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Real Women of the American West #2
Sundance, Butch And Me
A Historical Western Romance based on a true story.
She was born Martha Baird, but history will always remember her as Etta Place, the woman who rode with the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Sundance, Butch and Me is history transformed into an exciting fiction a novel that captures all the drama, passion, and adventure of one of the West’s most amazing lives.
She was born Martha Baird, but history will always remember her as Etta Place, the woman who rode with the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Sundance, Butch and Me is history transformed into an exciting fiction a novel that captures all the drama, passion, and adventure of one of the West’s most amazing lives.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2002
25 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Judy Alter
146 books132 followersAfter an established career writing historical fiction for adults and young adults about women of the nineteenth-century American West, Texas author Judy Alter turned her attention to contemporary cozy mysteries and wrote three series: Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, Blue Plate Café Mysteries, and Oak Grove Mysteries. She has most recently published two titles in her Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries--Saving Irene and Irene in Danger.
Her most recent historical books are The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas and The Second Battle of the Alamo, a study in both Texas and women’s history. Judy’s western fiction has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library. She was named One of 100 Women, Living and Dead, Who Have Left Their Mark on Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in the Arts, 1988, by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women
Judy is a member Sisters in Crime and Guppies, Women Writing the West, Story Circle Network, a past president of Western Writers of America, and an active member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Retired after almost thirty years with TCU Press, twenty of them as director, Judy lives in a small cottage—just right for one and a dog—in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle Sophie. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. Her hobby is cooking, and she’s learning how to cook in a postage-stamp kitchen without a stove. In fact, she wrote a cookbook about it: Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
Her most recent historical books are The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas and The Second Battle of the Alamo, a study in both Texas and women’s history. Judy’s western fiction has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library. She was named One of 100 Women, Living and Dead, Who Have Left Their Mark on Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in the Arts, 1988, by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women
Judy is a member Sisters in Crime and Guppies, Women Writing the West, Story Circle Network, a past president of Western Writers of America, and an active member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Retired after almost thirty years with TCU Press, twenty of them as director, Judy lives in a small cottage—just right for one and a dog—in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle Sophie. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. Her hobby is cooking, and she’s learning how to cook in a postage-stamp kitchen without a stove. In fact, she wrote a cookbook about it: Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 10, 2012
Excellent, clean prose - a few places where the editing was left in (!), so it feels self-published, but a good narrative with good characters that was hard to put down.
July 6, 2013
Since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of my all time favorite movies, I really enjoyed reading this book about Etta Place--the Sundance Kid's long time lover. An enjoyable read.
November 8, 2014
This book is a retelling of my favorite movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, from Etta Place's perspective. (For those of you not familiar with the legend, Etta Place was the Sundance Kid's mistress for several years (10?) before deciding that she "will not watch you die" and leaves the two in Bolivia.)
Not surprisingly, the first two-thirds of the book, when we're getting to know Etta, Butch and Sundance, was the most engaging. The last third, when she realizes that (1) much as she loves Sundance, he will never "grow up" and be the man she wants him to be and (2) that she also loves Butch, but that they would never work (because she loves Sundance and he loves a woman named Mary Boyd more) felt dragged out. I did love the end, though.
Not surprisingly, the first two-thirds of the book, when we're getting to know Etta, Butch and Sundance, was the most engaging. The last third, when she realizes that (1) much as she loves Sundance, he will never "grow up" and be the man she wants him to be and (2) that she also loves Butch, but that they would never work (because she loves Sundance and he loves a woman named Mary Boyd more) felt dragged out. I did love the end, though.
January 27, 2020
I so,so enjoyed this book,what a life they all lead,so exciting,anyone that loves western really need to read this,not what they did was right,robbing banks and trains but so exciting a life they lead, the story of all three is great,should read! You learn more about their personal lives and if they had lived the bank robbery in that far away county where they died,our did they did and just go on with their lives? Read the book and find out!
April 18, 2019
Martha Baird started out with a rough life and it did not get much easier after that. After a series of events (since it is the main story line for a while you can read to find out) she leaves her home and ends up Living with Fannie. She changes her name to Etta Place. She becomes educated and still decides to join the Sundance and Butch with the Hole in the wall Gang. This story goes into detail of their lives together as outlaws and a story of friendships and relationships.
For some reason this book was very hard for me to read. It was descriptive but maybe the characters just weren't my favorite so I had a hard time enjoying it. But it was somewhat interesting as I had not really ever paid much attention to these people in History. So I did go look them up.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own
For some reason this book was very hard for me to read. It was descriptive but maybe the characters just weren't my favorite so I had a hard time enjoying it. But it was somewhat interesting as I had not really ever paid much attention to these people in History. So I did go look them up.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own
April 1, 2019
In this biographic account by Etta Place, part of the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid trio, set in an era of violence and lawlessness, I was horrified by the events of Martha Baird's life. One cannot judge a person before you have walked a mile in their shoes, but I found this story tragic. I could understand the wildness that spurred Etta and Sundance on and even though Butch was a tempering influence, one is left with the feeling that lives and opportunities for happiness were wasted. Perhaps I am over squeamish, but I did find this book, albeit well written, difficult to read. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
April 14, 2019
A very enjoyable read. If your interested in the History of the American West. The notorious hole in the wall gang. Etta place who rode with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. She was a fearless woman. Took part in dangerous train robberies, and continued to escape from the law. An adventure packed story. I received this book for free from Ebook Discovery. I volunteered to review it and this is my honest review.
March 14, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Etta Place's life, before, during, and [briefly] after her time with the Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy. It's always good to hear the woman's side of things, and Alter's fictional account (since little is known about the real Etta Place) gives her a voice and a history, and her own opinions. Highly recommend.
February 6, 2021
Wow!
It felt more like watching a movie than reading a book!! Great author who has an incredible talent for making characters come to life. An exciting page turner for sure!!
It felt more like watching a movie than reading a book!! Great author who has an incredible talent for making characters come to life. An exciting page turner for sure!!
January 11, 2013
This book was based on true people who lived and rode with Butch Cassidy, Sundance and the rest of the Hole In The Wall Gang. It was a great story I really enjoyed it about the womamn who road with them, loved by both. She was known by a different name than that which she was born with because she killed a man and had to flee her home town. I loved that it was true and the story about this women and how she lived was really a ride! I highly recommend it.
From Good Reads:
A Historical Western Romance based on a true story.
She was born Martha Baird, but history will always remember her as Etta Place, the woman who rode with the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Sundance, Butch and Me is history transformed into an exciting fiction a novel that captures all the drama, passion, and adventure of one of the West’s most amazing lives.
PRAISE FOR SUNDANCE, BUTCH AND ME:
"...a realistic portrayal of historic events that touches the imagination and stirs the spirit."—The Literary Times
"...meticulous researched... a skillful first-person narrative."—Publishers Week
From Good Reads:
A Historical Western Romance based on a true story.
She was born Martha Baird, but history will always remember her as Etta Place, the woman who rode with the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Sundance, Butch and Me is history transformed into an exciting fiction a novel that captures all the drama, passion, and adventure of one of the West’s most amazing lives.
PRAISE FOR SUNDANCE, BUTCH AND ME:
"...a realistic portrayal of historic events that touches the imagination and stirs the spirit."—The Literary Times
"...meticulous researched... a skillful first-person narrative."—Publishers Week
February 4, 2019
Truly enjoyed reading this book which is told by Etta Place, sweetheart and lover of the Sundance Kid. The novel begins with the childhood of Etta Place and progresses to when she met the two famous outlaws. Falling in love with Sundance, Etta follows the Hole in the Wall gang through bank and train robberies. Because of her link with Sundance she becomes part of the gang, participating in their activities including the eventual move to South America.
I wondered about the last part of the book which has Butch Cassidy surviving the shootout in Bolivia. However, there is no actual proof that his was one of the bodies found after the shootout. Interestingly, DNA from a body believed to be his did not match the DNA of descendents. Furthermore, family members stated that he visited them and died later in the Northwest where he may have settled. Did he survive? We may never know but this author provides a scemario that could explain what may have happened. Most enjoyable read.
I wondered about the last part of the book which has Butch Cassidy surviving the shootout in Bolivia. However, there is no actual proof that his was one of the bodies found after the shootout. Interestingly, DNA from a body believed to be his did not match the DNA of descendents. Furthermore, family members stated that he visited them and died later in the Northwest where he may have settled. Did he survive? We may never know but this author provides a scemario that could explain what may have happened. Most enjoyable read.
March 12, 2017
What a fun read! Life with Butch and Sundance, as told by Etta Place. Of course, this is fiction, but it reads like a memoir -- with all the grit and spirit of that time, and through all the adventures of this trio. The characters come through as so very likable and human, and the reader understands their passions, needs and inclinations. Great detail, and spectacular setting descriptions suggest a lot of research went into this novel. The story begins with Etta's childhood, through her young adulthood, continuing to where she meets Sundance, and later accompanies them -- lives with them -- throughout much of their time in the US. I felt like I knew all of the main characters (more than these three), and the story and backdrop, including geography, was truly absorbing. What a treat! Judy Alter delivers again!
October 12, 2016
It was fun to read about Etta Place and her life. I've always been fascinated with Butch Cassidy, one of my ancestors, Bub Meeks rode with him until Bub was shot and killed. This story focuses on Etta and her relationship with Sundance and Butch. I liked hearing a woman's pint of view of these outlaws. Butch has morals for being an outlaw and never killed a man. The book reads like the truth although we don't really know what happened to Etta.
June 20, 2015
This book is historical fiction based on truth, but it reads like a memoir by Etta Place. I really liked it and once I got started, had a hard time putting it down. I think I got my love of the old west from my dad who read any western he could get his hands on. I would recommend this book to anyone who shares that love.
December 27, 2012
Great historical read. Really liked the characters and I couldn't help but picture them as the guys from alias smith and jones even tho they were the wrong characters!! To me Ben Murphy who played kid curry was sundance! Anyway. Great read!
September 27, 2013
A different take on the life of Etta Place, girlfriend of The Sundance Kid. Imagination fills in where little or nothing is known about her background but much of the book is based on available sources of the escapades of the Hole in the Wall Gang.
October 24, 2014
Very enjoyable! A narrative from the point of view of Sundance's girlfriend must be unique for the Butch Cassidy story.
I would have liked a bit more detail about the West, but especially an addendum that describes something of the factual resources the author used to develop the story.
I would have liked a bit more detail about the West, but especially an addendum that describes something of the factual resources the author used to develop the story.
June 2, 2016
Excellent, clean prose - a few places where the editing was left in (!), so it feels self-published, but a good narrative with good characters that was hard to put down.
February 9, 2015
An interesting diversion from life, which really needed a good edit. I had a hard time with the timeline.
May 8, 2015
Most definitely not the Etta that was in the movie, but in some ways a much more satisfying personality :)
May 31, 2013
Very interesting. Wonder how true it is but still a good adventure.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews