The Curlew's Cry

Set mainly in Montana between 1905-41, Pam Lacey, a headstrong ranch girl, sets her sights on "bigger things" and mistakenly marries a rich boy from the East. It's a case of the grass not always being greener on the other side, and, swallowing her pride, she leaves her husband and returns home to Montana. She takes over her father's ranch and, to make money, turns it into a dude ranch (a new fangled idea at the time, and one which infuriates the old ranch hands). She ends up living a pretty lonely existence, especially in the winters when the "dudes" are all gone, but she also learns to be content. Although some of the novel is fairly predictable, Walker writes lovingly of the challenges of Montana ranch life (especially for a single woman) and the deep satisfactions that come with it.

Walker transports you to turn-of-the century ranching life, and the rise of the Western aristocracy. Deals with issues of town vs. country and Eastern establishment and Western individualism. Its a feminist look at social structure and conflict in Western America. A must read for wilderness lovers and lovers of US history!