Accidental Rancher

by Eliza Blue

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Book Club

154 pages, Unknown Binding

Published May 1, 2020

Reviews

[Maggie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these essays. I grew up in a small town so I can relate to the isolation of living on the prairie. My grandfather had a large ranch in Western South Dakota and his nearest neighbor was miles away, it was very isolated there and yet they were so busy nobody had time to get lonely.

I wish she had written a little more about how she ended up on the prairie and how she met her husband. The timelines were a little mixed up because she organized the essay by season, instead of linearly, so it skips from 2014 to 2018 and back again. Other than that it was really well written.

[Katie Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a lovely series of vignettes, Blue shares both the challenges and beauty of living on a ranch in remote, western South Dakota. Blue takes seemingly small or monotonous pieces of life and finds wonder and gratitude, and in doing so invites readers to slow down and pay attention. I deeply resonated with the affection with which she writes about this wild, if sometimes bleak, landscape.

[Angela Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza presents the joys, struggles, and daily monotony of rural life in charming short stories. The stories are highly relatable to those who grew up around or work in agriculture and give great insight to those who have not, as Eliza herself lived much of her life in a city. The writings were categorized by seasons which felt appropriate considering they were more about lessons learned than chronicles of life.

[Debbie Hoppe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though the book is comprised of several short stories, it was a very slow read. I call it a bathroom book, as the chapters are short enough to read each time. There is no sequence nor continuity, instead there are short meanings in life. The author is an acclaimed singer and is new to country life and motherhood. Would have liked her to expand on both a bit more.

[Kathy Keating Heilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life in rural South Dakota as seen through the eyes of a young mother. She learns many life lessons as she navigates her new experiences. Very easy to read and visualize her life. Each section of her observations are only a few pages. You can tell she is a musician and song writer.

[Samira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of vignettes about like on a South Dakota ranch— insight into a word about which I know nothing.

[Jessica Laabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing. Although I don’t live on a ranch in the middle of South Dakota, I found these vignettes completely relatable. My favorite was “Birthday.” Just beautiful.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and heartfelt—my favorite is the pigeons

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly lovely collection of essays.

[Dorothy Rosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The author sees beauty in ordinary life and that reminded this reader to do the same.

[Chelsea]

I love everything about the Accidental Rancher from the short story format to the content contained therein, it is a true gem! Eliza Blue's stories range from sweet and funny to serious and piercingly real; she is clearly an observant and thoughtful person to have stuffed so much love and truth into such a short book. I only wish it were longer! I read this over my peanut butter banana toast every morning and now that it's finished I wonder if my breakfast table might feel a little lonely?