Diane Smith (1)Reseñas

The vintage cover of Letters from Yellowstone was appealing and the book itself was certainly well-written, but the postcard correspondence format didn't really do it for me. While the stories shared during each missive were interesting and era-appropriate, I had a hard time connecting with the characters as a result. For the most part, it felt like I was just reading old postcards without having a clear picture of the correspondents. But the writing was quite lovely, so I'm torn between 3 stars and 4 stars. Therefore, I'll give it 3 1/2 stars.

Having studied wildlife conservation in the USA in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, I was surprised to learn how much the Smithsonian Institution relied on Yellowstone National Park to supply specimens for the 1876 Centennial exhibition and the US National Museum, and later living animals for the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. The emphasis on capturing live animals in Yellowstone led to a "taming" of wild animals through fenced enclosures and feeding, which was good for tourism. By telling this story, Diane Smith provides an excellent perspective on the development and convergence of environmentalism, wildlife conservation, zoos, national parks, and science. My only complaint is that I wish she would have consulted my Most Defiant Devil: William T. Hornaday and His Controversial Crusade to Save American Wildlife.

Engaging story set in Yellowstone. Story told in letters. Loved the character of Alex and her regard for nature and natural settings.½

Read because my son has to read it this summer to get ready for Honors American Lit., senior year in high school. It's perfect for that audience. Botany, history, feminism, adventure, even a bit of romance... something to appeal to all, and broaden the minds of those readers who are focused on certain genres.

I found it too light, too short, and too implausible. The letters just do not sound as if they were written by these people in that time. And I wanted more depth, more admissions and explorations of the complexities these people faced.

It isn't as fluffy as chick-lit, but those who prefer that could certainly handle this. Still, I did enjoy spending the summer of 1898 with the characters, and I wanted to know what happened to them come autumn, so I gladly read to the end.

Well written and interesting!

Well written and interesting!

If I call this quaint or charming, it would sound demeaning. Yet the genteel language used in the letter writing encourages such a response in admiration. I think I just like to read about women during stricter historical times who act outside of the traditional female roles. Eleanor Peterson, admittedly, would much prefer to be happily married and taken care of, but she learns to support herself and try new experiences as a scientific illustrator for an archaeological dig. Intermixed with the story of natural history exploration is a story of the Native American condition in the West. I must admit, I find it fantastic that urban elite would so casually tour the contested lands. There were quite a few visitors showing up at the dig, during the same time frame as General Custer's battles with the Sioux.

While I enjoyed this relatively short epistolary novel, it wasn't *riveting*. It is the story of a young woman in 1898 who joins a group of scientists on an field study expedition to Yellowstone to collect *samples* to study and catalogue from the park. The group is an eclectic collection of characters itself and their adventures and misadventures are chronicled and revealed through their letters. It was interesting to observe the attitudes towards the environment and conservation and how, in some cases, awareness of their value has, and hasn't changed over all these years.

An interesting epistolary novel about the collection of specimens from Yellowstone National Park in the late 1800's. While there is alot of interesting information about Yellowstone, the book does drag at times. There is a diverse group of characters (especially Alex, the woman in the mans world) which does make the book easier to get through. Having been to Yellowstone made the book more interesting for me and I think that would hold true for most readers. Not a bad book, not a great book.

I bought this when I was in Yellowstone about 10 years ago, then pulled it out when our next Yellowstone was planned for this summer. It's a fictional tale of a woman conducting botany research in the park in 1896. I enjoyed it and thought of the main character as we toured the geological wonderland again. There was a Bartram connection as well - famous gardening name in Philadelphia - that I will have to look into in greater detail.

I didn't finish this. It is not terrible, but it is deathly boring. Ostensibly a novel about a lady scientist in 1898 traveling to Yellowstone, it's written by a botanist who works there and it's just one page of info dump, about the history of the park and the plants that grow there, after another. As the title would indicate, the story is told in letters written by many different characters, but all the voices sound exactly the same, and the occasional flashes of humor revealed at the beginning completely disappeared by page 40. After a hundred pages, I found myself dreading picking it up again, and I decided that I don't have to read a book for farther than a hundred pages if I really don't like it. I could have powered through, because it's only about 230 total, but I am taking a stand.

A charming epistolary novel about a young woman botanist in 1898 on a specimen gathering trip in Yellowstone Park.

Told entirely through correspondence, this lovely volume recounts a botanical expedition in the 1890s to "the Nation's Park" or Yellowstone. The descriptions of the flora and fauna were vivid and unique from the different characters. I became a ready champion for A.E. Bartram and Prof. Merriman both, along with the rest of the party. Purchased while visiting Yellowstone.

I enjoyed this book especially because I live in WY. Great way to introduce a woman to a man's world.

Letters From Yellowstone by Diane Smith is an epistolary novel that gives readers a wonderfully well-rounded picture of an adventurous summer in 1898. Because she signed her letter of application with only her initials, Alexandria Bartram was hired as a member of a team exploring the area. (Even today, alas, gender expectations color hiring decisions.)

Alexandria was able to withstand the initial hostility and mistrust with which she was greeted and earns equal status and credit many times over. In 1898 our country was still young. The government and business interests had conflicts over land use. Her letters, and those from others in the group, detail events that shaped the policies now in place.

Diane Smith successfully assigns different voices to all the group, and as they work and live together, readers watch attitudes change. It is a delightful (as well as interesting and informative) book, that proves the value of its format.

This was a really wonderful story of the adventures in Yellowstone Park with a bunch of naturalists and other characters. The entire story is told through a series of letters and nearly every character gains a voice through this technique. The reader is able to get to know many aspects of each character's personality by the information they share and withhold from each of their recipients.½

A woman in 1919 recalls an archeological expedition to Montana in 1876, just after Custer's defeat. The conceit is that she's writing comments on paintings that have survived by an older friend who accompanied her on the trip. But it's actually a very conventional narrative that never really captured my interest in spite of a subject matter that should have.

Very good. Exploring the west as liberating.

This I really enjoyed. Quiet story but interesting in the atmosphere and different viewpoints.

Young woman botanist joins summer expedition to Yellowstone. Leader of expedition, expecting male, is reluctant to accept her. Good warm hearted read.