoir No Rules A Memoir by Sharon Dukett


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