Very much. It’s a bit hard to keep all the characters straight, so I gave up and just concentrated on Virginia. The things she was able to accomplish were amazing. The author focuses somewhat on how much she was discriminated against because she was a woman – other spies refusing to take orders from her, lack of recognition from her superiors – but the author pulls out a lot of her accomplishments that were buried through the years. It’s a well-told tale.
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I looked up “rattlesnake bite” and the info for today–in 2021–still sounds pretty bad. No wonder it was almost a death sentence in the 1870’s.
As to what 14 year olds could do when they were motivated to avenge a loved one’s murder, I can’t say. The kids in Cheaper by the Dozen did a lot on their own, especially after father died. How Roister pushed the horse and grievously tortures and runs it to death to save Mattie was pretty upsetting, as was her amputation and his death before Mattie is able to see him for a reunion. I guess they wanted it to be more realistic of the brutality of life in those days.
I would likely not have survived childhood due to allergies, infections and asthma, all of which I’ve had from young childhood.
Here’s a snippet of John Wayne as Rooster plus the other two main characters.
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Haven’t been able to check in for a few days, but as always I’m fine with the next selection. I’ll be reading “The Four Winds” for at least 1 other Book Club, and possibly “Deacon King Kong.”
For Books on the Beach this summer the list includes “The Guest List,” “The Murmur of Bees” and “Caste: The Origins of our Discontent.”
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@CBBBlinker : I enjoyed The Guest List. It was a page turner, although it hasn’t stayed with me.
Not to be confused with The Guest Book, which I really enjoyed and which has stayed with me. In fact, maybe I’ll suggest it for this group next time out. It takes place primarily in the 1930s – although it has “flash forwards” to today – and is about a rich, privileged family. It had a lot to say about systemic racism and how incredibly subtle it was. But an excellent read.
On my bedside table:
Hamnet - Finally. I have it on my Kindle and read approximately 60% at book club time. I found myself wanting to flip back and forth as I read, savoring the story. I decided that I’d enjoy the book more with a hard copy. I’m finding that’s true.
Gaudy Night - Lord Peter Wimsey #10. Yes, I’ve read the previous nine. I’m working my way through the series book by book. Thanks to @mathmom for the original suggestion.
Unmarriageable - Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan. So far, good.
Upcoming:
We Were Killers Once - Brigid Quinn #4. Last so far in the series. I’ve throughly enjoyed the first three.
The Bombay Prince - Perveen Mistry #3. I actually meant to suspend the hold on this one but obviously didn’t. Since it’s on its way to me, I’ll fit it in somehow. I’ve really liked the first two.
Kirkus review:
Massey’s graceful prose and mastery of period detail successfully suggest the fiction of the period.Perveen’s third mystery propels a rich story of female empowerment during a pivotal era.
and last but not least
The Goblin Emperor - I’m rereading this one. Read it and loved it and a companion book comes out June 22nd. It can’t be possibly as good as The Goblin Emperor (winner of the 2015 Locus Award), can it? No matter … I’m looking forward to this one.
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I love Gaudy Night. I reread it regularly. I just finished the latest Sebastian St. Cyr mystery by C. S. Harris. I really like them, they are set in a very gritty much more realistic Regency England than your typical Regency romance. This one is set among the breweries and drinking establishments of London’s Wapping neighborhood. The murders that are the background are real, as is the final culminating event. Her historical notes tell you more about what she made up and what was all too true. I’m not a big mystery reader, but I really enjoy Sebastian, his family and am hopeful that some day we’ll actually get the solution to the overarching mystery of his life and parentage! If you read them, best to start at the beginning.
Currently I am reading Hail Mary which is the latest book by Andy Weir who wrote The Martian. I am enjoying it a lot though he’s a little bit too in love with explaining how he makes gadgets out of shoestrings and how everything works. The character in this book is very much a repeat of the protagonist from The Martian, but he’s a guy I don’t mind spending some time with so it’s all good.
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@HImom, that’s a great clip. It’s almost verbatim from the book.
I understand why many people have an aversion to John Wayne, but in my mind, he was born to play Rooster Cogburn. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for that role in 1970. It was his only Academy Award.
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Right now, I’m reading Daisy Jones and The Six and really enjoying it. It’s a good “palate cleanser” book – quick and fun, but a quality read. I’ve been doing chores to the “Rumours” album. 
(The novel is not technically about Fleetwood Mac, but they were one of the inspirations for Taylor Jenkins Reid and the story has that vibe.)
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I listened to Daisy Jones and the Six, eAudio with full cast. Well-done. I also really liked Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I thought of Elizabeth Taylor off and on as I read though, not.
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Here’s a trailer of the sequal, Rooster Cogburn & the lady with John Wayne & Katherine Hepburn.
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Up next based on friend’s review and encouragement
Hour of the Witch / Chris Bohjalian
The Four Winds- Kristin Hannah
I enjoyed this critique of “True Grit” movie in which John Wayne won his only Oscar for best actor.
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Saw Shane and True Grit movies. They were somewhat different from the books. All were enjoyable in their own way. The movies had a lot of cliches (as did the books).
John Wayne was pretty convincing as Rooster, to me.
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@HImom, I just re-watched the Jeff Bridges version of “True Grit.” Still prefer John Wayne in the role, but Hailee Steinfeld is great as Mattie Ross (and Matt Damon is a better actor than Glenn Campbell). The movie threw in a scene between Mattie and LaBoeuf that wasn’t in the book – where a “softer” Mattie says she misjudged LaBoeuf and wonders if she should have hired him instead of Rooster. I suppose the screen writer was trying to add some complexity to their relationship, but I didn’t care for it – wasn’t true to Mattie’s character and her staunch, unwavering belief in her own decisions.
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I only watched the original all versions of both movies, since they were free on Amazon prime.
I thought the original Mattie was a pretty good actress and quite believable. She sure had a great deal of self-assurance and was very fit to have survived.
Glenn Campbell was ok as a “green” Rx ranger. I thought he was supposed to be awkward—he definitely was that. 
I just finished reading Where the Crawdads Sing. I really liked it. It reminded me of Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, but the ending was at least less intense.