The Last Cowgirl (ISBN 0061257184)

Great read - doesn't disappoint:
I ordered this book by author Jana Richman, having so thoroughly enjoyed her non-fiction work Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman's Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail. I was hoping for more of her thoughtful insights into the Mormon culture in particular and human nature in general and 'The Last Cowgirl' did not disappoint. With a light and compelling style and clear prose, Richman weaves a tale loosely based on her own experiences growing up in rural Utah to fulfill her father's life-long dream to live the American cowboy life before it was lost forever. The story is a short epic, covering as it does the lives of its main characters over a span of 40 years or so. Along the way, the reader learns more about the uniquely Mormon culture, the difficult but sometimes fulfilling life of the small rancher in the American West, and the US Army's secretive and flawed chemical weapons testing program in the desert west of Salt Lake City in the '60's. The characters themselves are endearing, approachable and well developed for such a compact work, and I found myself wanting to jump in the car and drive out to that rugged valley where the story plays out in the hopes of running into one or more them - they are that appealing and believable. As with her earlier work, Ms Richman has written a book that is entertaining, informative and thought-provoking. I look forward to more from this talented writer.

if you like Kingsolver, you'll like this book:
When I picked up this book, I felt like I did when I first read Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. At last, here was a voice that both told me what life is about and seduced me with a terrific story. I've given this book to several people, and everyone loves it. With a quick sense of humor, Richman follows her characters into a West that includes not just cowboys but military bases. The themes would make any book group stay long past their alloted time: fathers who are bullies; beautiful landscapes that hide deep poisons; and the humanity that makes surviving it all worthwhile.

Worth more attention than it's getting...:
Even if you have never ridden the range, The Last Cowgirl lets you feel what it would be like to live there, do that. With believable characters, making interesting sometimes upsetting choices, even a very contemporary "in the news" plotline, Richman has a lot to offer here. I did find some of the conversation between the 12-year-old Stumpy and Dickie too mature, but that's not a big deal. And at the end I wanted the "bad guys" to get punished, but of course that doesn't always happen in real life either.

Great reading:
A warm wonderful book. I really enjoyed it and felt like I was there while reading it. Great charactors

A Marvelous Work:
Excellent character development with accurate protrayal of the independent personality found so often in out-of-the-way parts of our country. Her writing made me ache with the main character and at times I felt like shaking her. Now, that is writing.