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Growing up in a contentious family, twelve-year-old Anabel feels invisible and isolated from her parents and younger brother. Little does she know that her life is about to change when she meets her father’s mother, Macedonia “Maisy” Kline, for the first time. Relegated to a nursing home by her son, with whom she shares an antagonistic relationship, Grandma Maisy is sassy, opinionated, and sharp, much like Anabel herself. As Grandma Maisy says, “You want to make up your own mind. Some people get itchy when girls think for themselves.” Recognizing a kindred spirit, Maisy opens up to Ana during her recurring visits and tells her full life story for the first time.
Maisy was born to a feed shop owner and his unhappy wife. Growing up in the early 1900s, Maisy enjoys helping her father with his work, risking her mother’s ire whenever she comes into the house smelling of the granary. When she discovers her mother’s plans to marry her off to a high-society stranger in far-away Philadelphia, Maisy rebels by learning to lasso and ultimately runs away from home. She spends weeks traveling the wilderness, crossing the Rockies, foraging and sometimes stealing her food, and picking up work as an itinerant mender. When her horse, Spackles, splinters a hoof, she meets Rosey and Lill, two strong and outspoken women. Lill invites her to come with them to join Buffalo Bill’s show after Maisy demonstrates her skill with a rope by lassoing a raging bull. When Cilla Pystunia, a “trick rider,” comes to town bringing news that Buffalo Bill isn’t hiring, the four women set out to start their own show: the “All-Girl No-Man Little Darlin’s Wild West Show.”
Soon after, they are joined by sharpshooter Violet and cow-riding Klara. Their first show is a resounding success, and they continue traveling west to put on performances. However, small fractures start to form within the group as strong personalities clash. They meet with success, failure, challenges, and ultimate tragedy that changes their lives forever.
This is an incredible historical novel, uniting themes of independence, friendship, familial bonds, and awe-inspiring women. The author’s characterizations are masterful. She captures the loneliness of a misunderstood preteen and the importance of finding kinship, as well as gives voice to a potpourri of independent female characters. She demonstrates that strength comes in many forms: Rosey’s brash, no-nonsense force; the quiet steel of Violet, Glory, and Klara; the steadfast, forward-thinking focus of Lill and Maisy; and even Cilla’s selfish persona. Although some personalities are more likable than others, she treats each female character gently and provides each with redeeming qualities.
The story itself is well-paced, exciting, and difficult to put down. Fortunately, it can be easily read in one sitting. Albanese draws on her own personal experiences growing up on a horse farm, providing an excellent sense of the grit and pluckiness required to be a cowgirl. She infuses her words with warm humor and gentle clarity as she weaves a masterful epic, recalling the storytelling abilities of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Diana Gabaldon. The story’s final twist is a bit jarring and causes some disconnect from the novel's earlier light and quick pace. However, it provides great shock value and several heart-racing moments until the story’s swift conclusion. It should be noted that although the main characters are teenagers (Ana is twelve, and Maisy in her retellings is barely sixteen), the events in the book's latter half are geared toward more mature readers. Overall, this is an epic adventure full of surprises, warmth, and plenty of spirit.
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