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Letters from Yellowstone: A Novel
For readers of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove , Elizabeth Gilbert ’ s The Signature of All Things , and Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl , Diane Smith’s warmhearted and award-winning epistolary novel about a spunky young woman who joins a makeshift field study in Yellowstone National Park at the end of the nineteenth century
“I loved this book in a way that I haven’t loved a book in some time.” —James Welch, author of Fools Crow
In the spring of 1898, A. E. (Alexandria) Bartram—a spirited young woman with a love for botany—is invited to join a field study in Yellowstone National Park. The study’s leader, a mild-mannered professor from Montana, assumes she is a man, and is less than pleased to discover the truth. Once the scientists overcome the shock of having a woman on their team, they forge ahead on a summer of adventure, forming an enlightening web of relationships as they move from Mammoth Hot Springs to a camp high in the backcountry. But as they make their way collecting amid Yellowstone’s beauty, the group is splintered by differing views on science, nature, and economics.
Brimming with humor, excitement, and the romance of the Yellowstone landscape, Letters from Yellowstone is a love letter to the joys of scientific discovery and America’s majestic natural beauty, as well as a thoughtful reflection on environmentalism, Native American displacement, and feminism at the dawn of a new century.
“I loved this book in a way that I haven’t loved a book in some time.” —James Welch, author of Fools Crow
In the spring of 1898, A. E. (Alexandria) Bartram—a spirited young woman with a love for botany—is invited to join a field study in Yellowstone National Park. The study’s leader, a mild-mannered professor from Montana, assumes she is a man, and is less than pleased to discover the truth. Once the scientists overcome the shock of having a woman on their team, they forge ahead on a summer of adventure, forming an enlightening web of relationships as they move from Mammoth Hot Springs to a camp high in the backcountry. But as they make their way collecting amid Yellowstone’s beauty, the group is splintered by differing views on science, nature, and economics.
Brimming with humor, excitement, and the romance of the Yellowstone landscape, Letters from Yellowstone is a love letter to the joys of scientific discovery and America’s majestic natural beauty, as well as a thoughtful reflection on environmentalism, Native American displacement, and feminism at the dawn of a new century.
226 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1999
About the author
Diane Smith
4 books13 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Diane Smith has lived most of her adult life and a few years of her childhood in Montana, with only brief interruptions to live in San Francisco and London. She studied western and environmental history at the University of Montana, and now specializes in science writing, with an emphasis on public understanding of science and the reform of science education. She also does some travel writing, which often integrates her interests in history and the environment. In her free time, she visits the national parks, volunteers on archaeological and paleontological digs, explores the back roads of Montana, and tries to learn all she can about the natural history of the West.
Diane Smith has lived most of her adult life and a few years of her childhood in Montana, with only brief interruptions to live in San Francisco and London. She studied western and environmental history at the University of Montana, and now specializes in science writing, with an emphasis on public understanding of science and the reform of science education. She also does some travel writing, which often integrates her interests in history and the environment. In her free time, she visits the national parks, volunteers on archaeological and paleontological digs, explores the back roads of Montana, and tries to learn all she can about the natural history of the West.
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April 29, 2014
I wanted to like this a whole lot more than I did. Nineteenth-century woman scientist joins cash-strapped research trip to Yellowstone Park in its earliest days, trip organizer doesn't know she's a woman until she arrives, rebarbative colleagues are redeemed (or not), natural beauties are observed, hijinks ensue.
Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. The epistolary style just never grabbed me, possibly for reasons of technique. Big things (like the death of one of the research trip's members) happened off the page or were reported in generally underwhelming, bury-the-lede type ways. Other events came across as clichéd and convenient: for instance, our heroine is able to join the research team despite confusion and resistance, because she meets a lady patron at the park hotel who volunteers to cover all her costs. At other times I wasn't sure what was important or what I was supposed to be paying attention to: was the story veering toward a romance with the rancher, or the scientist, or nobody? What kind of book was this, anyway? And why wasn't there a glossary for those of us who don't know our Latin genus and species names, and can't always figure them out from context?
In general, this felt like a bit of a starter book to me. Things seemed to happen too easily for the characters, so I was never really surprised or on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. The story never really gained momentum or felt like it could depart from a set path. Even the climactic event seemed artificial, more of an acknowledgement that the action needed to rise and fall, rather than an exceptional event that sprang naturally from or expanded on the book's themes and characters.
The Native American characters felt tossed in without much of a rationale, except as a nod to the fact that of course this land belonged to someone else before white Europeans took it over and started to "discover" it. I appreciate Smith's desire to recognize that fact, but her Native American characters felt just as thin and underdeveloped, and ultimately as unsurprising and uninteresting, as the rest of the cast of the book.
In fact, I never felt interested or invested in any of the characters. It's possible to write about ordinary, routine tasks in ways that make them interesting to read (i.e. China Mountain Zhang.) But this book, made up of a packet of introspective letters about research funding and competing interests for how the park should be used (railroads? agriculture? wildlife and posterity?) just snoozed the pants off me.
Maybe worst of all, I felt like this book knew its moral position on all its issues, and never suffered them to shift. There were clear villains and heroes here. The European count who slimed his way into the park to shoot every animal he could see, in the dubious name of science? Villain. The stalwart captain who defended the natural beauty of the park from railroad barons, hunters, and other exploiters--as expressed in all-caps telegrams to his superior officers? HERO. (Strangely, though, not a hero who really mattered much to the story, except in the sense that he helped preserve the park, I guess.) I'm not arguing that preservation and poaching should swap places on the moral continuum, but with such monotone characters and clearly defined roles, there's just not much room to move around in this book. Everything's already been figured out--the reader's job is to sit still and appreciate it.
I wanted to like this book, I really really did. It's a feminist book, it's a book about ecology and the West, it's a book that includes at least a mention of the Native American and Chinese experiences of the European colonization of the West. But it's also, sadly, a boring book. A boring book that won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award in 1999, and was published with a book group guide--so I assume many other folks liked it just fine. Your mileage may vary from mine, and I hope it does.
Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. The epistolary style just never grabbed me, possibly for reasons of technique. Big things (like the death of one of the research trip's members) happened off the page or were reported in generally underwhelming, bury-the-lede type ways. Other events came across as clichéd and convenient: for instance, our heroine is able to join the research team despite confusion and resistance, because she meets a lady patron at the park hotel who volunteers to cover all her costs. At other times I wasn't sure what was important or what I was supposed to be paying attention to: was the story veering toward a romance with the rancher, or the scientist, or nobody? What kind of book was this, anyway? And why wasn't there a glossary for those of us who don't know our Latin genus and species names, and can't always figure them out from context?
In general, this felt like a bit of a starter book to me. Things seemed to happen too easily for the characters, so I was never really surprised or on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. The story never really gained momentum or felt like it could depart from a set path. Even the climactic event seemed artificial, more of an acknowledgement that the action needed to rise and fall, rather than an exceptional event that sprang naturally from or expanded on the book's themes and characters.
The Native American characters felt tossed in without much of a rationale, except as a nod to the fact that of course this land belonged to someone else before white Europeans took it over and started to "discover" it. I appreciate Smith's desire to recognize that fact, but her Native American characters felt just as thin and underdeveloped, and ultimately as unsurprising and uninteresting, as the rest of the cast of the book.
In fact, I never felt interested or invested in any of the characters. It's possible to write about ordinary, routine tasks in ways that make them interesting to read (i.e. China Mountain Zhang.) But this book, made up of a packet of introspective letters about research funding and competing interests for how the park should be used (railroads? agriculture? wildlife and posterity?) just snoozed the pants off me.
Maybe worst of all, I felt like this book knew its moral position on all its issues, and never suffered them to shift. There were clear villains and heroes here. The European count who slimed his way into the park to shoot every animal he could see, in the dubious name of science? Villain. The stalwart captain who defended the natural beauty of the park from railroad barons, hunters, and other exploiters--as expressed in all-caps telegrams to his superior officers? HERO. (Strangely, though, not a hero who really mattered much to the story, except in the sense that he helped preserve the park, I guess.) I'm not arguing that preservation and poaching should swap places on the moral continuum, but with such monotone characters and clearly defined roles, there's just not much room to move around in this book. Everything's already been figured out--the reader's job is to sit still and appreciate it.
I wanted to like this book, I really really did. It's a feminist book, it's a book about ecology and the West, it's a book that includes at least a mention of the Native American and Chinese experiences of the European colonization of the West. But it's also, sadly, a boring book. A boring book that won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award in 1999, and was published with a book group guide--so I assume many other folks liked it just fine. Your mileage may vary from mine, and I hope it does.
April 22, 2019
In 1898 a group of scientists are joined by A.E. (Alexandra) Bartram to record the land, the plants and their uses in Yellowstone National Park.
The men were shocked to find out that A.E. Bartram was a woman, with zeal to do her job.
They moved to different spots within the Park and up into high country.
The book is full of letters to different individuals with tidbits of their adventure.
The men were shocked to find out that A.E. Bartram was a woman, with zeal to do her job.
They moved to different spots within the Park and up into high country.
The book is full of letters to different individuals with tidbits of their adventure.
October 22, 2023
Една релаксираща разходка, вдъхновена от книгата " Letters from Yellowstone " на Diane Smith.
Не отидох много далеч. Само до градския парк. Но природата си е природа навсякъде. Можем да се отдадем на тишина, на размишление или на съзерцание сред алеите, поляните и под сводестите дървета. Октомврийското слънце на този ден грее ярко и топлината му контрастира с аромата на запалени есенни листа. Все още между два сезона , ми се иска да получа най - доброто и от отиващото си лято и от багрите на новодошлата есен.
За мен книгите са вдъхновение и понякога емоционално откровение. А томчето с писма от природния парк ме запознава с работата на експедициите на учени, решили да документират най - ценните животински и ботанически видове. Тогава, през 1898 година, индианските племена, населяващи територията на Йелоустоун, вече са прогонени в резервати. Най - ярките представители на тези земи - бизоните - се срещат тук - там като атракция за посетителите, други животински видове са били приучени да ровят в отпадъците в задната част на хотелите или направо да си просят храна от туристите. Растителния свят не е в по - добро състояние. А учените имат нелеката задача да картографират измененията в терена и във флората и фауната на парка. Докато прекаления ентусиазъм на ордит�� природолюбители не изменят естественото.
* " Боя се, че сребролюбието и алчността не признават държавни и дори национални граници. "
Моят любим философ Хенри Дейвид Торо е бил прав и за това, че ще подложим на унищожение всяко живо създание като го направим зависимо от себе си. Докато не остане нищо от дивата му природа.
Разходката навън е начин да премахна всяка мисъл за задължения и изисквания от главата си. Само аз , оцветените в приказни краски листа и звучащите в ума ми описания на горещи гейзери, широки пространства и слънцето , топлещо земята. Стилът на писане на Diane Smith ми допада много. Ярък , живописен и закачлив. По този начин героите й не са само на хартия, а са живи, емоционални и много отдадени на работата си. Точно моят тип хора!
* " Но истината често е последната съставка на добрата история..... "
* " Но това, че дадено решение е правилно за всички засегнати, не прави последствията от това решение по-приятни. "
Не отидох много далеч. Само до градския парк. Но природата си е природа навсякъде. Можем да се отдадем на тишина, на размишление или на съзерцание сред алеите, поляните и под сводестите дървета. Октомврийското слънце на този ден грее ярко и топлината му контрастира с аромата на запалени есенни листа. Все още между два сезона , ми се иска да получа най - доброто и от отиващото си лято и от багрите на новодошлата есен.
За мен книгите са вдъхновение и понякога емоционално откровение. А томчето с писма от природния парк ме запознава с работата на експедициите на учени, решили да документират най - ценните животински и ботанически видове. Тогава, през 1898 година, индианските племена, населяващи територията на Йелоустоун, вече са прогонени в резервати. Най - ярките представители на тези земи - бизоните - се срещат тук - там като атракция за посетителите, други животински видове са били приучени да ровят в отпадъците в задната част на хотелите или направо да си просят храна от туристите. Растителния свят не е в по - добро състояние. А учените имат нелеката задача да картографират измененията в терена и във флората и фауната на парка. Докато прекаления ентусиазъм на ордит�� природолюбители не изменят естественото.
* " Боя се, че сребролюбието и алчността не признават държавни и дори национални граници. "
Моят любим философ Хенри Дейвид Торо е бил прав и за това, че ще подложим на унищожение всяко живо създание като го направим зависимо от себе си. Докато не остане нищо от дивата му природа.
Разходката навън е начин да премахна всяка мисъл за задължения и изисквания от главата си. Само аз , оцветените в приказни краски листа и звучащите в ума ми описания на горещи гейзери, широки пространства и слънцето , топлещо земята. Стилът на писане на Diane Smith ми допада много. Ярък , живописен и закачлив. По този начин героите й не са само на хартия, а са живи, емоционални и много отдадени на работата си. Точно моят тип хора!
* " Но истината често е последната съставка на добрата история..... "
* " Но това, че дадено решение е правилно за всички засегнати, не прави последствията от това решение по-приятни. "
September 8, 2015
I wanted to find out a bit about Diane Smith, and here is her website at Montana State University, where she is an assistant teaching professor: http://www.montana.edu/history/diane_...
So no wonder the novel rings so true in terms of the science; she has taken her specialty and created a charming book that captivated me from start to finish. At first I wasn't sure about a book that was written totally as a series of letters, but the format works very well in Smith's knowledgeable hands.
Here is the Publisher's Weekly comment, which reflects much of my own thinking:
"In the spring of 1898, the Smithsonian Institution organized an expedition for botanical research in Wyoming's Yellowstone Park. First-time novelist Smith, an environmental and science writer, follows amateur botanist A.E. Bartram's summer as the lone woman in that party of male professionals, telling her story through detailed letters. When Cornell student Bartram arrives in the camp, she receives a cool reception from expedition leader H.G. Merriam, who expected "A.E." to be a man.... As life in Yellowstone changes her, Miss Bartram must deal with her stiff-necked Cornell mentor, Professor Lester King, whose "black-and-white" thinking she finally comes to reject. Miss Bartram lights up the novel with her admirable intelligence, wit and honest desire to learn from everyone, but Smith wisely prevents her epistles from overwhelming the other characters' voices. Instead, the collage of letters and telegrams produces a Rashomon effect--the same actions are viewed from many perspectives with no one narrator dominant. Serenely attentive, deliberately paced, as careful with psychology and history as it is with its botany, Smith's epistolary narrative makes a worthy addition to the expanding category of history-of-science novels."
I enjoyed Smith's system of naming the books sections with the Latin names of plants--very appropriate to this book. I also admired the often-repeated allusions to the dangers "progress" might bring to the park in terms of tourism and especially the railroad. Smith gives the reader well-developed characters, especially the leader of the expedition, Merriman, and the eccentric Rutherford (whose entire relationship with a crow is a poignant reminder of the other species with whom we humans share this planet).
Merriman taught for 3 years on a Crow reservation, so he hires Joseph Not-afraid to be part of the group. Joseph and his wife Sara are important in helping bridge the gap between Ms. Bertram's strict adherence to Latin scientific names of plants and Merriman's broader acceptance of their common names. And much more is at stake here than "naming"--rather, Bertram learns to open her heart as both the people and park change her perceptions. A first step in this process is when she is willing to leave a plant uncollected, since Joseph says it is "sacred"--a word she has not used in her scientific background.
Toward the end of the book, the group is camped beneath the stars and enters a discussion how humans interpret them. Merriman says, "The world is filled with such wonder and uncertainty. If we can bring some order to it through science or even religion or myth, all of our lives can be equally full of wonder."
This book transported me to the late 1800's, allowing me to grasp, at least a bit, how brave those early researchers were. Lewis and Clark are mentioned throughout the novel--and I am reminded how much these early travelers gave us--without computers or GPS devices.
My thanks to my friend Patty for recommending this book to our club--I would never have found this gem without her.
So no wonder the novel rings so true in terms of the science; she has taken her specialty and created a charming book that captivated me from start to finish. At first I wasn't sure about a book that was written totally as a series of letters, but the format works very well in Smith's knowledgeable hands.
Here is the Publisher's Weekly comment, which reflects much of my own thinking:
"In the spring of 1898, the Smithsonian Institution organized an expedition for botanical research in Wyoming's Yellowstone Park. First-time novelist Smith, an environmental and science writer, follows amateur botanist A.E. Bartram's summer as the lone woman in that party of male professionals, telling her story through detailed letters. When Cornell student Bartram arrives in the camp, she receives a cool reception from expedition leader H.G. Merriam, who expected "A.E." to be a man.... As life in Yellowstone changes her, Miss Bartram must deal with her stiff-necked Cornell mentor, Professor Lester King, whose "black-and-white" thinking she finally comes to reject. Miss Bartram lights up the novel with her admirable intelligence, wit and honest desire to learn from everyone, but Smith wisely prevents her epistles from overwhelming the other characters' voices. Instead, the collage of letters and telegrams produces a Rashomon effect--the same actions are viewed from many perspectives with no one narrator dominant. Serenely attentive, deliberately paced, as careful with psychology and history as it is with its botany, Smith's epistolary narrative makes a worthy addition to the expanding category of history-of-science novels."
I enjoyed Smith's system of naming the books sections with the Latin names of plants--very appropriate to this book. I also admired the often-repeated allusions to the dangers "progress" might bring to the park in terms of tourism and especially the railroad. Smith gives the reader well-developed characters, especially the leader of the expedition, Merriman, and the eccentric Rutherford (whose entire relationship with a crow is a poignant reminder of the other species with whom we humans share this planet).
Merriman taught for 3 years on a Crow reservation, so he hires Joseph Not-afraid to be part of the group. Joseph and his wife Sara are important in helping bridge the gap between Ms. Bertram's strict adherence to Latin scientific names of plants and Merriman's broader acceptance of their common names. And much more is at stake here than "naming"--rather, Bertram learns to open her heart as both the people and park change her perceptions. A first step in this process is when she is willing to leave a plant uncollected, since Joseph says it is "sacred"--a word she has not used in her scientific background.
Toward the end of the book, the group is camped beneath the stars and enters a discussion how humans interpret them. Merriman says, "The world is filled with such wonder and uncertainty. If we can bring some order to it through science or even religion or myth, all of our lives can be equally full of wonder."
This book transported me to the late 1800's, allowing me to grasp, at least a bit, how brave those early researchers were. Lewis and Clark are mentioned throughout the novel--and I am reminded how much these early travelers gave us--without computers or GPS devices.
My thanks to my friend Patty for recommending this book to our club--I would never have found this gem without her.
July 5, 2008
I read this book in anticipation of my first trip to Yellowstone next month. It left me feeling even more excited for the trip.
I love the premise of the book, a female botanist joining a research team in the early days of Yellowstone (the nations first National Park.) I enjoyed the characters, and that the letters from Yellowstone aren't just from Alex, but even some of the minor supporting characters. The letters don't just give insight into the natural environment of the park, but into scientific research techniques, the conflicts between progress and preservation, science and religion, and even man and woman.
I love the varied perspectives, especially those of women and Native Americans in a setting when those voices weren't heard. I logically know that this is a fictional account, but it still touched me to imagine that the park the characters observed over 100 years ago and the one I'll see next month hopefully hasn't changed much, thanks to the Preservation Programs of the National Parks system. The book is a wonderful celebration of the natural world.
P.S. If you read it and enjoy the references to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, you must check out Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage."
I love the premise of the book, a female botanist joining a research team in the early days of Yellowstone (the nations first National Park.) I enjoyed the characters, and that the letters from Yellowstone aren't just from Alex, but even some of the minor supporting characters. The letters don't just give insight into the natural environment of the park, but into scientific research techniques, the conflicts between progress and preservation, science and religion, and even man and woman.
I love the varied perspectives, especially those of women and Native Americans in a setting when those voices weren't heard. I logically know that this is a fictional account, but it still touched me to imagine that the park the characters observed over 100 years ago and the one I'll see next month hopefully hasn't changed much, thanks to the Preservation Programs of the National Parks system. The book is a wonderful celebration of the natural world.
P.S. If you read it and enjoy the references to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, you must check out Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage."
August 17, 2022
I was excited to pick this up because I love epistolary novels, and a woman breaking barriers while doing science in a (then) brand new national park? I'm in!
The beginning held up to the promise of the premise, but I grew bored in the middle and at the end there's a big, kinda tragic happening that screams Literary Fiction (in a bad way). Do LitFic characters only carry on if there's an awful thing to propel them? Maybe. The interesting tidbits about Yellowstone helped keep the rating at three stars, though.
Content notes:
The beginning held up to the promise of the premise, but I grew bored in the middle and at the end there's a big, kinda tragic happening that screams Literary Fiction (in a bad way). Do LitFic characters only carry on if there's an awful thing to propel them? Maybe. The interesting tidbits about Yellowstone helped keep the rating at three stars, though.
Content notes:
January 16, 2018
I really enjoyed this story set in 1898 of a group of scientists who go to Yellowstone to collect flora and fauna specimens and information to be cataloged for science. However, A.E. Bartram, who is accepted as a participant in this expedition, turns out to be - a woman! Um, uh, well, no one said.... uh, well, what should we do.... um well....
Anyway, after they get over Alexandria being a woman, she turns out to be a very diligent and conscientious member of the team. And then the author goes on with the story of different obstacles they must all overcome, events that happen, and the conclusion which has a dramatic climax and a pretty nice ending.
However, the whole story is told only through correspondence, from the members of the team, to their employers and family members. This makes the read a little more interesting.
I liked that it was kind of light and fun, but it did tell quite a bit about Yellowstone, the scenery, and the items that they collected. It felt beautiful, but still held my attention very well.
Anyway, after they get over Alexandria being a woman, she turns out to be a very diligent and conscientious member of the team. And then the author goes on with the story of different obstacles they must all overcome, events that happen, and the conclusion which has a dramatic climax and a pretty nice ending.
However, the whole story is told only through correspondence, from the members of the team, to their employers and family members. This makes the read a little more interesting.
I liked that it was kind of light and fun, but it did tell quite a bit about Yellowstone, the scenery, and the items that they collected. It felt beautiful, but still held my attention very well.
August 7, 2008
Last year we took our two small children to Powell, Wyoming where my husband and I once went to college. They had never been and we were excited to show them how beautiful the state is. On our way home to California we stopped at a little shop in Yellowstone near Old Faithful. This is where I saw this book. I HAD to have it and I'm so happy that I bought it. The moment that I opened the cover I could not put it down!!
This is the story of a young botanist who joins a research team in Yellowstone at the early days of it's status as a national park. It's told completely through letters by the botanist, her "co-workers", family, and friends.
This book is a treat to read. I passed my copy on to my manager who spends her summers at her cabin. When she was done I asked her to send it to her lovely daughter on Vashion Island who loves nature. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I did.
This is the story of a young botanist who joins a research team in Yellowstone at the early days of it's status as a national park. It's told completely through letters by the botanist, her "co-workers", family, and friends.
This book is a treat to read. I passed my copy on to my manager who spends her summers at her cabin. When she was done I asked her to send it to her lovely daughter on Vashion Island who loves nature. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I did.
March 12, 2009
In 1898 A.(Alexandria) E. Bertram, a medical student from Cornell, has the opportunity to follow her real passion, botany, and join, as a last minute substitute, a research expedition to the newly opened Yellowstone Park. When she joins the team in Montana and the mild-mannered professor who is leading them finds that she is not a man, he is horrified and so are the others. But she is determined to stay. The story is fascinating, including the history of our first national park and the struggle of women to gain respect as scientists. The characters are engaging and the entire novel consists of the letters they write to their families, friends and professional colleagues, a wonderful way to read their various viewpoints and how their relationships evolve. A love of nature and a spirit of adventure permeate the story, fast moving and told with humor and sensitivity.
May 14, 2021
3.75/5
let me collect my thoughts
let me collect my thoughts
June 17, 2015
I really needed this wonderful story about.....lots of things......nature, science, relationships and woman's place in the world of the late nineteenth century, as well as short! (226 pages) This could have been a nauseating romance but that wasn't what Diane Smith had in mind. It is a gift of straight forward Life, set in the beauty of Yellowstone National Park, at the beginning of it's introduction to not just adventure seekers but businessmen and tourists. Scientist saw the need and possibilities of finding something new and recording it.
Alex Bartram is the shining example of what you would like to think you would have been during this period of time.
"Darwin's forest was in Brazil. Mine is closer to home. But that overwhelming feeling must be very similar, and not unlike what primitive believers must experience when overcome with what they believe to be God, but which, at least for me, is the first and full appreciation of the wonders of the real, physical, living, breathing world. It is that moment in a naturalist's life, and we are all naaturalists if we open our eyes, when the curtain lifts around us, and it is good, so good, to be alive."
Alex discovers more than just nature. "I, for one, can certainly sympathize with mrs. Eversman's perspective. A dead bird, no matter how beautiful and informative it appears neatly laid to rest in a drawer, is still nothing more than a stuffed museum specimen. To understand the true nature and classification of birds, you must, like Mrs. Eversman herself is doing, spend hours on end observing the living, breathing- and I might add messy and unpredictable - creatures in the field.....We need more of these so-called nature lovers in the world."
This is a novel based entirely on letters....so cleverly done that you forget until you get to the signature.
Alex Bartram is the shining example of what you would like to think you would have been during this period of time.
"Darwin's forest was in Brazil. Mine is closer to home. But that overwhelming feeling must be very similar, and not unlike what primitive believers must experience when overcome with what they believe to be God, but which, at least for me, is the first and full appreciation of the wonders of the real, physical, living, breathing world. It is that moment in a naturalist's life, and we are all naaturalists if we open our eyes, when the curtain lifts around us, and it is good, so good, to be alive."
Alex discovers more than just nature. "I, for one, can certainly sympathize with mrs. Eversman's perspective. A dead bird, no matter how beautiful and informative it appears neatly laid to rest in a drawer, is still nothing more than a stuffed museum specimen. To understand the true nature and classification of birds, you must, like Mrs. Eversman herself is doing, spend hours on end observing the living, breathing- and I might add messy and unpredictable - creatures in the field.....We need more of these so-called nature lovers in the world."
This is a novel based entirely on letters....so cleverly done that you forget until you get to the signature.
March 3, 2019
A sweetly told book, all in the form of letters and an occasional telegram from various members of a botanical exploration in the summer of 1898. I discovered this book and read it for a VISITING A NOVEL segment I wrote for some years for MILITARY OFFICER magazine.
Glenn and I snowmobiled (as travel writers) around Yellowstone for four days some years ago. Noisy, smelly machines, but when they are turned off, there is this amazing enormous silence with everything blanketed in white.
Bison prefer the plowed roads and when we encountered them, we would slow way down and close the gaps between to form a "caterpillar" which the bison did not see as something to fear or something to challenge.
Our heroine Alex is not there in the depths of winter, of course, but in the summer of 1898 and her letters reveal many aspects of the "Nation's Park." Yellowstone was, in fact, the first national park in the world. The U. S. Army was in charge for quite a few years before the National Park Service came into being.
Glenn and I snowmobiled (as travel writers) around Yellowstone for four days some years ago. Noisy, smelly machines, but when they are turned off, there is this amazing enormous silence with everything blanketed in white.
Bison prefer the plowed roads and when we encountered them, we would slow way down and close the gaps between to form a "caterpillar" which the bison did not see as something to fear or something to challenge.
Our heroine Alex is not there in the depths of winter, of course, but in the summer of 1898 and her letters reveal many aspects of the "Nation's Park." Yellowstone was, in fact, the first national park in the world. The U. S. Army was in charge for quite a few years before the National Park Service came into being.
February 1, 2021
In this era of texting and messaging, the art of communication by letters has gone by the wayside. I am a big fan of books in epistolary format, if done well. Taking place in Yellowstone National Park in 1898, it tells the tale of a young woman botanist, bound and determined to make it in a man’s world. Granted, it brought back fond memories of having worked one summer in Yellowstone National Park myself while a college student.
February 21, 2020
I am going to Yellowstone this June and I have been interested in fiction and non fiction of the area. This book follows a woman botanist into the park with fellow researchers in 1898. The park has been a national park for 20 or so years at this point and there still aren’t any hunting limitations within the park. That is a small part of the book and I found it surprising. The whole discovery of Yellowstone in the 1800’s (by whites) is an amazing thing. Although the Indians within in it is a sad story. This book shows a little of the wonder of it thru the letters.
February 20, 2023
This book was so sweet 😭🫶 I don’t know that much about Yellowstone or what nature out West is like in general, so it was interesting to get these scientific descriptions and daily travel journaling of the characters for what it was like during the late 1800s. Also the characters were sooo well written and developed throughout the story. My only problem was that it was somewhat hard to get hooked in the first half of reading, but it picked up a lot in the second half (lots of heavy scientific descriptions and details that I often got disinterested in)
February 20, 2024
It’s been a while since a work of fiction was as impactful as a nonfiction book for me. But this one was emotionally stirring, packed with vivid imagery, historic details, and scientific descriptions. Having spent time in YNP, especially in the Yellowstone Lake area, made the read even more fun! I particularly enjoyed the theme of nomenclature within the novel.
It’s similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The story is revealed through letters, allowing a look into multiple characters POV.
It was a quick and enjoyable read!
It’s similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The story is revealed through letters, allowing a look into multiple characters POV.
It was a quick and enjoyable read!
May 12, 2018
Enjoyed this book a lot. I love a book that transports me to places that I know and love --- like Yellowstone. It also helps that I strongly identify with the independent female character who chooses her passion over societies expectations of her. Makes me want to do a month-long walking tour of Yellowstone.
August 30, 2019
What a delightful book and romp through Yellowstone at the turn of the twentieth century! It is about science, particularly botany, and exploration and Yellowstone, about feminism and wildness and indigenous rights and treatment. I really enjoyed the ways it thinks about science and knowledge and who can and does engage in science.
August 13, 2021
Interesting time for the U.S., even more interesting for a woman with a career outside the home. Enjoyed everything about the main character's strong traits and gumption, go girl!
March 20, 2022
Delightful read.
March 13, 2013
I was quite excited about this book when I first started reading it, but it didn’t live up to my expectations. It is a novel in letter form about an early (1898) scientific expedition to the National Park (i.e. Yellowstone). The book does address some of the issues of turn of the last century America, such as the changing role of women in science, recreation versus conservation, views of Native Americans, and what exactly IS science. But, the topics are treated quite superficially. I was looking forward to some real botany (I am an emerging amateur wild plant enthusiast) and there was barely any – although I loved the line drawings of plants that mark the separate parts of the book. I have read several non-fiction works recently that did much more in addressing the changing roles of women at the turn of the century [e.g., Bold Spirit by Linda Lawrence Hunt and Nothing Daunted, by Dorothy Wickenden]; works on issues of how to care for our nation’s natural resources are abundant and there is little in the book that is new about Yellowstone’s issues at the turn of the century. I was not convinced by the letters – a bit too much detail for me to believe someone actually wrote them, but I do like seeing the same situation from differing points of view
In spite of my negative comments, it is a fun, easy and worthwhile book to read.
In spite of my negative comments, it is a fun, easy and worthwhile book to read.
September 16, 2012
I found this to be a great short read. I think even with the topic of botany and science it still appeals to a larger audience. It also definitely re-sparked my interest in visiting Yellowstone.
With the exception of naming flora and fauna in scientific nomenclature I found this book to be full of great insight into human interaction. Since this books written form is entirely in correspondence form, I felt this added a dimension to the story.
It brought to light how often people's interpretations of interactions are often misinterpreted. How often we might think, "someone doesn't like me" or that person's views on that topic are this when it may not be the case.
I really enjoyed the character development throughout the story and changing views surrounding Alex. She went from in perception an unwanted woman to a contributing colleauge. I also felt that it shed light on what women even today still face. Pursue a career and your own interests or sacrifice a part of yourself to begin a family.
With the exception of naming flora and fauna in scientific nomenclature I found this book to be full of great insight into human interaction. Since this books written form is entirely in correspondence form, I felt this added a dimension to the story.
It brought to light how often people's interpretations of interactions are often misinterpreted. How often we might think, "someone doesn't like me" or that person's views on that topic are this when it may not be the case.
I really enjoyed the character development throughout the story and changing views surrounding Alex. She went from in perception an unwanted woman to a contributing colleauge. I also felt that it shed light on what women even today still face. Pursue a career and your own interests or sacrifice a part of yourself to begin a family.
August 30, 2010
I know, I know...it seems like a book only a botanist could love. But really, we read this in my book group, in which I am the only botanist, and the other members enjoyed it, as well.
A wonderfully refreshing story about a woman who joins a botanical expedition into Yellowstone in 1898---and the party is comprised of men who don't have a whole lot of faith in the capabilities of women in the sciences. Told in the form of letters back and forth between various people, the perspective is always shifting without being too revealing.
Highly recommended....and it's a short read, too, for those of you who don't have a whole lot of time.
A wonderfully refreshing story about a woman who joins a botanical expedition into Yellowstone in 1898---and the party is comprised of men who don't have a whole lot of faith in the capabilities of women in the sciences. Told in the form of letters back and forth between various people, the perspective is always shifting without being too revealing.
Highly recommended....and it's a short read, too, for those of you who don't have a whole lot of time.
September 24, 2015
I really enjoyed this novel following a naturalist expedition into Yellowstone National Park in the late 1800s. The characters were interesting and full of endearing quirks. Although I am not knowledgeable about plants I enjoyed the descriptions of Alexandra Bartram's finds. The story is told through letters written by members of the expedition to colleagues and friends back home. I thought the format was effective although there were several occasions when the missives no longer seemed letter-like and the author slipped into straight prose. Reading this book only strengthened my desire to visit Yellowstone in person.
May 9, 2018
First book in letters format I have ever finished, and completely enjoyed. Interesting themes: Yellowstone National Park in its early years...developers and entrepreneurs pitted against conservationists; an independent, strong-willed, well educated woman trying to make her way into the completely male-dominated field of botany; researchers trying to catalogue flora and fauna before the park becomes overrun by tourists. A very satisfying read.
June 29, 2012
Love an epistolary novel! Told in letters from the various characters, the book traces a plucky female naturalist on a botany expedition to Yellowstone. So much to be had 'between the lines' of the various letters. What they leave out is as revealing as what is left in. There's something inherently 'naughty' about reading other people's letters, and it's such a delight to see how the same character uses different tones and phrases depending on whom they are writing to. And then, to see how different characters describe and react to the same event. Loved this!
August 24, 2007
I met this author in Wyoming at my residency. The book is a charming, well-paced story about a young woman botanist exploring Yellowstone Park with a group of fellow scientists in the Victorian time of the late 1800's. The whole book is told in the form of letters home by all of the characters. This is a Jane Austen-esque look at what being a woman with professional aspirations was like back in the day.
August 22, 2008
nice to crack this one open on the heels of "prodigal summer" as it's following an adventurous lady botanist / naturalist at the turn of the century. there are some parallels with the prodigal summer characters, although their interests are primarily of the insect / animal world.
update: enjoyed the book, a nice easy summer read... i'd pick up other titles by the same author (i think there are a few others along the same lines, if not engaging the same characters?)
update: enjoyed the book, a nice easy summer read... i'd pick up other titles by the same author (i think there are a few others along the same lines, if not engaging the same characters?)
March 17, 2009
I started this book when I was in Yellowstone, the fall of 2007. I just finished it. I loved it. I savored it. But I'm biased. Made me want to go back and camp. It's a weird format - all letters from the characters to someone outside the park. There is no plot - just reflections on the day to day activities of the scientific expedition and the goings on of life in the park in 1898. I liked the main character, a young woman botanist - spunky girl.
October 20, 2008
for that geeky botanist side in everyone of us. this is written through letters (duh) sent back and forth between members of a party of professors at the opening of Yellowstone national park. a woman from the east coast covertly invites herself along by neglecting to mention she is a woman and thank god, there's not really any love story involved. it's really well written and fascinating to learn about the history of the park when it first opened....
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