Judith L. (jlautner) reviewed on 5/21/2021 + 105 more book reviews

I had some idea that this book was a compilation of actual letters from the 1800s, from Yellowstone. But it isn't. It is a set of fictional letters set in that time, from various people involved in a field study in Yellowstone National Park. The protagonist is A.E. Bartram, a botany student who is excited to join the team. The leader of the team, Howard Merriam, is not aware that A. E. is a woman, and initially he is put off by this.

But A. E. (Alexandria, Alex) proves herself to be a good researcher: enthusiastic, knowledgable, and capable of learning. The rest of the team and those who are involved from afar are not immediately taken by having a woman in the group, but they defer to the leader.

The letters are fun to read, revealing as they do the nature of the work, the relationships among the people involved, and some of the beauty that is Yellowstone. The hotel featured in the book is real and still exists, albeit remodeled, of course.

I enjoyed the development of the characters and did not mind too much the somewhat flowery language employed in the letters. It's true that many people wrote that way at the time, though I doubt that they spoke the same way. Alex's character may be a bit out of sync for the time, but at the same time we read a lot of rather victorian attitude in the letters. I'm not sure that this attitude had invaded all of society at the time, given that at any time there is a mix of cultures and attitudes.

Overall I found it quite enjoyable and it whets my appetite for visiting Yellowstone.

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