Chip of the Flying U

Flying U #1

by B.M. Bower, Mary Clearman Blew (Introduction)

B. M. (Bertha Muzzy) Bower was the first woman to make a career of writing popular westerns. And what a career it was—more than sixty novels published from 1904 to 1940, the year of her death, and still more posthumously. In the western orbit, Bower was—and still is—a star.

 

Her first, Chip of the Flying U , lays out a ranch in Montana and introduces the Happy Family, the bunkhouse gang that reappears in her later books. Chip is the typical woman-shy cowboy, but he is also a gifted artist (reputedly, Bower based the character on Charles M. Russell, who illustrated Chip ). Della, a doctor, is the young woman who disrupts his solitary life. The result as a quality ranch romance.

 

Chip of the Flying U was a great success that led to several movie versions, one of them casting Hoot Gibson as Chip. Today’s readers who grew up watching westerns on television will appreciate Bower’s cinematic style. After living much of her life in Chouteau County, Montana, she moved to Los Angeles, close to the movie industry that increasingly fascinated her.

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Adventure, Classics, Historical Romance

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

Bertha Muzzy Sinclair or Sinclair-Cowan, née Muzzy, best known by her pseudonym B. M. Bower, was an American author who wrote novels, fictional short stories, and screenplays about the American Old West. Her works, featuring cowboys and cows of the Flying R Ranch in Montana, reflected "an interest in ranch life, the use of working cowboys as main characters (even in romantic plots), the occasional appearance of eastern types for the sake of contrast, a sense of western geography as simultaneously harsh and grand, and a good deal of factual attention to such matters as cattle branding and bronc busting.

Born Bertha Muzzy in Otter Tail County, MN and living her early years in Big Sandy, Montana, she was married three times: to Clayton Bower, in 1890; to Bertrand William Sinclair,(also a Western author) in 1912; and to Robert Elsworth Cowan, in 1921. Bower's 1912 novel Lonesome Land was praised in The Bookman magazine for its characterization. She wrote 57 Western novels, several of which were turned into films.

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5★

I only attempted this title because it was in the Book Pool at Retro Reads.

Although I'm normally a twentieth century fiction reader, generally I don't like books from this early in this century (this one was first published in 1906) I generally don't like Westerns & I am not much of a romance reader.

Add in a small amount of cruelty & dull characters & I had had enough. (I'm not marking down the racist remark, as I'm not big on sanitising the past. It just leads to readers long for a time that never really was.)

I was hoping the author being a woman would change my mind on the western genre.

Nope.

Half a ★ for giving the heroine a profession & a strong independent streak, but I'm just not enjoying this.

DNF at 46%.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to Montana with Ms. Bower and the cowboys known as the Happy Family. This time we arrive at the Flying U Ranch just in time to hear the news that the 'Old Man's' sister Della, a lady doctor from Back East, is coming to stay for the whole summer. Of course being from the East, she will surely have all kinds of wild ideas about cowboys so a Proper Welcome is planned, with the help of a scarecrow stuffed with straw, a long rope, lots of shooting, and a wicked little horse named Banjo. What could go wrong?

Our man Chip is sent to meet the train, and falls in love immediately, but he needs the whole book to figure that out. In between there is a dance, a missed round-up, one injured horse, one injured man, and those letters the Little Doctor keeps writing to someone called Dr. Cecil Grantham from Back East. Just who is that guy, anyway?!

Bower knows her horses and her cowboys and better yet, she has the talent to portray them both accurately, whether they are being snorty or tame. Here is Banjo after he sees a bit of newspaper fluttering in the bushes during that infamous Cowboy Welcome. (His rider was the scarecrow, by the way.):
He squatted, ducked backward so suddenly that his reins slipped from Slim's fingers, and lowered his head between his white front feet. His rider seemed stupid beyond any that Banjo had ever known—and he had known many. Snorting and pitching, he was away before the valiant band realized what was happening in their midst.

And here is poor Chip when Della comes out to the barn to ask him a question:
Chip wished, quite savagely, that she wouldn't let those dimples dodge into her cheeks, and the laugh dodge into her eyes, like that. It made a fellow uncomfortable. He was thoroughly disgusted with her—or he would be, if she would only stop looking like that.

I also got a kick out of this illuminating (and oh, so true!) announcement by Chip later in the story, after he and the horse he was riding had a nasty fall that gave 'The Little Doctor' her first patient:
"I didn't get bucked off," broke in Chip, angrily. A "bronc fighter" is not more jealous of his sweetheart than of his reputation as a rider. "A fellow can't very well make a pretty ride while his horse is turning a somersault."

Besides reading about the cowboys and the horses, one of the most fun things about this little book was trying to figure out who that darned Eastern Dude Cecil was. I guessed a lot of different things, from former teacher to boyfriend to cousin to uncle to work partner. But I was as surprised as Chip was when we met Cecil at the train station later in the book. Was I right? Was I wrong? Who was that guy Cecil?! You'll have to go to Montana yourself to find out!

[Magrat Ajostiernos · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://cronicasdemagrat.com/2016/03/2...
3,5/5
Entrañable y divertida.
De esos libros que te lees del tirón y que te dejan con la sonrisa en los labios :)

[Masteatro · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 estrellas.

Una historieta mona, sin grandes pretensiones pero agradable y acogedora que transcurre en un rancho de Montana a principios del siglo XX. A partir de la segunda mitad gana en interés, a mi juicio. No te cambiará la vida pero te puede hacer pasar un buen rato. Se nota que la autora conocía bien el entorno en que se desarrolla la historia.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, sweet romance taking place somewhere at the end of the XIX century. A soft, gentle Western - to fall in love, not to see (feel) the most harsh, brutal parts of that life.

[4-4.5 stars]

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1906, with the story being a look at contemporary Montana rather than a look back to the 'wild west' of 25-40 years earlier.
The writing is vivid, without being wordy or overblown. The dialog is full of cowboy-isms, the drama is low-key, the romance is sweet.
I had a great time with Chip, Della, and all the crew at the Flying U ranch. I just might track down a few more of the author's books.
Read for the Retro Reads 2023 Book Pool.

[SilviaG · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chip is a hand on the Flying U ranch. He is sent to town to pick up the boss's sister Della, who will be visiting from the east for the summer. Chip doesn't usually have time for women and is not enthusiastic about this task, but he does it without grumbling. On the way back from town they see a coyote which Chip wants to kill. He asks Della to take the reins, but instead she asks for the rifle and soon has her trophy.

All along I pictured the early -*very* early - black and white westerns. There is no hiding that Chip is smitten. He thinks Della has a beau in the east and stoically hides his feelings. Della is not fooled but plays innocent of all such knowledge.

This is definitely not my usual fare, but it was just the perfect thing at this time. For me, all reading is escapism, but this was the ultra escape for me and it was just plain fun. Who would have thought that I would be reading a western romance?!! This isn't literature, and I can't even say it is exemplary enough to have 4-stars. It's more like 3-stars with flashing lights.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first “western” novel, read for a Bookopoly challenge, has been an entirely enjoyable experience. The length of time that it has taken me to finish this book does not reflect my enjoyment of it! (Suffice it to say that my “eyeball-reading” was rudely interrupted by surgery on one of my eyes. Not generally recommended!)

This was the first novel published by B.M. Bower. I look forward to exploring more of her work. A special word of appreciation goes to my GR friend Debbie, whose knowledge of the genre and dedication to her Someday list I admire. Thanks, Debbie, for encouraging me to break new ground.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chip is a colorful young man who works as a cow puncher in Montana.

Well, one day, his boss announces that his (the boss's) sister is done with her doctor training and coming out to the ranch. Thereafter the Little Doctor begins to make the ranch feel like a different place entirely, especially in Chip's own heart.

I loved the humor or some of the situations and how plucky the Little Doctor is. You'll be sure to love them, too...

[Jaqueline Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro muy precipitado, pero ameno, que me saco de mi bloqueo lector😊

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela sencilla, ligera y amena que nos transporta a un rancho de Montana a principios del siglo XX.
El rancho es regentado por el señor Whitmore el cual cuenta con un grupo de hombres que le ayudan a llevarlo.
Todo se pone patas arriba cuando llega una carta de la joven Della, la hermana de Whitmore, avisando de su próxima visita al rancho. Al principio todos serán reacios a la visita de la joven doctora, pero pronto irán sucumbiendo bajo los encantos de Della.

La novela tenía todos los ingredientes necesarios para enamorarme pero el momento en el que la he leído ha marcado sin duda mis impresiones sobre ella, y es que tenía una resaca lectora negativísima llamada Artemisa cuando empecé la novela. Creía que el libro me ayudaría a despejar mi mente y alejarla de esa terrible historia que ha sido Artemisa pero no ha sido así.
Creo que si hubiera leído El rancho de la U alada en otro momento me habría encantado porque es de esas historias costumbristas y entrañables con las que tanto disfruto.

[Aida Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

🐮 Fue ver esta novela y sentir nostalgia,recordarme a cuando solo teníamos dos canales en blanco y negro y los domingos en la 2 tocaba “películas de vaqueros “ con papa(Como anécdota la autora también escribió guiones cinematográficos).

🐮 Pertenece a una serie de novelas ambientadas en el Rancho la U Alada ,está es la primera que se traduce al castellano y necesito más 📚👏🏻

🐮La trama se desarrolla en un rancho de Montana de principios del siglo XX.Se centra en la vida cotidiana de los vaqueros,el campo y el ganado.

Los protagonistas son Chip un accidentado vaquero con dotes pictóricas y Dell,una joven doctora...si tenemos romance🤷‍♀️(Ahora como acaba...tenéis que leerlo😜)

🐮Una novela entrañable que se lee en un finde,apuntarla en la lista de pendientes para el invierno porque es muy de sofá y mantita.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chip of the Flying U, published in 1906, was B.M. Bower's first and best-known novel. It was also my introduction to her work, and even after reading many more of her books it's still among my favorites.

As a sidenote, it surprised me somewhat when I began reading older Western fiction that many of the stories were set near the time they were written—well into the early 20th century, some of them—rather than back in the earlier days of the West. Chip is clearly set in what was then present-day. Young lady doctor Della Whitmore comes West to visit her brother's Montana ranch after graduating from medical school, and the first person she encounters is Flying U ranch hand Chip Bennett. The beginning of their acquaintance is eventful, thanks to a practical joke by the irrepressible Flying U cowpunchers that goes awry, and not exactly promising...and an equally eventful summer follows. When Chip is injured in an accident, Della, to whom falls the task of caring for him, discovers his hidden artistic talent and does her best to encourage it despite their frequent misunderstandings and clashes. It's a sweet, lively and often very funny story, an old-fashioned romance with a delightful cast of supporting characters, and a very realistic-feeling, down-to-earth picture of everday ranch life. There's a a twist near the end that took me properly by surprise on first reading (though a sharp reader might have an inkling if they paid close attention).

I thoroughly enjoyed Bower's writing; although it shares some of the style and sensibilities of the time period it's brisk and readable and doesn't get bogged down in wordiness or too much melodrama as did some of her contemporaries'. Another thing I found refreshing is the lack of a feministic streak in the book, given the time period, the female author and a female doctor as one of the protagonists. The rural folk regard the 'lady doctor' as somewhat of a curiosity, but that's the whole extent of it—Della is not one of those aggravating fictional heroines who feel the need to get a crack about women's rights into every argument.

[CindySR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best bit of western confection I have ever read, I'd tell a man! I just got back from a ranch in Montana where I met a lady doctor and some colorful cowboys, one of which was an extraordinary artist. The artist is in love with the doctor but he is swimming in the river Denial. The corn is sweet and the writing is delicious. This is a yummy book! It's full of cowboy isms that were fun to decipher.

I have a new favorite author in B.M. Bower!

[Carolpalanques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia sencilla, dulce, alegre y muy divertida típica del salvaje oeste y la vida en un rancho. Me ha encantado, ideal para desconectar entre lecturas más densas y exigentes.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me decanté por este libro porque me apetecía leer sobre el oeste. Novela sencilla, para pasar el rato.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful, quick read! I’d seen the reviews of other members of the Retro Reads group for this entry in our “book pool” for this year, and was intrigued- I can’t remember last time I read a book set in the American West.

This was a humorous, sweet romance, but I didn’t know what to expect. The owner of the Flying U ranch in Montana is visited by his sister, a young woman who has just finished medical school. All of the ranch hands are interested to meet her, expecting a spinster close in age to their boss, dubbed The Old Man behind his back.

But the “Little Doctor” as they come to call her, is 23, friendly, smart, and charming. She and Chip, the cowboy of the title, spark off each other from the time he arrived late with horse and wagon to pick her up late at the train station. But this isn’t a modern romance, the author wrote stories of the Old West in the early 1900s. So, we get to know the characters, and they come to care deeply for each other. No spoilers, but it’s a lovely, entertaining, old-fashioned story - out of the ordinary for me, but enjoyable.

[Bego · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Estamos ante una de esas novelas “de mantita y taza de té”, con un personaje, el de la doctora, muy cercano a la Ellinore Pruitt de Cartas de una pionera, y a tantas otras mujeres atrevidas y valientes que pueblan el western cinematográfico y televisivo. Della Whitmore es recibida por los vaqueros con suspicacias y envuelta en montones de etiquetas que la califican como cursi, sentimental o débil, en virtud de su sexo. Por contra, dados sus estudios de medicina, algunos de estos hombres sospechan que quizá se trate más de una mujer masculinizada, ruda y poco cercana. Sin embargo, la doctora rompe todos los estereotipos al presentarse como una joven entrañable pero firme, con mucho carácter, inteligente y valiente a partes iguales, además de tierna y sensible cuando es necesario."

Si quieres leer la reseña completa puedes hacerlo aquí: http://rustisymustis.blogspot.com.es/...

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this Western romance set in early 20th century Montana.

I found a biography on the author by her granddaughter which added to my appreciation of the book and scenery. https://libraries.ou.edu/locations/do... hero of the book is named after the author's brother and her daughter would eventually be named after the heroine.

These books are classics in themselves. Often perceived by contemporary readers as historical romances, they are in fact set in the present day of the author's life and therefore provides an insight into the actual daily rituals of the era.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this on librivox.org, even if the readers do change from time to time. Such a fun, heartfelt book. Definitely reading more by this author, especially about this crew. I am starting to love old westerns. Recommended to everyone who even bothers to read my updates!
Final word: light but full of heart.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read something that I wouldn't normally read, I am not much for westerns normally. It is basically a romance though, but set in the west around the turn of the last century. It was interesting to read one written by a woman and featuring a woman.

[Lectora de la tierra media · Rating 4 out of 5]

"El rancho de la U alada" titulada originalmente "Chip of the Flying U" es una novela de la escritora estadounidense Bertha Muzzy Sinclair en 1905.

Es una novelita amable que se lee muy rápido, con una edición y traducción excelentes, que simplemente te va a tener con la sonrisa en la boca de principio a fin, centrada en la llegada al Rancho de la U alada de Della, la hermana del dueño del rancho quien cambia la forma de vida de los "muchachos" que viven en este lugar.

Centrada principalmente en la historia de amor de Della y Chip, con varios malentendidos que poco a poco se van transformando en amor... Un amor amable y entretenido que me ha gustado mucho leer.

El estilo de B. M. Bower es directo y descriptivo, con diálogos ágiles y un buen sentido del ritmo narrativo. Sus descripciones del paisaje y la vida cotidiana en el rancho son detalladas y evocadoras, permitiendo al lector sumergirse en el ambiente del oeste.

Por cierto me parece que la protagonista femenina tenía un pensamiento bastante actual considerando la fecha de publicación... Y ajua!!!!

En definitiva la recomiendo, aparentemente hay tres adaptaciones al cine, pero yo encontré únicamente una en YOUTUBE dejo el link por si alguien la quiere ver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUKs2...

Lo recomiendo si quieres una lectura amable que te anime un poquito, no es literatura grandiosa, ni nada pero pues amable sí.

[Mariano Hortal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publicado en http://lecturaylocura.com/el-rancho-d...

El rancho de la U alada de B.M. Bower. Costumbrismo inglés en el oeste

Engaña bastante el título de esta novela de la escritora norteamericana B.M. Bower (1871-1940), y lo hace porque El rancho de la U alada no referencia solamente a una novela de vaqueros, un típico western; sino que esconde una trama de un calibre bastante distinto y se dirige a un público bastante diferente al que podría comprarla a priori.
La trama, que nos brinda la editorial Hoja de Lata, sirve para clarificar la situación:
“Montana, un verano a principios del siglo xx. En el rancho de La U Alada, James G. Whitmore, el Viejo, y sus muchachos viven plácidamente entre bromas y ganado. Sin embargo, la visita inesperada de Della, la hermana del patrón, va a revolucionar el día a día de estos entrañables vaqueros, en especial de uno de ellos… Comienza así la accidentada y romántica historia de amor entre Chip, un vaquero aparentemente duro y reservado con increíbles dotes para la pintura, y Della, una joven doctora de armas tomar no muy encantada a priori de pasar unos meses entre caballos y reses. Una historia pícara y divertidísima que describe las rudezas de la mítica vida en un Salvaje Oeste tan desenfadado, cercano y sencillo que resulta imposible no zambullirse en él.”
Pocas diferencias hay entre esta novela del oeste y la típica novela costumbrista ambientada en la campiña británica y que podría firmar sin problemas D. E. Stevenson o Stella Gibbons; todo en un clima de humor desenfado y malentendidos de todo tipo, no en vano, Chip y la Doctorcita constituyen una de esas parejas impensables al comenzar la novela:
“-Por supuesto, para usted son una especie totalmente nueva. ¿Cómo se lleva con ellos? –preguntó Dunk.
Y la Doctorcita le respondió clara y sinceramente:
-Oh, muy bien, teniendo en cuenta las circunstancias. Me proporcionan algo de diversión y yo les ofrezco algo nuevo de lo que hablar, así que estamos en paz. Son buena gente, ¡pero tan ignorantes! No creo…
Las palabras continuaron convertidas en un murmullo indescifrable, enfatizado por las risotadas agudas y discordantes de Dunk.”
Chip, sin embargo, va más allá del típico vaquero rudo e ignorante, es un aficionado a la literatura y sobre todo al arte:
“Supuso que en el Este se le consideraría un ignorante. Comparado con el doctor Cecil Granthum -¡maldito fuera! – debía parecer un tipo lamentable, sin duda. Nunca había visto una universidad por fuera, ya ni hablar de imbuirse de conocimientos dentro de una. Había aprendido algo de la sabiduría que la naturaleza transmite a aquellos que pueden interpretar su lenguaje y había leído mucho tumbado boca abajo bajo un cielo estival, mientras que el ganado pacía a su alrededor y su caballo comía las dulces hierbas al alcance de su mano. Podía repetir páginas enteras de Shakespeare y de Scott, y de Bobbie Burns. Le hubiese gustado poner a prueba al doctor Cecil con algunos de ellos y ver quién ganaba. Aun así, él era ignorante, y nadie era más intensa y amargamente consciente de ello que Chip.”
Y, concretamente, un gran pintor, hay un relato de formación del artista que se muestra en su forma de pintar, momentos en los que la autora muestra toda la lírica de su propia pluma:
“Al principio, parecía que fuera a repetirse La última batalla. Se veían las mismas cimas irregulares y los mismos pinos achaparrados atenazados por el fiero abrazo del helado Chinook. ¿Los mismos? Pero había una diferencia. No podía explicarse, quizá, pero sí sentirse, sin duda. Las colinas de la Doctorcita eran colinas irregulares e inhóspitas; sus pinos eran pinos muy bonitos. Las colinas de Chip también eran irregulares e inhóspitas, pero se veían desoladas; sus pinos eran temblorosos pinos solitarios, porque había vagado solo entre ellos y había captado el Mensaje de la Naturaleza. Su cielo era el frío y siniestro cielo de La última batalla, pero aún más frío, más siniestro porque era de noche. Una joven luna brillaba baja al oeste, medio oculta tras un claro de apresuradas nubes de nieve. La diminuta cuenca se veía entre sombras y vagamente, el terraplén era un muro negro acariciado aquí y allá por un tembloroso rayo de luz.”
Chip, su microuniverso, ese rancho, ese pequeño corral, son el encanto de una aventura romántica sin caer en las ñoñerías habituales:
“Se detuvo en el lugar donde el sendero se bifurcaba, agitó su crin rizada con aire triunfal y miró atrás. Para él, la libertad era un dulce placer, dulce y raro. Todo su mundo era un amplio compartimento de establo con un pequeño corral como acontecimiento muy especial. Le parecía que dos millas era alejarse mucho de casa. Contempló la colina a su espalda un momento, alzó la cabeza y salió trotando por el camino que llevaba a casa de los Denson.”
Como podéis comprobar, estamos ante un libro encantador, donde la conjunción entre lo inglés costumbrista-la rudeza del oeste- el humor y la fina ironía se unen en una mezcla francamente entretenida y con una gran calidad por el estilo de la autora. Espero que haya suerte y veamos más aventuras de la serie por aquí.
Los textos provienen de la traducción de Raquel Duato García de El rancho de la U alada de B.M. Bower para la editorial Hoja de Lata.

[Marisé · Rating 2 out of 5]

2´5⭐

[Mari Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro perfecto para el verano, muy ligero y se lee muy rápido. La historia es entrañable, un poquito de doctora Quinn, la casa de la pradera y bonanza =D

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable and somewhat stereotpyed, but still a fast and somehow comforting read.

[Ddree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this short little western 3.5 stars. I liked it due to the fact it is completely different than what I usually read. Overall the story is cute and entertaining.

[Jeanie Delong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great western

I like this book because the author makes you feel like you right in the thick of things. Very realistic and lots of fun. down home western

[Tasha]

Absolutely charming! I didn't want it to end.