What do you think?
Rate this book
Wyoming Summer
A bit of companion story to the "My Friend Flicka" series, Wyoming Summer is based on the author's diaries.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
7 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Mary O'Hara
131 books120 followersMary O’Hara Alsop, an American author, screenwriter, and composer, was born July 10, 1885, in Cape May, N.J., to Reese Fell Alsop and Mary Lee (Spring). She grew up in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., where her father was an Episcopal clergyman.
In 1905, Ms. O'hara married Kent Kane Parrot, whom she later divorced. Her second marriage to Helge Sture-Vasa from Sweden in 1922 also ended in divorce in 1947. Ms. O’Hara had two children from her first marriage, Mary O’Hara who died of skin cancer during her teens, and Kent Kane, Jr.
Ms. O’Hara moved to California after her first marriage where she became a screenwriter during the silent film era through the advent of talking movies.
In 1930, during her second marriage, Ms O’Hara moved to a ranch in Wyoming where she wrote her three novels, the classic “My Friend Flicka,” and the sequels “Thunderhead” and “Green Grass of Wyoming,” about the McLaughlin family and the younger son and his horse, Flicka.
In addition to writing, Ms O’Hara was a successful composer and published numerous songs for the piano. She also wrote a musical play called "The Catch Colt" which she later turned into a novel, first published in 1979 in Great Britain. The rights to performing this as a play or a musical can still be obtained through Dramatists Play Services, New York.
While she claimed her first love was musical composition, she continued writing fiction and nonfiction.
A year after her divorce from her second husband in 1947, Ms O’Hara returned to the east coast where she lived in Connecticut until 1968. She died Oct. 14, 1980, in Chevy Chase, Md. Her literary works are maintained by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
(sources: Current Biography, 1944; Contemporary Authors, 1981)
In 1905, Ms. O'hara married Kent Kane Parrot, whom she later divorced. Her second marriage to Helge Sture-Vasa from Sweden in 1922 also ended in divorce in 1947. Ms. O’Hara had two children from her first marriage, Mary O’Hara who died of skin cancer during her teens, and Kent Kane, Jr.
Ms. O’Hara moved to California after her first marriage where she became a screenwriter during the silent film era through the advent of talking movies.
In 1930, during her second marriage, Ms O’Hara moved to a ranch in Wyoming where she wrote her three novels, the classic “My Friend Flicka,” and the sequels “Thunderhead” and “Green Grass of Wyoming,” about the McLaughlin family and the younger son and his horse, Flicka.
In addition to writing, Ms O’Hara was a successful composer and published numerous songs for the piano. She also wrote a musical play called "The Catch Colt" which she later turned into a novel, first published in 1979 in Great Britain. The rights to performing this as a play or a musical can still be obtained through Dramatists Play Services, New York.
While she claimed her first love was musical composition, she continued writing fiction and nonfiction.
A year after her divorce from her second husband in 1947, Ms O’Hara returned to the east coast where she lived in Connecticut until 1968. She died Oct. 14, 1980, in Chevy Chase, Md. Her literary works are maintained by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
(sources: Current Biography, 1944; Contemporary Authors, 1981)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 14, 2019
Beautifully written! I could see and feel the things she wrote about. (Doesnt hurt that I live in and love Wyoming not too far from her ranch 😘). Such a very interesting and varied life Mary O'Hara had. Now I have to go back and re-read My Friend Flicka.
Currently reading
September 15, 2020I love books by women who ditched one life to start another in vastly different circumstances. I read all of her novels about horses when I was a child, and cannot think of them without feeling the vast landscapes she brought to the page.
This book is a true and informal diary of her days on the ranch. I adored this book. If you ever lived on a farm or a ranch, you know that each day can bring treasures or tragedies, and often both. If you haven't, you will find that the romantic notion of living in this way is justified, but will also experience the bitter parts.
While one reviewer did not seem to enjoy the parts about her musical compositions, I vehemently disagree. I have always been fascinated by how music comes to some people. From where in the brain did that melody arrive, and why?... and how is a musical composer able to spill it from the brain, shape into actual sound and put down in wriggly marks on paper? This gave me much insight, and felt that I was taken into the room where it happened, both in the sense of sitting with her at the piano, but also a complete immersion into her writing self. I never heard the music yet I came away feeling that I knew the atmosphere and colors of each song.
This book left me curious about the actual woman and I subsequently ordered her biography, which leads me back to the beginning of this review. She was a courageous woman whose talents and sense of adventure would take her to places and experiences that most women of that era could only imagine, and earned my profound admiration.
This book is a true and informal diary of her days on the ranch. I adored this book. If you ever lived on a farm or a ranch, you know that each day can bring treasures or tragedies, and often both. If you haven't, you will find that the romantic notion of living in this way is justified, but will also experience the bitter parts.
While one reviewer did not seem to enjoy the parts about her musical compositions, I vehemently disagree. I have always been fascinated by how music comes to some people. From where in the brain did that melody arrive, and why?... and how is a musical composer able to spill it from the brain, shape into actual sound and put down in wriggly marks on paper? This gave me much insight, and felt that I was taken into the room where it happened, both in the sense of sitting with her at the piano, but also a complete immersion into her writing self. I never heard the music yet I came away feeling that I knew the atmosphere and colors of each song.
This book left me curious about the actual woman and I subsequently ordered her biography, which leads me back to the beginning of this review. She was a courageous woman whose talents and sense of adventure would take her to places and experiences that most women of that era could only imagine, and earned my profound admiration.
October 22, 2018
It's been a long time since I've felt this sad about finishing a book. I read the children's novels by this author when I was a kid. Then I spent my summers charging around on my pony, pretending that she was Flicka and we lived in Wyoming.
This book isn't about Flicka, though you can see where she came from. This is about the author's real life in Wyoming in the 1930s. It's a lot grittier than the kids' books and it's a lot grittier than my life in Wyoming today. Now I want to reread those novels again. I hope they hold up...
This book isn't about Flicka, though you can see where she came from. This is about the author's real life in Wyoming in the 1930s. It's a lot grittier than the kids' books and it's a lot grittier than my life in Wyoming today. Now I want to reread those novels again. I hope they hold up...
August 2, 2016
Mary O'Hara is most often remembered for her book My Friend Flicka. Wyoming summer is a compilation of her diaries for a summer on the Wyoming ranch she and her husband ran for years.
One thing comes out clearly, if you own livestock, you will have dead stock too. At times she seems heartless about the tragedies that happen through the summer. Being a livestock owner myself I can relate to this in a way as you insulate yourself from the grief of loss of animals you love.
Another thing comes out too. Mary O'Hara was a very talented lady. She wrote screen plays, composed piano music as well as wrote short stories and novels. Much of the book relates to her composing.
Wyoming is a beautiful place. The book is full of descriptions of the tiers of mountain ranges, the storms, the other awe-inspiring sights someone living out in the area sees.
The couple run a boy's camp during the summer. This camp would be shut down as a danger to their campers today. The horses the boys ride are green broke. They get bucked off and fall off daily yet get back on and learn confidence in themselves as both they and their mounts improve. The boys participate in regular ranch duties.
The book is interesting. It is easy to read yet the events can give pause from time to time.
One thing comes out clearly, if you own livestock, you will have dead stock too. At times she seems heartless about the tragedies that happen through the summer. Being a livestock owner myself I can relate to this in a way as you insulate yourself from the grief of loss of animals you love.
Another thing comes out too. Mary O'Hara was a very talented lady. She wrote screen plays, composed piano music as well as wrote short stories and novels. Much of the book relates to her composing.
Wyoming is a beautiful place. The book is full of descriptions of the tiers of mountain ranges, the storms, the other awe-inspiring sights someone living out in the area sees.
The couple run a boy's camp during the summer. This camp would be shut down as a danger to their campers today. The horses the boys ride are green broke. They get bucked off and fall off daily yet get back on and learn confidence in themselves as both they and their mounts improve. The boys participate in regular ranch duties.
The book is interesting. It is easy to read yet the events can give pause from time to time.
February 27, 2023
The book is well written but I find Mary and Michael extremely hard to like. I know they're based on the author and her second husband so I researched a bit of their lives and the book was very true to character. There are bits and pieces here and there where you can see their future foreshadowed.
I do absolutely love the descriptions of that part of Wyoming. I went to UW and I can see everything exactly as she describes it. But I also know that I would absolutely hate ranch life. I'm fine with rural Wyoming life, I love it, but this book tells me I definitely don't belong on a ranch.
If you love Wyoming, or O'Hara's other books, or are even just interested in life on a ranch in the 40s I definitely recommend this book. If you have a very soft heart for animals: trigger warning.
I do absolutely love the descriptions of that part of Wyoming. I went to UW and I can see everything exactly as she describes it. But I also know that I would absolutely hate ranch life. I'm fine with rural Wyoming life, I love it, but this book tells me I definitely don't belong on a ranch.
If you love Wyoming, or O'Hara's other books, or are even just interested in life on a ranch in the 40s I definitely recommend this book. If you have a very soft heart for animals: trigger warning.
January 21, 2021
I grew up reading Mary O'Hara's stories, as many horse crazy teens do. This is a lovely memoir of her time in Wyoming that inspired those stories. Her prose is amazing and lyrical, I could picture the ranch as she painted it with words.
May 17, 2017
was a pretty good book
April 12, 2019
For me, this is more like 2.5 stars rounded up. I found this to be a pretty dull read throughout, and especially hated the parts where she discussed her musical compositions. Unfortunately, a great deal of time was spent detailing this, though one would think life on a ranch would provide something far more interesting to talk about. I also couldn't get past a feeling that the author was a bit on the pretentious side. Not a horrible book, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
March 12, 2016
A short memoir about Mary O'hara's experiences with her husband running a summer time boy's school and camp on their Wyoming ranch. Also, some of her experiences composing music.
Young people probably would not like this, but adults who enjoy the Flicka trilogy will enjoy this look at Wyoming ranching.
Young people probably would not like this, but adults who enjoy the Flicka trilogy will enjoy this look at Wyoming ranching.
April 25, 2017
Memoir of Mary O'Hara's summer on her ranch in Wyoming. Interesting reading about different aspects of ranch life.
February 12, 2008
First Book I Read In About 1 Year Not For School.
January 29, 2010
One of the many books about horses I read after I finally admitted that I liked them. I was ten. I discovered that I had a thing for cowboys. Not much has changed since. ;-)
March 1, 2010
this book is by the author of My Friend Flicka and Green Grass of Wyoming
June 24, 2016
I have serious Goose Bar Ranch envy. Great read!
April 25, 2017
I love this book so much! I first read MY FRIEND FLICKA as the original short story in a reader in school. Later I got all three books in the Ken McLaughlin trilogy as presents for a good report card. I found WYOMING SUMMER at a used book sale back in the 1970s and have treasured it ever since. I love her descriptive language about the horses, her pet cat, the ranch dogs, the land, her music, the people she encounters...it's all so big and beautiful and breathtaking. This is one of my "go to" books if I'm depressed and I remember O'Hara's most memorable reminder: "Happiness hangs by a hair." Enjoy it because life can change at any minute.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews