From Publishers Weekly
George provides biographical insight into the author of the 1914 pioneer classic Letters of a Woman Homesteader , giving a detailed presentation of Stewart's previously uncollected letters. Photos. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–After deciding that city life as a laundress wasn't for her, Elinore Pruitt, a young widowed mother, accepted an offer to assist with a ranch in Wyoming, work that she found exceedingly more rewarding. In this delightful collection of letters, she describes these experiences to her former employer, Mrs. Coney. Pruitt's charming descriptions of work, travels, neighbors, animals, land and sky have an authentic feel. The West comes alive, and everyday life becomes captivating. Her writing is clear, witty, and entertaining. The 26 letters are brief and tell about her life on the ranch in the early 1900s. The author frequently and unnecessarily apologizes for being too wordy; she begs forgiveness for many "faults," like being forgetful, ungrateful, inconsistent and indifferent, all without apparent cause. On occasion, language reflects the racial prejudice of the time. Many times, Pruitt attempts to portray the culturally diverse characters she meets by writing their various dialects as they sound. Kate Fleming's narration is as smooth as the writing, perfectly transitioning from one accent to the next. She reads with a calm, down-to-earth tone, which suits the writing well.–Kariana Cullen Gonzales, Lincoln Consolidated High School, Ypsilanti, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
Publisher InAudio seems to go from strength to strength in the Our America series. Elinore Stewart, a homesteader, left us a wonderful legacy when she recorded her experiences, reactions, and, best of all, her emotions as she encountered a life that would daunt most people. She wrote wonderfully descriptive letters to a former employer/friend in which she regales her with stories about the usual pioneer tasks, including looking after young children, along with preparing for a wedding, meeting some pleasant-- and very unpleasant--characters, and simply existing in harsh conditions. Narrator Kate Fleming perfectly projects Stewart's humor, warmth, and wisdom. Commendably, Fleming quotes each character in the exact manner in which he or she would have addressed Stewart. This title offers pure pleasure. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Review
"Warmly delightful, vigorously affirmative,"

ANNOTATION

Complete with its original N.C. Wyeth illustrations is this outstanding first-person chronicle of life on the American frontier.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Peopled with the kinds of characters most novelists only dream of"(Christian Science Monitor), this classic account of American frontier living captures the rambunctious spirit of a pioneer who set out in 1909 to prove that a woman could ranch. Stewart's captivating missives from her homestead in Wyoming bring to full life the beauty, isolation, and joys of working the prairie.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly