In the Arms of the Sky

by Earl Murray

In the 1870s, Isabella Bird, the daughter of an Anglican clergyman, defies the restrictions of Victorian society to leave home to travel the world and braves untold perils and hardships to achieve her goal of becoming the first woman to climb Long's Peak, the highest point in the Colorado Rockies.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

AKA E.P. Murray

Reviews

[Kristina Rickard]

3.5 Got this book from the Estes used book store and it was a fun read! This book is a retelling of Isabella Bird’s ascent up Long’s Peak and her subsequent travels around Northern Colorado. What an amazing lady. The book is chock full of historical info about Estes and Northern Colorado before Colorado officially became a state. I loved learning the backstory behind some of my favorite places.

Minus two stars because the writing was meh: super choppy dialogue, some confusing mix-ups in the story, and weird romantic embellishments. This book definitely needed some editing, lol. But it was still intriguing enough to keep me devouring the story.

Also, who knew Estes Park has its own Romeo and Juliet story?! I have a whole new appreciation for the restaurant named Bird and Jim in Estes🥰

[Becky Glaze]

A cool little historical "novelish" type book. I enjoyed reading about some of the history of Estes Park and about "Belle"...a pretty cool little lady! The book followed the story line well, but the flow of a "novel" read was missing as it seemed to follow a lot of letters, journals and historical stuffs.

[Andrea George]

"In The Arms Of The Sky" by Earl Murray was quite the enjoyable read! This novel is based on the true story of the life of the Englishwoman Isabella Lucy Bird. It takes place in the Colorado Territory in the 1870's. Isabella is definitely a woman ahead of her time. She travels the world alone and writes of her adventures, that are then posted in local newspapers. Her latest journey take her to Estes Park at the foot of Longs Peak. Along the way, she meets the notorious outlaw, Jim Nugent who agrees to join her. A romance develops, which adds a nice twist to Mr. Murray's storyline.
I live in Colorado, so the references to Ms. Bird's travels during the 1870's added to my enjoyment of this novel. Besides the setting, Mr. Murray did a fantastic job of developing both the plot and characters. The novel flows effortlessly from chapter to chapter.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, I would definitely add this novel to your list of "must reads"

[Tess Jones]

I was interested in this book because it’s based on a fascinating true story, but the characters lacked any sort of depth. The romance took me completely by surprise, there wasn’t any apparent connection before they started kissing, etc. “women written by men” x100

[Shari]

A fictionalized version of Isabella Bird’s time in Colorado, based on her book, “A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains.” Read her book instead.

[Doris]

Based on the historical account of Isabella Bird and Jim Nugent, this book will take you on a ride through a historical panorama of the battle to keep Estes Park, Colorado out of the hands of wealthy people who would have turned the mountains into a "for profit" hunting business for the wealthier. It is the story about an unlikely romance between a woman who travels to see the world and who runs into a man who is feared by even the most brave -- a man who intends to preserve the wilderness as it is. The lands are described in great detail as is the wildlife. It is a story that honestly depicts the brutality of life in the old west. It is too easy to romanticize the old west in today's world where there are doctors to run to when we get ill, clothing stores to go purchase new winter coats from, etc. This story does not glamorize living conditions -- it lays them out the way it would have likely been.

[Emily]

Two and a half stars

[Judy]

I kept wanting to find some explanation of how much of this was factual and how much imagined. The supposed love story is overdone.