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Elk Love: A Montana Memoir
Having spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Glacier National Park, part of her doctoral fieldwork for a PhD in Native American Art History, forty-two-year-old Lynne Spriggs thinks of Montana as her healing place. When she moves to “Big Sky Country” from the East Coast in a quest to reset her life, she has high hopes for what awaits her.
Great Falls, a farming and military town in central Montana, is not what Lynne imagined when she decided to leave city life behind. But her dream of being more connected to nature in the American West comes alive when she meets Harrison, a handsome rancher thirteen years her senior. Wary but curious, with her dog Willow by her side, she leans into the seasonal rhythms of Harrison’s hidden valley and opens her heart to a wild language that moves beyond words. In a modern world where listening is rare, Elk Love explores an intimate place where loneliness gives way to wonder, where the natural world speaks of what matters most.
Great Falls, a farming and military town in central Montana, is not what Lynne imagined when she decided to leave city life behind. But her dream of being more connected to nature in the American West comes alive when she meets Harrison, a handsome rancher thirteen years her senior. Wary but curious, with her dog Willow by her side, she leans into the seasonal rhythms of Harrison’s hidden valley and opens her heart to a wild language that moves beyond words. In a modern world where listening is rare, Elk Love explores an intimate place where loneliness gives way to wonder, where the natural world speaks of what matters most.
360 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 17, 2024
Memoirs are personal books and recollections and when you get one, you're not quite sure if it's going to be to your liking. That is not the case, however, with elk love, as Author Lynn Spriggs O'Connor paints a dazzling portrait of her life in Montana over a portion of a decade. Lynne work for museums on the East Coast and eventually decided to move to Great Falls, Montana. She had previously been in the state working as an intern with the Blackfeet Indian Nation. It was a very gutsy move on her part because while one can be an intern, it's not like living full-time in Great Falls, Montana. There the author worked at a small museum and was in charge of a few major exhibitions, including one with the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, as well as especially curated exhibition on Bison. that in itself would be fodder for a book, but Lynn had some amazing experiences that began on her trip out to see a gentleman by the name of Harrison, who hope to convince to be a donor for one of the exhibits at the museum. She lost control of her car, had an accident and eventually Harrison had to come and help her. It's from there that a beautiful relationship began between the two of them as well as the blossoming of Lynne's love of the wildlife and nature that was present on Harrison's ranch. The two of them had a testy relationship for a number of years, but at the same time they both need each other. And during that time. The author grew to understand Harrison and his love of the outdoors, hunting, nature, and all the animals that he found on his vast ranch. It is a beautifully written book that conveys us to Montana, and we are with the Author as she discovers so many different facets of life in the great outdoors. From being present at the birth of calves, to their branding, to pulling porcupine quills from their noses an saving them when they are stranded in winter. Along the way, she develops a true fondness for horses, elk, and all the birds that migrate and live on the ranch. There are pitfalls and yet there are more highs than lows. Every time you think the couple is going to get together, Harrison mentions his deceased first wife, which helps put a barrier between the couple, but fortunately love blossoms in its fullest. We are treated to stories of the great outdoors, the frustrations of being in charge of museum exhibitions, the authors illnesses, and a trip to Scotland, where the couple travel to learn about Angus cattle. For all of us who wish we could pick up and go somewhere like this, to start our life, anew, in aland that has always attracted us, the author is an inspiration since she had the guts to do it, and has lived a remarkable life out in Montana.
I had only wished the book was brought up-to-date, but instead it ends in the year 2009. It's my hope that the Author will soon write a second volume of her memoirs, because there's so much more to her life that can be told, and I for one can't wait to read about all her experiences since that time. 4.5****
I had only wished the book was brought up-to-date, but instead it ends in the year 2009. It's my hope that the Author will soon write a second volume of her memoirs, because there's so much more to her life that can be told, and I for one can't wait to read about all her experiences since that time. 4.5****
December 15, 2024
This is a must-read for everyone who loves nature and farm life. The author adequately describes her feelings, and I felt like I was right there, hearing, seeing, and feeling everything she was talking about. A memoir not to forget.
February 23, 2025
Taken from the Goodreads synopsis, "Having spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Glacier National Park, part of her doctoral fieldwork for a PhD in Native American Art History, forty-two-year-old Lynne Spriggs thinks of Montana as her healing place. When she moves to “Big Sky Country” from the East Coast in a quest to reset her life, she has high hopes for what awaits her.
Great Falls, a farming and military town in central Montana, is not what Lynne imagined when she decided to leave city life behind. But her dream of being more connected to nature in the American West comes alive when she meets Harrison, a handsome rancher thirteen years her senior. Wary but curious, with her dog Willow by her side, she leans into the seasonal rhythms of Harrison’s hidden valley and opens her heart to a wild language that moves beyond words. In a modern world where listening is rare, Elk Love explores an intimate place where loneliness gives way to wonder, where the natural world speaks of what matters most."
I enjoyed the Author's writing style as for the subject it was ok. You would think someone who spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Glacier National Park she would have known the ways and what to expect when it comes to hunting, wildlife and at the good, the bad and the very bad it comes with. Nope is all a big surprise when she finds a love interest and starts hanging around him, the cowboy. I wanted to love the book but can't. I found Lynne to be annoying even in her growth. This is a book about love between two different types of people. I am happy that they have enough respect to make it work. I wish I could have had his perspectives on the relationship and growth.
Great Falls, a farming and military town in central Montana, is not what Lynne imagined when she decided to leave city life behind. But her dream of being more connected to nature in the American West comes alive when she meets Harrison, a handsome rancher thirteen years her senior. Wary but curious, with her dog Willow by her side, she leans into the seasonal rhythms of Harrison’s hidden valley and opens her heart to a wild language that moves beyond words. In a modern world where listening is rare, Elk Love explores an intimate place where loneliness gives way to wonder, where the natural world speaks of what matters most."
I enjoyed the Author's writing style as for the subject it was ok. You would think someone who spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Glacier National Park she would have known the ways and what to expect when it comes to hunting, wildlife and at the good, the bad and the very bad it comes with. Nope is all a big surprise when she finds a love interest and starts hanging around him, the cowboy. I wanted to love the book but can't. I found Lynne to be annoying even in her growth. This is a book about love between two different types of people. I am happy that they have enough respect to make it work. I wish I could have had his perspectives on the relationship and growth.
January 9, 2025
Elk Love is both a memoir and a love story. Lynne O’Connor moves to Montana in her 40s to curate an exhibit at the C.M. Russell Museum. She meets a widower living a solitary existence on a nearby ranch. He introduces her to his way of living with and loving the land, which includes hunting and fishing.
If a Hallmark Christmas movie were a memoir, Elk Love would be it. “An acquaintance introduced me to a tall, virile, long-haired Croatian wheat farmer with a finally honed libido.” “His astonishing good looks begin to register, like smelling salts.”
If a Hallmark Christmas movie were a memoir, Elk Love would be it. “An acquaintance introduced me to a tall, virile, long-haired Croatian wheat farmer with a finally honed libido.” “His astonishing good looks begin to register, like smelling salts.”
June 8, 2024
On the surface Lynne and Harrison seem to have nothing in common. However, the memoir reveals they shared a love of art, nature, and profound feelings.
Elk Love is O’Connor’s story of her move to Montana as a museum curator and her relationship with local rancher Harrison.
Their relationship is a very slow burn and gives credence to love comes softly as Harrison continues to deeply grieve for his first wife.
The parts of the book that stand out are the author’s loving descriptions of the landscape, the wildlife, the livestock, and the dogs. Those are the strengths of her book.
Her backstory is somewhat shrouded in the mist, on purpose. I give her kudos for sticking it out with Harrison and with her patience because u would have not had the endurance.
The beauty of the Montana backdrop is what I found most appealing about the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for both digital and physical copies.
Elk Love is O’Connor’s story of her move to Montana as a museum curator and her relationship with local rancher Harrison.
Their relationship is a very slow burn and gives credence to love comes softly as Harrison continues to deeply grieve for his first wife.
The parts of the book that stand out are the author’s loving descriptions of the landscape, the wildlife, the livestock, and the dogs. Those are the strengths of her book.
Her backstory is somewhat shrouded in the mist, on purpose. I give her kudos for sticking it out with Harrison and with her patience because u would have not had the endurance.
The beauty of the Montana backdrop is what I found most appealing about the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for both digital and physical copies.
August 13, 2025
First of all, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the audio version of this memoir.
This memoir is, at its heart, a love story—set against the stunning backdrop of Montana’s natural beauty. I appreciated the writer's honest reflections on life as a cattle farmer, especially her inner conflict about the treatment of animals.
Her thoughts on horses particularly resonated with me:
"Being with a horse has a lot to do with energy; yours, theirs, and everything around you. Horses have no interest in spending time with someone who is distracted or hurried. They have little tolerance for an agitated mind. To approach a horse, to speak to them and be with them, one must be calm and gathered—more focused and gentler than normal. Present.”
The inclusion of elk sounds was a lovely touch—I was genuinely amazed by the eerie, beautiful noises they make.
I also loved the storyline about Dollar, and how much time and care went into giving this dog a second chance at a happy life.
At times, it sounded like the author was slightly out of breath while narrating. However, this improved as the story progressed, and in a way, it added to the authenticity—it didn’t need to be polished to feel real.
This memoir is, at its heart, a love story—set against the stunning backdrop of Montana’s natural beauty. I appreciated the writer's honest reflections on life as a cattle farmer, especially her inner conflict about the treatment of animals.
Her thoughts on horses particularly resonated with me:
"Being with a horse has a lot to do with energy; yours, theirs, and everything around you. Horses have no interest in spending time with someone who is distracted or hurried. They have little tolerance for an agitated mind. To approach a horse, to speak to them and be with them, one must be calm and gathered—more focused and gentler than normal. Present.”
The inclusion of elk sounds was a lovely touch—I was genuinely amazed by the eerie, beautiful noises they make.
I also loved the storyline about Dollar, and how much time and care went into giving this dog a second chance at a happy life.
At times, it sounded like the author was slightly out of breath while narrating. However, this improved as the story progressed, and in a way, it added to the authenticity—it didn’t need to be polished to feel real.
June 27, 2024
4.5
Kinship with Montana’s wilderness, wildlife, Indigenous peoples, Native American art, and a rancher (Great Falls and the Northern Great Plains Highland Mountains region, Montana; 2004 – 2009): How do we know what will make us happy? In Elk Love, this means after your “body and soul” betrayed Lynne Spriggs O’Connor.
How do you move past a happy life that’s gone after losing your thirty-two-year-old wife and mother of your three sons without feeling you’re betraying her? Harrison O’Connor’s elephant in the room when he meets and is “intrigued” by the author who finds his boyish looks “arresting.”
She a Native American Art historian who got her doctoral degree at Columbia University in Manhattan, where she lived for ten years in her twenties and thirties and began her museum career. He an Angus cattle rancher living in an isolated valley of the last great ecologically important grasslands area in America. She from a citified culture, moving to Montana after seven years as a contemporary arts museum director in America’s South, Atlanta. Two lonely people from two widely different cultures.
Moving for a job leading a small contemporary arts museum in Montana, one of America’s least populated and diverse states, where the contemporary arts was a hard sell compared to the daily lives of a small Western Rocky Mountain town wasn’t her “heart’s calling.” The wild, vast, open landscape was.
Arriving in Montana in her early forties hoping for an “unfurling into beauty,” Lynne Spriggs had built a career studying, living among, advocating for, and inspired by “shapeshifters and self-taught artists” from a diversity of ethnic cultures – Indigenous peoples, African Americans, Mexicans. Having spent ten summers worth living on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, where she’d discovered a “healing place," the move landed her this time in a conflicting culture.
Soon after arriving in Great Falls, a museum board member suggests she visit Harrison, eyeing him as a potential new member and financial supporter they’re in need of. The museum is unnamed, which fits someone who’s a protector. Harrison is in his mid-fifties, thirteen years older when they meet. Elk Love tells five years of their story, but it’s more than that because Montana’s wilderness is her “magnet.”
Theirs is a slowly evolving romantic relationship. He’s grieving the death of his wife Moira; three years ago when the memoir starts. She’s dealing with protecting herself emotionally and with the challenges of cultural differences. Early on he tells her, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a Black person.” Imagine how disorienting that felt?
Elk Love is about seeking beauty, peace, friendship, and belongingness in Montana. About finding love in multiple and interconnected forms: Nature, animals, romantic love. It’s imbued with the Native American spirit of Elk Dreamers – symbols of the “healing medicine of love,” strength, endurance, and renewal. Qualities that resonate in this vividly detailed, true story written with grace and gorgeous nature writing.
There’s an elegance to the prose that reflects the author’s deep respect for the land. As far as memoirs go, this may be the only memoir reviewed in this space that pays tribute in the Acknowledgements to the “generous heartbeat of Mother Nature.” To the “autumn love songs of elk”; to the “welcome company of spirited gray-crowned rosy-finches”; to the “blossoms of colorful pasque flowers, mountain goldbanner, arrowleaf balsamroot.” To the “flowing waters of the Missouri River that have carried me each summer.” To the “unspeakable beauty of horses and cottonwoods, and to all that unites us.”
Twelve years in the making, grit, tenaciousness, and open-mindedness are on display, as well as faith and patience with a man who opens up and pulls back. A compassionate man who’ll risk anything for animals, but a man whose profound losses have caused him to believe life is “only endurance.” For a woman who meets him when “optimism is all that’s left of me,” her attraction to Harrison is tangled.
Over the years, the author spends more time with Harrison at his ranch rather than her small apartment in Great Falls. She falls in love with it and his eighteen horses and two pet English Setters her Golden Retriever Willow bound joyfully with through landscape where there was once “tens of millions of bison, then there are almost none.” You’ll see how the largest North American animal, nearly extinct, figures into this Great Plains Northern culture and art story.
Harrison kennels more of the regal and devoted bird dogs released to do what they’re bred to do: gently retrieve downed birds. Parts of the Western cowboy culture appeal to the author – the “comradery, horsemanship, and roping skills” – but she’s also shocked and dismayed at the “complicated relationship between what we revere and what we kill.” Reconciling the attraction to a man who’s both “hunter and a protector” is a powerful emotion poured into the prose.
It’s not just the killing of birds that disturbs. It’s the slaughter of big game – cow elk (females) and bull elk (males) especially. Two hundred roam Harrison’s world. How does the author handle the stark contrast with the healing power of “Elk Medicine,” a spiritual myth shared by the Plains Indigenous tribes, including the Blackfoot Nation?
She seeks to understand what Harrison loves and does. Learns how to hold and shoot a rifle aimed at tin cans and clay pigeons. Hunting not a match, but she does go along on bird hunts, whereas she’s well-suited to learning how to ride a horse and care for Harrison’s.
Dog lovers everywhere will delight in the companionship, comfort, and bond between humans and their beloved dogs. With the Missouri River running through Great Falls, the prose lets you picture the author’s and Willow’s pleasure taking walks along the river trails when she’s in town working and when she’s giving space to her roller coaster romance. “I feel drawn to Harrison, but “instinct warns me to hold back – to protect myself from being too vulnerable.”
The best thing Harrison does is connect Spriggs to his old friend Phyllis. “Luminous, like lemon zest.” One of those colorful, self-taught artists the arts historian has an affinity for, the two become fast dear friends, creating the sense of belonging yearned for. Phyllis has recently returned to Montana where she’s lived much of her life, like Harrison. Bursting with energy, creativity, and enthusiasm, she triggers the opening of moving boxes unopened for three years.
Hearts are at the center. Broken hearts, lonely hearts, hearts attached to Nature and animals. Hearts learning to trust. Harrison is fearless in the harshness of environmental elements, but it doesn’t come emotionally easily when a woman is falling in love with him he knows is so good for him.
As the romance builds, Harrison must work hard on changing how his heart responds to this healing woman he’s fallen in love with. The breakthrough comes when he shows he’s come a long way: “Have I told you how comforting and calming your hands are? Your touch always makes me feel better.”
Elk Love has the same feel-good effect.
Kinship with Montana’s wilderness, wildlife, Indigenous peoples, Native American art, and a rancher (Great Falls and the Northern Great Plains Highland Mountains region, Montana; 2004 – 2009): How do we know what will make us happy? In Elk Love, this means after your “body and soul” betrayed Lynne Spriggs O’Connor.
How do you move past a happy life that’s gone after losing your thirty-two-year-old wife and mother of your three sons without feeling you’re betraying her? Harrison O’Connor’s elephant in the room when he meets and is “intrigued” by the author who finds his boyish looks “arresting.”
She a Native American Art historian who got her doctoral degree at Columbia University in Manhattan, where she lived for ten years in her twenties and thirties and began her museum career. He an Angus cattle rancher living in an isolated valley of the last great ecologically important grasslands area in America. She from a citified culture, moving to Montana after seven years as a contemporary arts museum director in America’s South, Atlanta. Two lonely people from two widely different cultures.
Moving for a job leading a small contemporary arts museum in Montana, one of America’s least populated and diverse states, where the contemporary arts was a hard sell compared to the daily lives of a small Western Rocky Mountain town wasn’t her “heart’s calling.” The wild, vast, open landscape was.
Arriving in Montana in her early forties hoping for an “unfurling into beauty,” Lynne Spriggs had built a career studying, living among, advocating for, and inspired by “shapeshifters and self-taught artists” from a diversity of ethnic cultures – Indigenous peoples, African Americans, Mexicans. Having spent ten summers worth living on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, where she’d discovered a “healing place," the move landed her this time in a conflicting culture.
Soon after arriving in Great Falls, a museum board member suggests she visit Harrison, eyeing him as a potential new member and financial supporter they’re in need of. The museum is unnamed, which fits someone who’s a protector. Harrison is in his mid-fifties, thirteen years older when they meet. Elk Love tells five years of their story, but it’s more than that because Montana’s wilderness is her “magnet.”
Theirs is a slowly evolving romantic relationship. He’s grieving the death of his wife Moira; three years ago when the memoir starts. She’s dealing with protecting herself emotionally and with the challenges of cultural differences. Early on he tells her, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a Black person.” Imagine how disorienting that felt?
Elk Love is about seeking beauty, peace, friendship, and belongingness in Montana. About finding love in multiple and interconnected forms: Nature, animals, romantic love. It’s imbued with the Native American spirit of Elk Dreamers – symbols of the “healing medicine of love,” strength, endurance, and renewal. Qualities that resonate in this vividly detailed, true story written with grace and gorgeous nature writing.
There’s an elegance to the prose that reflects the author’s deep respect for the land. As far as memoirs go, this may be the only memoir reviewed in this space that pays tribute in the Acknowledgements to the “generous heartbeat of Mother Nature.” To the “autumn love songs of elk”; to the “welcome company of spirited gray-crowned rosy-finches”; to the “blossoms of colorful pasque flowers, mountain goldbanner, arrowleaf balsamroot.” To the “flowing waters of the Missouri River that have carried me each summer.” To the “unspeakable beauty of horses and cottonwoods, and to all that unites us.”
Twelve years in the making, grit, tenaciousness, and open-mindedness are on display, as well as faith and patience with a man who opens up and pulls back. A compassionate man who’ll risk anything for animals, but a man whose profound losses have caused him to believe life is “only endurance.” For a woman who meets him when “optimism is all that’s left of me,” her attraction to Harrison is tangled.
Over the years, the author spends more time with Harrison at his ranch rather than her small apartment in Great Falls. She falls in love with it and his eighteen horses and two pet English Setters her Golden Retriever Willow bound joyfully with through landscape where there was once “tens of millions of bison, then there are almost none.” You’ll see how the largest North American animal, nearly extinct, figures into this Great Plains Northern culture and art story.
Harrison kennels more of the regal and devoted bird dogs released to do what they’re bred to do: gently retrieve downed birds. Parts of the Western cowboy culture appeal to the author – the “comradery, horsemanship, and roping skills” – but she’s also shocked and dismayed at the “complicated relationship between what we revere and what we kill.” Reconciling the attraction to a man who’s both “hunter and a protector” is a powerful emotion poured into the prose.
It’s not just the killing of birds that disturbs. It’s the slaughter of big game – cow elk (females) and bull elk (males) especially. Two hundred roam Harrison’s world. How does the author handle the stark contrast with the healing power of “Elk Medicine,” a spiritual myth shared by the Plains Indigenous tribes, including the Blackfoot Nation?
She seeks to understand what Harrison loves and does. Learns how to hold and shoot a rifle aimed at tin cans and clay pigeons. Hunting not a match, but she does go along on bird hunts, whereas she’s well-suited to learning how to ride a horse and care for Harrison’s.
Dog lovers everywhere will delight in the companionship, comfort, and bond between humans and their beloved dogs. With the Missouri River running through Great Falls, the prose lets you picture the author’s and Willow’s pleasure taking walks along the river trails when she’s in town working and when she’s giving space to her roller coaster romance. “I feel drawn to Harrison, but “instinct warns me to hold back – to protect myself from being too vulnerable.”
The best thing Harrison does is connect Spriggs to his old friend Phyllis. “Luminous, like lemon zest.” One of those colorful, self-taught artists the arts historian has an affinity for, the two become fast dear friends, creating the sense of belonging yearned for. Phyllis has recently returned to Montana where she’s lived much of her life, like Harrison. Bursting with energy, creativity, and enthusiasm, she triggers the opening of moving boxes unopened for three years.
Hearts are at the center. Broken hearts, lonely hearts, hearts attached to Nature and animals. Hearts learning to trust. Harrison is fearless in the harshness of environmental elements, but it doesn’t come emotionally easily when a woman is falling in love with him he knows is so good for him.
As the romance builds, Harrison must work hard on changing how his heart responds to this healing woman he’s fallen in love with. The breakthrough comes when he shows he’s come a long way: “Have I told you how comforting and calming your hands are? Your touch always makes me feel better.”
Elk Love has the same feel-good effect.
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July 2, 2024Elk Love is the author’s story how she moved to Montana as a museum curator and stumbled upon a relationship with grieving rancher, Harrison.
Descriptive prose transports the reader into the beautiful landscape of Montana and has them connecting with nature, wildlife and the souls within our fellow humans.
Like any traveller, the story tends to wander from the main path and goes off into unrelated territory, but eventually makes its way back and continues on to the focal point of the story.
The love been author and rancher is an incredibly slow burn. The patience and resilience of the author to stick things through show cases an unwavering love that is uncommon now a days. It is both admirable and inspiring.
I don’t rate memoirs however this is a beautiful transportive piece that will leave you reeling.
Thank you to the author and Booksparks for the gifted copy in exchange for review.
Descriptive prose transports the reader into the beautiful landscape of Montana and has them connecting with nature, wildlife and the souls within our fellow humans.
Like any traveller, the story tends to wander from the main path and goes off into unrelated territory, but eventually makes its way back and continues on to the focal point of the story.
The love been author and rancher is an incredibly slow burn. The patience and resilience of the author to stick things through show cases an unwavering love that is uncommon now a days. It is both admirable and inspiring.
I don’t rate memoirs however this is a beautiful transportive piece that will leave you reeling.
Thank you to the author and Booksparks for the gifted copy in exchange for review.
August 27, 2024
Memoirs are products of personal experiences that last a lifetime with moral value. With the case of Lynne Spriggs and her time living in Montana, Elk Loveis filled with unforgettable moments and valuable life lessons. It was enjoyable to read Lynn’s perspective on her reflections in nature. After her job brings her to Montana, little did she know Montana was going to give so much more back to her. After recently moving to a more rural area, it was refreshing to read the mental clarity and self-discovery that served Spriggs through her journey and brought hope and experience to my journey also. Spriggs did a magnificent job telling her story mixed with reflections and lessons that are valuable to the heart and soul.
The book was exceptionally edited, written, and structured. The writing style and imagery brought the story to life in an original way. Everyone can learn at least one lesson from reading this book. For these reasons, I am giving this book 4.5 stars.
The book was exceptionally edited, written, and structured. The writing style and imagery brought the story to life in an original way. Everyone can learn at least one lesson from reading this book. For these reasons, I am giving this book 4.5 stars.
June 23, 2024
The minute I opened the first page I was completely transported to Montana with Lynne. The biggest thing that stood out to me about this book was the incredible writing. The descriptiveness the author gave us was amazing, I truly felt like I was right there and could hear, smell and see everything the author was talking about.
I absolutely loved that this was a true story and based on the author’s life, I think it made the book that much better.
I loved learning about all the Native American facts that the author included. I also fully enjoyed learning about what it was REALLY like to live on a ranch. I think the author did a great job of giving us all the fun and exciting parts, while also including the real life parts and helped us to really connect with all of the people mentioned in the book.
I loved the descriptions we got of all the animals and was especially excited that so many animals were involved in this story.
This book was honestly incredible and depicted a real life story so well. While reading, a great sense of peace came over me and I was completely glued to the pages. Anytime I had to put this book down I was left wondering what would happen next and thinking about everything I had just read about.
I would highly recommend this book and I think anyone could take a lot out of this story.
Thank you so much to @booksparks & @lynnesoconnor for my gifted copy, I am leaving this review on my own.
I absolutely loved that this was a true story and based on the author’s life, I think it made the book that much better.
I loved learning about all the Native American facts that the author included. I also fully enjoyed learning about what it was REALLY like to live on a ranch. I think the author did a great job of giving us all the fun and exciting parts, while also including the real life parts and helped us to really connect with all of the people mentioned in the book.
I loved the descriptions we got of all the animals and was especially excited that so many animals were involved in this story.
This book was honestly incredible and depicted a real life story so well. While reading, a great sense of peace came over me and I was completely glued to the pages. Anytime I had to put this book down I was left wondering what would happen next and thinking about everything I had just read about.
I would highly recommend this book and I think anyone could take a lot out of this story.
Thank you so much to @booksparks & @lynnesoconnor for my gifted copy, I am leaving this review on my own.
June 30, 2025
I usually read fiction but I lived in Montana and Wyoming for 15 years so I was interested in reading this.
This is a love story of the land, of nature and most importantly live between a man and a woman. It was a slow burn relationship but I found Harrison to be fascinating and Lynne just the person he needed in his life.
The audiobook was narrated by the author which was really nice.
I received a copy of the audiobook as an ARC from NetGalley. I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to it. My review is voluntary.
This is a love story of the land, of nature and most importantly live between a man and a woman. It was a slow burn relationship but I found Harrison to be fascinating and Lynne just the person he needed in his life.
The audiobook was narrated by the author which was really nice.
I received a copy of the audiobook as an ARC from NetGalley. I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to it. My review is voluntary.
June 28, 2024
4.5⭐️
I absolutely love the states of WY and MT and will pretty much read anything set in those states. So, after reading the synopsis of this, I knew I had to read it.
Lynne Spriggs spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, near Glacier National Park in NW Montanta doing field work for her PHD in Native American Art History. She sees Montana as her healing 6 she decides to leave the big cities of the east behind and take the leap. She moves to Great Falls with her dog Willow and takes a job as a museum curator. Life in a farming/military town is so different from what Lynne is used to in the East Coast cities. But it's the perfect place for her to be more connected to nature. After meeting Harrison, a handsome rancher who is 13 years older, her eyes are opened to a whole new world.
This was a memoir after my own heart! The setting was everything, and the descriptions made me feel like I was there. It was a great love story not just between Lynne and Harrison but also Lynne and Montana. I loved reading about how she and Willow adapted to ranch life and accompanied Harrison on hunting excursions. She was so patient with a man still grieving his late wife. The way she connected to nature was inspiring. I don't really read memoirs, but this one definitely kept my interest the whole time. If you're looking for a good memoir, I would definitely recommend this one.
I absolutely love the states of WY and MT and will pretty much read anything set in those states. So, after reading the synopsis of this, I knew I had to read it.
Lynne Spriggs spent ten summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, near Glacier National Park in NW Montanta doing field work for her PHD in Native American Art History. She sees Montana as her healing 6 she decides to leave the big cities of the east behind and take the leap. She moves to Great Falls with her dog Willow and takes a job as a museum curator. Life in a farming/military town is so different from what Lynne is used to in the East Coast cities. But it's the perfect place for her to be more connected to nature. After meeting Harrison, a handsome rancher who is 13 years older, her eyes are opened to a whole new world.
This was a memoir after my own heart! The setting was everything, and the descriptions made me feel like I was there. It was a great love story not just between Lynne and Harrison but also Lynne and Montana. I loved reading about how she and Willow adapted to ranch life and accompanied Harrison on hunting excursions. She was so patient with a man still grieving his late wife. The way she connected to nature was inspiring. I don't really read memoirs, but this one definitely kept my interest the whole time. If you're looking for a good memoir, I would definitely recommend this one.
September 17, 2025
My husband and I went to a book reading by this author at Paulina Springs Bookstore in Sisters, Oregon. We both connected with the author’s heart and journey of change and renewal. We decided to read this book aloud to each other. What a wonderful life-affirming and love affirming journey. And all the detailed descriptions of encounters with wildlife and farm animals were incredible. Warm hearted stories like this one are a rare treasure.
January 22, 2025
For all of the sorrows that can befall a mountain, ranch life, or life generally, there is so, so much beauty that can be found, also, in each one...Although I knew this book was a memoir…I saw the title, began reading, and somehow, the everyday realness of the descriptions of the ranch, mountains, human and animal lives described in these pages, made it seem like the stuff of a gorgeous fiction novel. It was simply too beautiful, too perfectly woven, and beautifully unfolded, to be anything but an imagined version of a life well lived.
It took me about two thirds of the way in to realize, heck, this is a legit memoir- this is someone’s life! I was immediately reminded of an intricate, miniature barn/farming set I got as a kid, that was complete with buildings, farm equipment, animals, and ranch hands, which could all be posed, and positioned according to the player’s whims.
I derived the same level of pleasure going through these pages of day to day life on a Montana ranch, and mountainside, as I did with this miniature play set that I received as a kid. There is so much to do daily- check on the horses, cows, bulls, bird dogs, elk, deer, and other local wildlife. Your neighbors, few but important as ever, become lifelines to your past and future that you never take for granted...and are motivated to attempt to understand (or at least, accept them as they are).
Anyone new who crosses your path, might be the new best friend (or love?) that you never thought you’d meet. Life just seems to take on more significant meaning in the mountains, and I for one, feel changed and moved for having read a story born there. I loved the way Harrison and Lynne came together, found each other, and decided to keep each other, despite already having lived lives before meeting. It’s a lot about choice, what makes sense in your life vs. for someone else, and having the courage to live a life well-lived.
The smooth, peaceful description of everyday, lived well, is something I don’t think I have ever read an entire book of before, and I hope I get to again, at some point (hopefully, from this same author!). I loved how the same adoration of description was given for animals, and not just people, described in the story. There is such an appreciation for life generally, of feeling what animals feel, imagining how they do, that just made me smile page after page.
Citations of Temple Grandin’s work, do not surprise me, but were welcomed additions, and get to the soul of the book generally.
Five stars! I truly hope the author releases another work, soon.
It took me about two thirds of the way in to realize, heck, this is a legit memoir- this is someone’s life! I was immediately reminded of an intricate, miniature barn/farming set I got as a kid, that was complete with buildings, farm equipment, animals, and ranch hands, which could all be posed, and positioned according to the player’s whims.
I derived the same level of pleasure going through these pages of day to day life on a Montana ranch, and mountainside, as I did with this miniature play set that I received as a kid. There is so much to do daily- check on the horses, cows, bulls, bird dogs, elk, deer, and other local wildlife. Your neighbors, few but important as ever, become lifelines to your past and future that you never take for granted...and are motivated to attempt to understand (or at least, accept them as they are).
Anyone new who crosses your path, might be the new best friend (or love?) that you never thought you’d meet. Life just seems to take on more significant meaning in the mountains, and I for one, feel changed and moved for having read a story born there. I loved the way Harrison and Lynne came together, found each other, and decided to keep each other, despite already having lived lives before meeting. It’s a lot about choice, what makes sense in your life vs. for someone else, and having the courage to live a life well-lived.
The smooth, peaceful description of everyday, lived well, is something I don’t think I have ever read an entire book of before, and I hope I get to again, at some point (hopefully, from this same author!). I loved how the same adoration of description was given for animals, and not just people, described in the story. There is such an appreciation for life generally, of feeling what animals feel, imagining how they do, that just made me smile page after page.
Citations of Temple Grandin’s work, do not surprise me, but were welcomed additions, and get to the soul of the book generally.
Five stars! I truly hope the author releases another work, soon.
August 26, 2024
Lynne Spriggs O'Connor's engrossing memoir "Elk Love" skillfully combines a profound bond with nature with her own rehabilitation. After facing health issues, Lynne relocates to Great Falls, Montana, in an attempt to find happiness again and remember the fun she used to have spending her summers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Her expectations aren't met by the traditional village or her job as museum director, though. The main plot point of Lynne's story is the deep bond she forges with Harrison, a local rancher, after an unplanned vehicle accident on a gravel road.The memoir explores Lynne's growing connection to the untamed environment and the people in her life, providing a vivid picture of her life in Montana. The narrative explores issues of loneliness, knowing one another, and the transformational influence of nature through her interactions with Harrison. As Lynne makes her way through ranch life—taking part in everything from branding to calving—her passion for the great outdoors and her reverence for the natural world become clear. She also gains a deep understanding for Montana's animals and seasonal cycles.
With her poetic and reflective writing, Lynne gives readers a close-up view of her personal quest for self-awareness. Her friendships, her work with Native American art displays, and her contemplations on the human mind all contribute to the story, transforming it from a memoir into a philosophical investigation of life and nature. Lynne's story is one of perseverance and development in spite of the obstacles she encounters, such as her complicated relationship with Harrison and the memory of his late wife.The exquisitely written memoir "Elk Love" speaks to those who love the outdoors and are looking for motivation from someone who has a strong connection to the land. The book is a captivating read that perfectly portrays the essence of beginning over in a region that has always spoken to the soul; it leaves readers wanting more of Lynne's adventures.
With her poetic and reflective writing, Lynne gives readers a close-up view of her personal quest for self-awareness. Her friendships, her work with Native American art displays, and her contemplations on the human mind all contribute to the story, transforming it from a memoir into a philosophical investigation of life and nature. Lynne's story is one of perseverance and development in spite of the obstacles she encounters, such as her complicated relationship with Harrison and the memory of his late wife.The exquisitely written memoir "Elk Love" speaks to those who love the outdoors and are looking for motivation from someone who has a strong connection to the land. The book is a captivating read that perfectly portrays the essence of beginning over in a region that has always spoken to the soul; it leaves readers wanting more of Lynne's adventures.
August 5, 2025
If you've ever wondered what would happen if a romance novelist accidentally wandered into a nature documentary and decided to stay, "Elk Love" has your answer. Lynne Spriggs O'Connor's memoir reads like someone fed a Hallmark movie script through a meat grinder, seasoned it with organic kale, and served it on reclaimed barn wood.
O'Connor, a city curator who apparently packed nothing but thesauruses for her Montana adventure, discovers the American West through the lens of a woman who describes a man's attractiveness as "smelling salts" – which, let's be honest, sounds more like a medical emergency than romantic awakening. Her prose style suggests she's being paid by the adjective, particularly when describing her Croatian wheat farmer love interest, whose "finally honed libido" sounds less like a romantic attribute and more like a woodworking project that's been sanded to perfection.
The book promises to be both memoir and love story, and delivers on this threat with the subtlety of a moose in a china shop. O'Connor approaches Montana wildlife with the same breathless enthusiasm she reserves for describing her beau's "astonishing good looks," creating a reading experience where you're never quite sure if she's about to kiss the rancher or the elk.
To O'Connor's credit, she does capture the genuine appeal of Montana's landscape, even if she occasionally sounds like she's dictating copy for a luxury outdoor gear catalog. Her journey from urban curator to rural romantic is charming in its earnestness, though readers may find themselves wishing she'd occasionally dial down the purple prose to let the actual story breathe.
"Elk Love" succeeds as a guilty pleasure read for anyone who enjoys their nature writing with a heavy dose of middle-aged romance novel sensibility. Just don't expect Thoreau – expect more like "Fifty Shades of Hay."
Perfect for: Montana tourism boards, romance readers who enjoy their cowboys with advanced degrees, anyone who's ever wondered what happens when Jane Austen meets Field & Stream.
O'Connor, a city curator who apparently packed nothing but thesauruses for her Montana adventure, discovers the American West through the lens of a woman who describes a man's attractiveness as "smelling salts" – which, let's be honest, sounds more like a medical emergency than romantic awakening. Her prose style suggests she's being paid by the adjective, particularly when describing her Croatian wheat farmer love interest, whose "finally honed libido" sounds less like a romantic attribute and more like a woodworking project that's been sanded to perfection.
The book promises to be both memoir and love story, and delivers on this threat with the subtlety of a moose in a china shop. O'Connor approaches Montana wildlife with the same breathless enthusiasm she reserves for describing her beau's "astonishing good looks," creating a reading experience where you're never quite sure if she's about to kiss the rancher or the elk.
To O'Connor's credit, she does capture the genuine appeal of Montana's landscape, even if she occasionally sounds like she's dictating copy for a luxury outdoor gear catalog. Her journey from urban curator to rural romantic is charming in its earnestness, though readers may find themselves wishing she'd occasionally dial down the purple prose to let the actual story breathe.
"Elk Love" succeeds as a guilty pleasure read for anyone who enjoys their nature writing with a heavy dose of middle-aged romance novel sensibility. Just don't expect Thoreau – expect more like "Fifty Shades of Hay."
Perfect for: Montana tourism boards, romance readers who enjoy their cowboys with advanced degrees, anyone who's ever wondered what happens when Jane Austen meets Field & Stream.
June 5, 2024
Woof! As a dog who loves adventure and the great outdoors, "Elk Love: A Montana Memoir" by Lynne Spriggs O'Conner was a real treat to read. This book is like a long, satisfying walk through the wilderness, full of exciting scents, breathtaking views, and the thrill of discovery.
O'Conner's descriptions of Montana are so vivid, I could almost feel the earth under my paws and smell the fresh mountain air. The way she writes about the forests, mountains, and open fields makes me want to run free and explore every corner. Her encounters with the majestic elk are especially thrilling. I could feel her awe and respect for these magnificent creatures, and it made my tail wag with excitement just imagining myself alongside them.
The memoir captures the essence of companionship and the deep connection to nature that resonates with my canine instincts. There’s a sense of freedom and adventure in every page, and it made me feel like I was right there, experiencing it all with her. The bond O'Conner shares with the land and its wildlife is as heartwarming as a cozy nap after a day of play.
While there were moments where the story wandered a bit, much like following an intriguing scent trail that doesn't lead anywhere, it didn't take away from the overall enjoyment. The occasional meandering only added to the authentic feel of exploring the great outdoors, where not every path is straight and predictable.
"Elk Love: A Montana Memoir" is a wonderful read for anyone who loves nature, animals, and the spirit of adventure. It's a book that celebrates the beauty of Montana and the joy of being in harmony with the wild. Four enthusiastic tail wags for this delightful journey through the wilderness!
O'Conner's descriptions of Montana are so vivid, I could almost feel the earth under my paws and smell the fresh mountain air. The way she writes about the forests, mountains, and open fields makes me want to run free and explore every corner. Her encounters with the majestic elk are especially thrilling. I could feel her awe and respect for these magnificent creatures, and it made my tail wag with excitement just imagining myself alongside them.
The memoir captures the essence of companionship and the deep connection to nature that resonates with my canine instincts. There’s a sense of freedom and adventure in every page, and it made me feel like I was right there, experiencing it all with her. The bond O'Conner shares with the land and its wildlife is as heartwarming as a cozy nap after a day of play.
While there were moments where the story wandered a bit, much like following an intriguing scent trail that doesn't lead anywhere, it didn't take away from the overall enjoyment. The occasional meandering only added to the authentic feel of exploring the great outdoors, where not every path is straight and predictable.
"Elk Love: A Montana Memoir" is a wonderful read for anyone who loves nature, animals, and the spirit of adventure. It's a book that celebrates the beauty of Montana and the joy of being in harmony with the wild. Four enthusiastic tail wags for this delightful journey through the wilderness!
September 2, 2025
I enjoyed this audiobook a lot. I don't typically read memoirs, especially from people I have never heard of before, but this is really good. The title caught my attention, and upon reading the synopsis, I was sure I could get something from O'Connor story since we share some commonalities like moving deep in the country.
The memoir highlights the author's connection to nature, art, and history, as well as how humans bond with one another and form relationships, including unexpected ones. With the sound of an elk's call, the audiobook transports the listener to Montana, where the author's perspective is profoundly shaped by the environment, resulting in personal transformation. O'Connor story is about resilience, isolation, and living in harmony with nature.
What stood out to me the most was O'Connor connection of Native American history to her personal life. As she continues to learn, she applies this knowledge to her new and past experiences. I love how she also applies anthropological principles, like trying to avoid judgment, as she meets people who hold different values and standards than she does. It is this that leads her to open her heart to so much growth and ultimately to finding love.
The audiobook quality is good. O'Connor's narration feels like listening to an old friend read aloud from her diary. The pauses between chapters were too long, so that the bugle sound might give you a jump scare, or maybe that's just my nerves. All things considered, the audiobook is perfect for listening during a reset day, while doing chores, or just out for a walk.
I definitely recommend this to nature lovers and for anyone who dreams of having an off-the-grid romance.
Thank you NetGalley and BooksForwardPR for introducing me to Lynne O'Connor.
The memoir highlights the author's connection to nature, art, and history, as well as how humans bond with one another and form relationships, including unexpected ones. With the sound of an elk's call, the audiobook transports the listener to Montana, where the author's perspective is profoundly shaped by the environment, resulting in personal transformation. O'Connor story is about resilience, isolation, and living in harmony with nature.
What stood out to me the most was O'Connor connection of Native American history to her personal life. As she continues to learn, she applies this knowledge to her new and past experiences. I love how she also applies anthropological principles, like trying to avoid judgment, as she meets people who hold different values and standards than she does. It is this that leads her to open her heart to so much growth and ultimately to finding love.
The audiobook quality is good. O'Connor's narration feels like listening to an old friend read aloud from her diary. The pauses between chapters were too long, so that the bugle sound might give you a jump scare, or maybe that's just my nerves. All things considered, the audiobook is perfect for listening during a reset day, while doing chores, or just out for a walk.
I definitely recommend this to nature lovers and for anyone who dreams of having an off-the-grid romance.
Thank you NetGalley and BooksForwardPR for introducing me to Lynne O'Connor.
September 23, 2025
Listening to "Elk Love: A Montana Memoir" by Lynne O’Connor felt like being wrapped in a story that was equal parts healing and hauntingly beautiful. I could almost feel myself walking alongside her as she left behind the city and stepped into the raw, unpredictable landscape of Great Falls, Montana. When she met Harrison—a rancher carrying his own scars of loss—I couldn’t help but feel that same spark of possibility she did, that sense that two broken lives might find strength in each other. Through the audiobook’s rich narration, every season, every hardship, and every moment of quiet revelation felt like it was happening to me, too.
What moved me most was how alive the prose became in audio form. The narrator’s voice carried the weight of O’Connor’s grief, the tenderness of her connections, and the sheer awe of Montana’s wilderness. I found myself laughing in unexpected places, tearing up during passages of raw honesty, and pausing just to soak in her descriptions of the land, the elk, and the rhythms of ranch life. It was as if I could hear her heart opening, again and again, to the people and the wild around her.
By the time I reached the end, I didn’t just feel like I had listened to someone else’s memoir—I felt like I had shared in a kind of pilgrimage. O’Connor’s reverence for Montana, her resilience in the face of grief, and her willingness to be vulnerable left me deeply touched. "Elk Love" didn’t just tell me a story; it reminded me of the ways nature and connection can put us back together when life feels broken. I walked away from it with a sense of kinship—not only with her, but with the wild, enduring spirit of Montana itself.
Someday, I would love to travel to Montana!
Huge thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ALC!
What moved me most was how alive the prose became in audio form. The narrator’s voice carried the weight of O’Connor’s grief, the tenderness of her connections, and the sheer awe of Montana’s wilderness. I found myself laughing in unexpected places, tearing up during passages of raw honesty, and pausing just to soak in her descriptions of the land, the elk, and the rhythms of ranch life. It was as if I could hear her heart opening, again and again, to the people and the wild around her.
By the time I reached the end, I didn’t just feel like I had listened to someone else’s memoir—I felt like I had shared in a kind of pilgrimage. O’Connor’s reverence for Montana, her resilience in the face of grief, and her willingness to be vulnerable left me deeply touched. "Elk Love" didn’t just tell me a story; it reminded me of the ways nature and connection can put us back together when life feels broken. I walked away from it with a sense of kinship—not only with her, but with the wild, enduring spirit of Montana itself.
Someday, I would love to travel to Montana!
Huge thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ALC!
July 25, 2024
What happens when a career focused city dweller is suddenly thrust into Highwood county, Montana? While this might sound like material for a novel or even a streaming series, it’s actually the real life story of Lynne Spriggs O’Connor. Elk Love is a heartwarming exploration of self-discovery, love, and the link between the human soul and nature. There’s grief, there’s intimacy, and there’s a love of the wilderness that keeps you hooked in her story from the very beginning.
O’Connor’s descriptions of the lush Montana environment almost makes you feel like you’re breathing the fresh air and contemplating the fawns and elks right there with her. It also explores the difficulties of love with someone who’s born and raised in a completely environment than you, and the insecurities this tends to trigger. The way she describes one of her conversations with Harrison in the “I don’t care chapter” is so poignant that you can feel her pain and insecurity.
One of my favorite chapters was “Falling In Love With Predators”, which in just a few sentences captures the wild factor of interacting with majestic wild animals to such a close degree. It provides us with a window into a world most don’t ever imagine exists.
I also like the general chapter structure of the book, making them self-contained and concise enough that you can either power through the book in one go or skim through it at your leisure.
O’Connor’s descriptions of the lush Montana environment almost makes you feel like you’re breathing the fresh air and contemplating the fawns and elks right there with her. It also explores the difficulties of love with someone who’s born and raised in a completely environment than you, and the insecurities this tends to trigger. The way she describes one of her conversations with Harrison in the “I don’t care chapter” is so poignant that you can feel her pain and insecurity.
One of my favorite chapters was “Falling In Love With Predators”, which in just a few sentences captures the wild factor of interacting with majestic wild animals to such a close degree. It provides us with a window into a world most don’t ever imagine exists.
I also like the general chapter structure of the book, making them self-contained and concise enough that you can either power through the book in one go or skim through it at your leisure.
July 28, 2024
This is such a beautiful book! Lynne Spriggs O’Connor wrote this memoir with great intelligence and sensitivity. As a middle-aged woman, I immediately connected with the narrator and her desire to start over and rediscover herself. As I read, I wanted to meet all of the people in the book. Each was a complex person, with strengths, quirks, and. . .maybe not exactly weaknesses, but challenges.
The descriptions of the landscape and the ranch make the countryside as much a character as the people. I could feel the healing she experienced as she connected with the land and the wildlife. I was a little conflicted about her relationship with Harrison. It seemed like he had so much baggage from the tragic loss of his wife. I won’t post spoilers on their relationship; suffice it to say I was reluctant to commit fully to cheering them on, knowing how tender they both still were from the past. They both seemed to grow and learn to trust as they opened up to each other.
As a whole, the book made me long to return to Montana and smell the sagebrush again. I’ll definitely watch for more from this author!
I received an advance review copy for free, but that didn’t color my response to this lovely book. I am leaving this review entirely voluntarily, and hope this book touches you the way it touched me!
The descriptions of the landscape and the ranch make the countryside as much a character as the people. I could feel the healing she experienced as she connected with the land and the wildlife. I was a little conflicted about her relationship with Harrison. It seemed like he had so much baggage from the tragic loss of his wife. I won’t post spoilers on their relationship; suffice it to say I was reluctant to commit fully to cheering them on, knowing how tender they both still were from the past. They both seemed to grow and learn to trust as they opened up to each other.
As a whole, the book made me long to return to Montana and smell the sagebrush again. I’ll definitely watch for more from this author!
I received an advance review copy for free, but that didn’t color my response to this lovely book. I am leaving this review entirely voluntarily, and hope this book touches you the way it touched me!
August 27, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5) | Finding home in the wild heart of Big Sky Country
This memoir reads like a slower-burn Hallmark movie, but with genuine emotional depth that surprised me. O'Connor's journey from East Coast museum curator to Montana rancher's partner unfolds with the unhurried rhythm of prairie seasons. Her prose beautifully captures both the vastness of the landscape and the intimacy of falling in love later in life.
What struck me most was how O'Connor navigates the tension between her academic background and Harrison's ranching world. Sometimes her naivety about farm life felt a bit much—especially given her previous Montana experience—but her vulnerability in documenting this life transformation was genuinely moving. The nature writing is exquisite, particularly her descriptions of elk and seasonal ranch rhythms.
While I occasionally found myself wanting Harrison's perspective on their relationship, O'Connor's honest portrayal of middle-aged love and reinvention resonates deeply. It's an imperfect but heartfelt exploration of finding where you belong.
Vibes We Are Tracking:
🌾 Second-chance romance
🦌 Nature awakening
🏔️ Fish-out-of-water transformation
💕 Opposites attract
This memoir reads like a slower-burn Hallmark movie, but with genuine emotional depth that surprised me. O'Connor's journey from East Coast museum curator to Montana rancher's partner unfolds with the unhurried rhythm of prairie seasons. Her prose beautifully captures both the vastness of the landscape and the intimacy of falling in love later in life.
What struck me most was how O'Connor navigates the tension between her academic background and Harrison's ranching world. Sometimes her naivety about farm life felt a bit much—especially given her previous Montana experience—but her vulnerability in documenting this life transformation was genuinely moving. The nature writing is exquisite, particularly her descriptions of elk and seasonal ranch rhythms.
While I occasionally found myself wanting Harrison's perspective on their relationship, O'Connor's honest portrayal of middle-aged love and reinvention resonates deeply. It's an imperfect but heartfelt exploration of finding where you belong.
Vibes We Are Tracking:
🌾 Second-chance romance
🦌 Nature awakening
🏔️ Fish-out-of-water transformation
💕 Opposites attract
June 20, 2025
I listened to this memoir narrated by the author, art historian Lynne Spriggs O’Connor. O’Connor moved to a small farming town in Montana and fell in love with the land, the animals, and a certain farmer. The narrative arc is not as strong here as in many of the memoirs I’ve loved, but if you’d like to get a feel for what it’s like living in a Montana farming community, the author’s lovely descriptions will give you a good sense of that.
Much of the story involves her slow-paced romance and adjusting to life on a farm, but my favorite parts are actually her interactions with friends and discussion of the work she does at the local art museum.
The audiobook production was good, and the author did a fine job with narration since the majority of the story is told in her own words. Her narration was well-paced and easy to understand, and she conveyed the mood and emotions of each scene effectively. The recording of a bull elk screaming that played between sections was chilling.
I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.
Much of the story involves her slow-paced romance and adjusting to life on a farm, but my favorite parts are actually her interactions with friends and discussion of the work she does at the local art museum.
The audiobook production was good, and the author did a fine job with narration since the majority of the story is told in her own words. Her narration was well-paced and easy to understand, and she conveyed the mood and emotions of each scene effectively. The recording of a bull elk screaming that played between sections was chilling.
I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.
July 30, 2024
In Elk Love, we meet Lynne Spriggs O’Connor, a city dweller, who works in a museum as a curator. Her story reads like a movie but it would be one that I would watch and savor.
When her life up-ends, she moves to Montana, to take another curator position that causes her to draw on her time with the Blackfeet Indians, and meets Harrison on the day she has a car accident. With Harrison's help, she settles in. Harrison shows her the land, and the animals on his ranch, and teaches her how to hunt (she finds it fascinating, if a bit yucky). O'Connor's writing and descriptions of the land, and the animals she learns about and comes to know and love, make one feel that they are right there, with them. Phyllis is a person I would love to meet and watch her work. It is Phyllis who teaches Lynn to live life to the fullest, to put the past in the past, and to take up a former love, painting. I recommend Elk Love!
When her life up-ends, she moves to Montana, to take another curator position that causes her to draw on her time with the Blackfeet Indians, and meets Harrison on the day she has a car accident. With Harrison's help, she settles in. Harrison shows her the land, and the animals on his ranch, and teaches her how to hunt (she finds it fascinating, if a bit yucky). O'Connor's writing and descriptions of the land, and the animals she learns about and comes to know and love, make one feel that they are right there, with them. Phyllis is a person I would love to meet and watch her work. It is Phyllis who teaches Lynn to live life to the fullest, to put the past in the past, and to take up a former love, painting. I recommend Elk Love!
August 14, 2024
I fell in love with this book right away!
From the description I read before purchasing, I wasn't exactly certain where the author's life was heading which kept a wonderful element of mystery throughout the book. You'll be taken through highs and lows, emotional moments and tender ones.
The author paints such beautiful pictures of the scenery and animals in her life, as well as the people she meets along the way. I especially loved how she highlighted many things to be so much more significant than we take them for. Something as simple as lying in the grass becomes magical in this book.
You'll definitely love to read this one if you're interested in nature, history, and animals. The author seemed especially knowledgeable about the birds in her area, which she highlights in many chapters.
I feel more at peace, and like I've received healing after reading this book. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!
From the description I read before purchasing, I wasn't exactly certain where the author's life was heading which kept a wonderful element of mystery throughout the book. You'll be taken through highs and lows, emotional moments and tender ones.
The author paints such beautiful pictures of the scenery and animals in her life, as well as the people she meets along the way. I especially loved how she highlighted many things to be so much more significant than we take them for. Something as simple as lying in the grass becomes magical in this book.
You'll definitely love to read this one if you're interested in nature, history, and animals. The author seemed especially knowledgeable about the birds in her area, which she highlights in many chapters.
I feel more at peace, and like I've received healing after reading this book. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!
August 19, 2025
ARC Review
*Elk Love: A Montana Memoir* is an evocative blend of personal reflection and Montana’s natural beauty. The author weaves together stories of wilderness, family, and self-discovery in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. I especially loved the rich descriptions of the landscape—those passages made me feel like I was standing right there among the elk, breathing the crisp Montana air.
That said, while I was pulled in by the writing and overall theme, there were times when the pacing lagged. Some sections felt like they were dragging a bit, which broke the immersive spell for me and made the memoir feel longer than it needed to be. Still, the heart of the story—the search for meaning, belonging, and connection with nature—shone through beautifully.
Overall, it’s a thoughtful and atmospheric memoir that will resonate most with readers who enjoy slow, contemplative storytelling, though I personally wished it had moved a little more briskly.
*Elk Love: A Montana Memoir* is an evocative blend of personal reflection and Montana’s natural beauty. The author weaves together stories of wilderness, family, and self-discovery in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. I especially loved the rich descriptions of the landscape—those passages made me feel like I was standing right there among the elk, breathing the crisp Montana air.
That said, while I was pulled in by the writing and overall theme, there were times when the pacing lagged. Some sections felt like they were dragging a bit, which broke the immersive spell for me and made the memoir feel longer than it needed to be. Still, the heart of the story—the search for meaning, belonging, and connection with nature—shone through beautifully.
Overall, it’s a thoughtful and atmospheric memoir that will resonate most with readers who enjoy slow, contemplative storytelling, though I personally wished it had moved a little more briskly.
January 6, 2025
At its heart, Elk Love is a touching ode to the power of intimacy to heal. Its descriptions of the Eastern Montana landscape where Lynne moved to start over are so nuanced, beautiful, and tender, so clearly written by someone who knows them inside and out, that I couldn't help but fall in love with the land alongside her. The love story is similarly stirring and surprisingly vulnerable. As a vegan, I found the multiple hunting stories difficult to read just because of the potential death of an animal, but they were nonetheless told with incredible sensitivity and love. Ultimately, this is a satisfying and important book that shows that in a world filled with pain and separation, even the loneliest among us can find love and belonging by deepening our connections with the people and lands around us.
May 2, 2025
If you’re looking for an action-packed thriller, this is not it, but if you seek a slow, mind-soothing antidote to the craziness of the world, try this memoir. It's simply beautiful in every way, the language, the setting, the message, and yes, the love. The author, then single and in her early forties, comes to Great Falls, Montana to build a museum exhibit. She meets Harrison, a widowed cattle rancher who is often rude and closed off. They slowly bond over a shared love of the land and all the beings that live there. If you have ever marveled at the colors and patterns on the feathers of a wild bird or felt blessed to see a herd of wild elk, this book is for you. If you have no experience with nature, it will reveal a new world, even if you’re reading it on your Kindle in a crowded city coffee shop. Give your brain a spa day and read this book
August 30, 2025
Elk Love AUDIO by Lynne O’Connor is a romance, a romance with the wilds of Wyoming. After deciding a big change was necessary, our heroine decides to accept a position in a small museum in Montana, returning to the place she had spent years living on a Native American reservation. She meets a man who stops to help her when her car breaks down and they develop a friendship. He comes and goes from the area, but shares her love for the country. It is a long book and the author chose to be her own reader, which might have been a mistake. Without the dramatic training necessary, the listener feels the length of the book with every word. It contains lovely descriptions of the landscape but gets wearing after a while.
I was invited to listen to Elk Love by Books Forward Audio Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BooksForwardAudioBooks #LynneOConnor #ElkLove
I was invited to listen to Elk Love by Books Forward Audio Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BooksForwardAudioBooks #LynneOConnor #ElkLove
September 6, 2025
The author of Elk Love, Lynne Spriggs O'Connor, writes a beautiful memoir. Lynne escaped her life on the east coast to start over in Montana, the rural farming area in the west.
Post arrival Lynne meets Harrison who is widowed and a recluse. Lynne details their relationship from disjointed until their marriage. Who said fairytales don't happen in reality? They lied. This memoir is proof.
New to living on the land Lynne learns what is involved in the farming life. She is an animal lover and struggles with some aspects, including calving and hunting. However, her overall experience makes an interesting and delightful memoir.
Lynne narrates her story well on the audiobook. The pace is good in both narration and storyline.
Thankyou Netgalley and She Writes Press for the free copy of Elk Love in exchange for an honest review.
Post arrival Lynne meets Harrison who is widowed and a recluse. Lynne details their relationship from disjointed until their marriage. Who said fairytales don't happen in reality? They lied. This memoir is proof.
New to living on the land Lynne learns what is involved in the farming life. She is an animal lover and struggles with some aspects, including calving and hunting. However, her overall experience makes an interesting and delightful memoir.
Lynne narrates her story well on the audiobook. The pace is good in both narration and storyline.
Thankyou Netgalley and She Writes Press for the free copy of Elk Love in exchange for an honest review.
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