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Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining view of ranch life in early New Mexico.
Review: An unusual view of ranch life as presented by a well written and humourous female author. They say truth is stranger than fiction, and in this case it certainly is. After you've read the book, next time you're driving through New Mexico stop in Datil for a cup of coffee and talk to the locals, it's an interesting comparison of past and present. A jolly spiffing read.
Rating: 
Summary: The REAL "old west"
Review: I am from the part of New Mexico that Agnes Morley writes about. My parents live in a canyon approximately 30 miles from the Morley homestead. This book tells it like it was and anyone living in Magdalena, Datil, or Pietown today can tell you so. Morley conveys a deep affection for the land and an independence of spirit that still holds true in the area today. It made me proud of my community to read her book. It was also fun reading some of the local history from a first-hand account. I particularly enjoyed Morley's portrayal of the lawyer Elfego Baca, who is a legendary figure in Socorro County. His reputation suffers quite a bit at her hands! The only aspect of local history that I found conspicuously absent from her book was any discussion of the local mining industry. Mining played as great a role in the area as ranching did at the time. I suppose it indicates that the miners and ranchers didn't mix much. Still, it seems odd that she doesn't even mention it.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining view of REAL western life
Review: I was very much impressed by the truthfulness of this book on how life REALLY was - not what Hollywood portrays. Life was difficult but had its humor also. Neighbors were neighbors and even if they were miles and miles away, you could count on them.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining view of REAL western life
Review: I was very much impressed by the truthfulness of this book on how life REALLY was - not what Hollywood portrays. Life was difficult but had its humor also. Neighbors were neighbors and even if they were miles and miles away, you could count on them.
Rating:
Summary: Home, Sweet Home
Review: I work for a school that just purchased 600 acres of the ranch described in this book. The area IS as beautiful as she describes, is as rugged and the people are just as hard-working and caring. I found the book to be a great story. She says she is just a story-teller, but what a good one! It makes the past come alive. My husband and I read parts of it out loud, while camping in the very ranch she describes. WARNING! Once you start, it is hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Home, Sweet Home
Review: I work for a school that just purchased 600 acres of the ranch described in this book. The area IS as beautiful as she describes, is as rugged and the people are just as hard-working and caring. I found the book to be a great story. She says she is just a story-teller, but what a good one! It makes the past come alive. My husband and I read parts of it out loud, while camping in the very ranch she describes. WARNING! Once you start, it is hard to put down.
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Summary: This book offers an exciting view of a way of life now gone.
Review: Mrs. Cleaveland has a friendly style of writing that makes it seem as if she is talking to you across a cup of coffee. This is an honest rendition of ranch life before the fence and automobile. The book explains why and how ranchers did what they did. It describes the wiles of cow and horse which were the constant focus of the rancher and all ranch hands. Growing up on a ranch was a job for everone regardless of age or sex, and if you earned respect, you got it. I recommend this book to anyone looking for some good stories, and anyone interested in the history of the west.
Rating:
Summary: A classic in women's history
Review: The title is misleading, as she truly must have been a great lady. This is a classic memoir by a woman who grew up in 19th-century New Mexico, and worked and rode side-by-side with the men, taking the full responsibilities and knocks of a hard life and keeping a great sense of humor through it all. The only concession to her gender is that she apparently rode sidesaddle, remarkably enough!
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