Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse

Cherry Ames #14

by Julie Tatham, Helen Wells (creator)

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Nursing

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Julie Campbell Tatham
aka
Julie Campbell, Julie Tatham and Julie C. Tatham

Julie Tatham, née Campbell, took over the writing of the Cherry Ames series after World War II and repositioned Cherry as the heroine of a peacetime mystery series.

Tatham worked as the assistant society editor of the New York Evening Post before marrying Charles Tatham, though she later returned to the newspaper.

Subsequently, she worked as a secretary, a hotel hostess, and the head of her own literary agency. She wrote both the Trixie Belden and Ginny Gordon series, under the name Julie Campbell, eventually becoming a full-time writer.

Both those series were for younger readers; Trixie was especially successful, and was continued by ghostwriters long after Tatham left the series. Trixie is still popular today; the books are being reissued.

Tatham also wrote for adults, especially on Christian Science.

Reviews

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y’all, the setting in this mystery was lovely scenic. 🌵 I enjoyed being on the ranch with all the characters who were not friendly to Cherry as the new nurse, but she wins them over with her charm and compassion. The mystery was good - the culprit was pretty clear but it was fun reading as it all panned out.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherry Ames reminded me on a girl that I enjoyed reading when I was younger. I can't remember the title of the book or the main character's name, but Cherry Ames had a very similar feel to it. Reading this reminded me of waiting for my mom to come up to tuck me into bed and then read a chapter or two before I went to sleep.

I can see this book being read by parents to their kids when their children were old enough to read along and to read chapter books. I can definitely tell the difference between me as a kid reader and me now; as a kid, it was a mystery that I wouldn't be able to figure out until everything else is revealed. As an adult, I could guess it as it went along, adjusting my thoughts as I went. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Cherry Ames and the mystery.

Sex: no
Violence: no
Alcohol/Drugs: no
Swearing: no

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that this book had a odd sense of humor. It was geared towards her actually being a nurse and everyone being so shocked that a woman like her could have education and a job. Compared to the books that are written today, this one is one that stands out. It seems to be a first if the woman was the protagonist that was able to do things by herself without the strong muscle man trying to save her or help her out. It does fit with books today where there are more and more woman protagonists.

[Mandy Gailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOSH. What a riot. This book was for sure an eyeopener to what a time period piece really is about. I couldn't help but just laugh because the characters in the book were so surprised that a WOMAN was able to have a career as a nurse. That she received an education and was using it. I couldn't help but laugh at how things used to be. I felt at times that it was pro-woman, but then there would be a random part where a guy would try to convince Cherry otherwise and she started to doubt herself, just because a man said so. Overall, it was a decent read and would be fine for anyone.

[C Krengel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this from the sixth grade point of view I had when I first read it! I was fascinated; but it was the early sixties. That's the way people I knew talked and acted. For those making fun of the corny dialog and sexist attitudes, those were the attitudes we faced back then. Instead of just being glad that literature has improved (& remember these were mass produced story lines), be glad the women in previous decades paved the way for all of you!

[Tara Rugg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of this series as a pre-teen, and enjoyed them. I had a pretty good collection, which unfortunately was mostly destroyed by a basement flood.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Cherry Ames series as a kid, even more than Nancy Drew!

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cherry is offered a job at an Arizona dude ranch to take care of asthmatic adults and teenagers. There she meets and becomes friendly with a 15 year old orphan named Patty. Pattys father used to leave her at the ranch for most of her childhood. He died three years ago and now she works there. Pattys father has always promised to leave her a "nest egg" and she believes it's hidden in his old, oddly built, pie shaped house located by the ranch. Cherry helps her find it while dealing with two difficult patients.

This book is barely okay.
- The villain is obvious from chapter one but Cherry does not figure it out until three chapters from the end.
- Cherry keeps getting in trouble when pranks are pulled on her but she doesn't stand up for herself, saying there is no point in trying to tell the truth and she doesn't want to be a "tattletale". Grow up Cherry.
- The foreman, Torry Torrington, is the love interest in this one. Once again a man falls instantly in love with Cherry based on looks alone, and of course he has a ridiculous name.
- Although Patty says she really needs her nest egg, she constantly says she is going to give up looking. It got to the point where I didn't even think she deserved the nest egg.
- The villain is supposed to be a genius but is easily tricked in the end.

I thought this would be more about Cherry taking care of cowboys and the ranch more like Shadow Ranch from Nancy Drew and the Secret of Shadow Ranch but the ranch aspect is not mentioned at all. Plus a ranch doesn't seem like a good location for people with asthma. Cherry's stupidity was off the charts and became very frustrating. I don't think I'll be re-reading this one.

[Jenalyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, I would have never picked up this book if I wasn't reading it for a class. It was so cliche-ridden and laughably idiotic, I had a hard time getting through it. On top of that, I thought this was a book about a nurse, not a detective. If I had wanted a story about a female amateur detective, I would have picked up a Nancy Drew book. I will admit, though, that the mystery did make this book less unbearable. I was just nearly pulling my hair out because the clues were so obvious and the characters so clueless, pun absolutely intended. Not to mention I thought it was pathetic that Cherry's patients were "asthmatics". It made them sound like having asthma was like having a terminal illness. It was ridiculous from cover to cover. And Cherry--I have a hard time taking her seriously just by her name--was absolutely ridiculous. She had no flaws whatsoever, except for the fact that she was prone to tears whenever somebody threw the littlest comment her way, and for her tendency to get herself into dangerous situations (Torry Torrington pointed that out as one of her flaws. That's right--Torry Torrington. Does anybody else find the name incredibly funny?). Okay, I'll stop now.

SENSITIVITY WARNING: Uuuhhh, other than being absolutely ridiculous? It might have unintended sexist or racist remarks that were typical of the fifties. Other than that, clean as a slate (in plot as well as profanities).

Sorry, I'll stop the bashing now.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was required to read a book before 1985 for a class. I’d heard that this book would make me appreciate the books that we have now. To say the least I didn’t expect much out of this book. I figured this would be a fun, easy read.

I thought this book was comical and cute. I have to admit if I had read this when I was in elementary school, I would have adored this. The main character is a nurse and a detective. This would have made her an idol in my immature mind. With that said, looking at it now I can see that this is not a book that I would say is a must-read. Cherry is a one dimensional character surrounded by men that think highly of her because she is pretty. The predictable plot, the flat characters and the gender stereo typing make this an unenjoyable book unless you viewed it as a joke.

This is sad, but I cannot think of a single situation in which I would recommend this book. While this book may be fun, it is not something that I would openly recommend. This is not a book that I would recommend because I feel that there are quite simply better books out there. The only case I would recommend this book is if someone needed a good chuckle. The goal of reading this book was to make me appreciate the books that I have now; congratulations Sister Soper, you accomplished your task.

Warnings:
Drugs-None
Sex-None
Violence-None
Language-None

[Desirae · Rating 2 out of 5]

It looks like I judged this book really hard by how many stars I gave it but the scoring system for two stars is "it was ok." That is exactly what it was, OK. The back pretty much sums it up by saying that every girl should WANT to be a nurse and to solve mysteries. I have to disagree of course, but hey it was written in the 50's. I was amazed at how simply Cherry discovered what others had struggled to solve for the longest time. She is pretty, smart, and witty. She's a glorified Mary Poppins. Bleh! It really wasn't that bad and I made it through in a good amount of time so no complaints there. Everything comes to a close with tears of sorrow for how they treated our dear Cherry Ames. How could they ever have done such horrible things to her? How did Cherry ever manage? *Dripping with sarcasm here.*


Warnings: Specific gender roles, what women should wear and how they should act. Men doctors seem dimwitted and only interested in taking out the pretty nurse.

[Sydney2adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this to fill a requirement for my YA lit class. I would have never picked this book on my own.
This book is a great example of how literature has improved for the better. The writing is filled with cheesy description and unrealistic dialogue. A character actually says "Golly! Golly! Golly!" after receiving a slice of pie. Cherry herself is extremely annoying. She is a flat character that the author tries to brush off as flawless, but comes off as very stupid. The whole mystery could have been solved by chapter 2, but alas the torture continues as Cherry fumbles to find a backbone. She lets anyone convince her that she's wrong and hardly ever sticks up for herself. I'm sure this might have been entertaining in the 50's or even to me when I was five, but I definitely would not recommend it to anyone I wanted to still be friends with afterwards.

Language: Annoying, but alas clean.
Sex: Sexist, but alas also clean.
Drugs: Medical.

[Whitney Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first set out to read this book it was purely to mark a book off the list and partially to see what the fuss was all about. So I read it and it wasn't completely terrible but it definitely was frustrating to read. I would classify Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse as a mystery book. But instead of finding clues and continuing to solve the case, she spends several weeks finding clues and leaving and coming back. I think that is what frustrated me most. Not only that but the fact that all the men in the book fall head over heels for Cherry which soon causes her to act unintelligent.

I would probably recommend this book, seriously, to my grandparents or people in the older generations. Other than that probably no one.
WARNINGS:
Language: none
Sex: none
Drugs: none unless you want to count the patients medications as drugs, but yes there was no misuse of any drugs or medications.
Violence: none

[Jayme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me preface this review with the fact that the only reason I read this book was because of a class requirement. There is no way I would ever pick this one up for myself. That being said, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Cherry is definitely a woman from her time, but she’s also a pretty decent role model for being a nurse, and you can tell in the book people are surprised she’s so successful even though she’s a woman. I don’t really know who I’d recommend this to. I enjoyed it well enough, but I don’t see myself picking up another Cherry Ames any time soon.
This would be a good use for a classroom because it is an example of how writing and young adult novels have evolved in the past sixty or so years. Other than that, though, I don’t see much about it that could be used in a classroom.
Content Warnings:
Cherry Ames is a very clean book, but be warned it’s got all the gushy soft writing of the times.

[Kyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was way too girly for me. I mean, yes... if that is not obvious from the front cover then smack me upside the head. I mainly read this as a class assignment to fit a certain time period, and it was an easy read. But the story just had more stereotypes and jokes that pertained to people of that era than you could shake a stick at. Cherry Ames is aiming to please and do her best on the ranch as the nurse-on-call, and I think threw up a little reading about the romancing cowboys trying to flirt with her and catch her attention. This is by far the most feminine book I have read, but also the most politically incorrect novel as well. Given the time period, that is all fine and dandy, but don't waste your time with this unless you are a fifth grade girl looking for a quick read.

[Catelynn Hodges · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book as it was being passed around my English class by fellow students. I thought that it would be interesting to see what the lack of a buzz was about. My teacher asked us to read two time period books, so I thought, what the heck, why not!

It is with a sad heart that I rate this book so low. I thought it was a little too predictable. Cherry knows better than the way she acts. I think that this type of book is WHY men continue to have such a low tolerance for female written books.

**WARNINGS**
Language: 1 star
Drugs: 1 star
Alcohol: 1 star
Sex: 1 star
Violence: 1 star

(1 star= little to none, 5 star= extreme)

[James Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Cherry Ames book that I have read that I actually didn't like. The mystery takes first place over the medical care and the villain is obvious from almost the very beginning of the book. Most of the people in the book are not likable at all. Granted, the last chapter gives them excuses for being the way they are but wading through the rest of the chapters with these ultra-nasty people is not an easy task.

The mystery itself is cliched and Cherry ends up having a gun pointed at her with a guy planning to kill her, neither of which things really fit into the Cherry Ames 'mythos' that has been established in the other books.

Overall quite disappointing.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I had to read this novel for the name alone: Cherry Ames, Dude Ranch Nurse. It is seriously a nurse meets detective novel and I couldn't stop reading. This book was so bad it was good. If you are looking for a fun, quick read this is the book for you. A nurse may enjoy this book.

I would totally use this in a class or at home to expose the kids to different eras of writing that isn't the classics. Hopefully this would make them thankful that they were born in the time they were instead of earlier.

Warnings (Extremely clean book)
Sex: No
Drugs: No
Alcohol: No
Violence: Technically no, but there is a gun pulled on someone

[Johnathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was prepared for a terrible book and I was not disappointed.
The story was predictable and the characters were terrible. It made me happy to live in the time period that I do.

Language: nothing wrong with the language.
Sex: None
Drugs: a little mention of administering medicine to patients but other than that it is fine.

I would recommend this to older young adults that have a grasp on what good writing is. I think that anyone who wants to appreciate how writing has changed and evolved.

[Jessica Baxter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn't horrible, but a lot of the phrases they said just made me laugh out loud. THe story line was good and it held my interest. It wasn't hard to get into after you looked past all the corny phrases that were in the book, such as it's super glamorous perfect. Cherry's character was a little annoying at times, but then I liked the way she handled situations, Patty was by far my favorite character. This book makes me happy that live in an age where literature has progressed so much,

[Sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a painful read. The view of women was horrendous. However once I started viewing the story as a comedy it became easier to read. It is evident that this book was written long ago.

I would recommend that if you are going to read this book to do so through a humorous lens. The age group is somewhere around 5th grade.

WARNINGS
Language: little teasing language
Violence: Some violence, not too horrible
Drugs: medication for asthmatics
Sex: Some dates

[Angelique Wilkes · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason why I read this book was to check it off my list. I would never personally pull this kind of book off of a shelf. This was a tough read, but when I looked at it as a comedy it was a fast read.

I would recommend that if you are going to read this book to do so through a humorous lens. The age group is somewhere around 5th grade.

WARNINGS
Language: little teasing language
Violence: Some violence, not too horrible
Drugs: medication for asthmatics
Sex: Some dates

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because I needed a time period book for one of my english classes. After hearing how my classmates felt about it, I was not excited to read it, and after reading it I can honestly say, I would not read it again. It was a hard read for me.

I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in nursing or history. This book does give good insight into how women were thought of at this time.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly can't remember why I liked Cherry to start. This book is painfully misogynistic and anti-academia. A real artifact, and an uncomfortable one at that. Odd that it's a book for young girls. Really, as long as you have nice black hair, rosy cheeks, and a smile (or other parts) that can attract the handsome men around you, why would you need anything else?

[Brittiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not think this book was too bad. I actually related to Cherry a little and that made it fun to read. When I was reading it, I could keep reading for quite a while. But when I put it down, I would forget about it for long stints. There wasn't really a factor that kept me coming back to the story. I recommend it to 16 year old girls.

Warnings: none

[Susan Roitmire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed these books as a kid and am enjoying them again as an adult. Like the adventures that Cherry has. Looking forward to rest of the series.

[Molly S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot was a little thin at times, but still a fun read with beloved characters.

[Emily Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun mystery in this one, the ending had me on the edge of my seat!

[Phoebe Hinkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Westerns were mighty popular back in the day, and the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew took several trips out West to solve mysteries. Being from the same era, Cherry naturally follows their example, working at a guest ranch that houses several asthmatics.
I commented in my review of Cherry Ames, Mountaineer Nurse that I like Helen Wells' books better than Julie Tatham's. That would hold true with this one as well. It was okay, but Cherry didn't seem to do all *that* much in the way of medical care. She spent more of her time trying to solve who was behind all the awful pranks played on her and looking for Patty's fortune.
Even though I wasn't quite sure of his game, I guessed the villain right off. 😎 It wasn't that hard - I think it's a case of reading lots of midcentury YA, rather than me being smort. 🤓
It was nice to see some continuity with previous books and an appearance by Dr. Kirk Monroe from Cherry Ames, Cruise Nurse - even if he didn't get much action.