The Curlew's Cry

Captures the essence of three decades in Pamela Lacey’s life and of life in a Montana community after the turn of the century including World War I, the devastating influenza epidemic of 1917, the fluctuating beef prices influenced by the Great Depression. The invitation is there for the reader to observe through the author’s adeptness the incredible truths that were part and parcel of that segment of Montana life during those challenging times. The author’s ability to describe human nature and the ins and outs of the interactions between humans is par excellence throughout this book. Those of us who lived and remember the ‘dirty 30s’ and the ensuing dry years identify readily with this author having portrayed life as it really was during those times as opposed to the mythologized versions focusing on those times by other authors and the movie industry.

Every time Pamela went "out to the ranch", I felt contentment too. Even though it was lonely and sometimes bleak, she belonged there and it made her who she was. I was so glad that Pamela found a way to keep the ranch and make it profitable, and I think she did it for her father as well as herself. The only complaint I have is that the last part of the book moved so fast through the years, jumping ahead by 5 years at a time. I was sorry to see the story end. I live in the mountains of Montana, also alone, and felt this story deeply.

This book reminds me somewhat of Willa Cather's "O Pioneers" in the way the authorbrings nature to life and portrays so well the main character's relation to it. Having beenwritten from first person viewpoint, the story succeeds in making the reader feel a real closenessto its heroine who becomes well developed even as feeling for her continues to build.Everything included in this book seems to fit very well together from beginning to end.And even though there are no great action scenes, emotion alone will keep you reading to discover howthings turn out in the end.

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!