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Mar 12, 2009

Lois rated it:

In 1898 A.(Alexandria) E. Bertram, a medical student from Cornell, has the opportunity to follow her real passion, botany, and join, as a last minute substitute, a research expedition to the newly opened Yellowstone Park. When she joins the team in Montana and the mild-mannered professor who is leading them finds that she is not a man, he is horrified and so are the others. But she is determined to stay. The story is fascinating, including the history of our first national park and the struggle More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 05, 2008

Janelle rated it:

I read this book in anticipation of my first trip to Yellowstone next month. It left me feeling even more excited for the trip.

I love the premise of the book, a female botanist joining a research team in the early days of Yellowstone (the nations first National Park.) I enjoyed the characters, and that the letters from Yellowstone aren't just from Alex, but even some of the minor supporting characters. The letters don't just give insight into the natural environment of the park, bu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2008

Corey rated it:

Last year we took our two small children to Powell, Wyoming where my husband and I once went to college. They had never been and we were excited to show them how beautiful the state is. On our way home to California we stopped at a little shop in Yellowstone near Old Faithful. This is where I saw this book. I HAD to have it and I'm so happy that I bought it. The moment that I opened the cover I could not put it down!!
This is the story of a young botanist who joins a research team in Yellow More...

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Aug 30, 2010

Artgrrl78 rated it:

I know, I know...it seems like a book only a botanist could love. But really, we read this in my book group, in which I am the only botanist, and the other members enjoyed it, as well.

A wonderfully refreshing story about a woman who joins a botanical expedition into Yellowstone in 1898---and the party is comprised of men who don't have a whole lot of faith in the capabilities of women in the sciences. Told in the form of letters back and forth between various people, the perspective More...

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Sep 05, 2011

Michelle rated it:

Alex Bartram, a medical student with a love for botany, is invited to take part in a field study during the summer of 1898 in Yellowstone National Park. Upon her arrival, it is realized a mistake has been made. Professor Merriam, the mild-mannered teacher from Bozeman, MT, had made the assumption that A.E.Batram is a male student. With great reservations he allows Alex to continue with the field study.

Completely told through letter the various characters have written during the co More...

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Oct 20, 2008

Sarah rated it:

for that geeky botanist side in everyone of us. this is written through letters (duh) sent back and forth between members of a party of professors at the opening of Yellowstone national park. a woman from the east coast covertly invites herself along by neglecting to mention she is a woman and thank god, there's not really any love story involved. it's really well written and fascinating to learn about the history of the park when it first opened....

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 02, 2012

Carmen rated it:

I'd almost give this one four stars- the epistolary style allows for a unique view into each character's thoughts and motivations. And wonderfully rich characters they are! Amateur botanist Alexandria Bartram joins a scientific expedition in Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1898, just at the time that the nation is learning to love the concept of national parks...perhaps loving them to death. The issues of science, nature vs. commerce, religious beliefs are all here. But more interesti More...

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Aug 24, 2007

Amy rated it:

I met this author in Wyoming at my residency. The book is a charming, well-paced story about a young woman botanist exploring Yellowstone Park with a group of fellow scientists in the Victorian time of the late 1800's. The whole book is told in the form of letters home by all of the characters. This is a Jane Austen-esque look at what being a woman with professional aspirations was like back in the day.

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Aug 23, 2011

Ann rated it:

This book is a little gem. I only read it because I am in the process of organizing and transcribing my letters home from Africa. Once I began reading the Yellowstone letters, I could not put the book down. Yellowstone NP is one of our country's treasures. I visited it in 2002 and fell in love with it. I loved the wildness of the place when we entered the park through bear tooth pass. Mammoth Springs was more facinating to me than Old Faithful. I also stayed at the Yellowstone Hotel and a More...

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Dec 31, 2007

Patrice rated it:

I picked this up in Missoula a few years ago and really had fun with it. It's an "epistolary"--collection of letters--to and from various characters during the first years of Yellowstone National Park. The feminist viewpoint is interesting and I laughed out loud at some of the wacky things going on behind the scenes.

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May 16, 2011

Sharri rated it:

I read this in preparation for our long-awaited trip to Yellowstone this summer.

The novel is written as letters among several naturalists and their friends/family in the late 1800s. Dr. Merriam has organized a field study in Yellowstone that is plagued with troubles, including his own feelings of inadequacy as a leader. He accepts an offer by an A.E. Bartram from Cornell University to be included as a botanist. Bartram ends up being a Miss, much to the chagrin of Dr. Merriam and sev More...

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Dec 08, 2008

Frances rated it:

An epistolary novel of a scientific expedition in Yellowstone near the end of the nineteenth century. A female botanist joins the group much to the dismay of the men. Attitudes change toward her but she is still trapped in the roles women are allowed at the time.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 04, 2008

Hollis rated it:

This is a great story (paraticularly for those who love biology) about a young women who gets a job on the first Yellowstone exhibition as a botanist when the leader thinks she is a man. Everyone is appalled to find she's a women, but she successfully makes her way.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 24, 2008

A.G. rated it:

I love envisioning what it would have been like to be an early settler. As a woman in that situation, and a biologist, it is fun to identify with the situations described in the book.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 21, 2008

Mary rated it:

A short and highly entertaining read! If you are familiar with Yellowstone National Park, it is even more fun. Told entirely through letters. I am hoping for a sequel.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 16, 2010

Kurtbg rated it:

The author explores multiple narratives by creating a story based purely on letters that characters send to family, and colleagues.

The story is set in the mid to late 1800's with a scientific expedition being assembled to Yellowstone park. The team learns that one of the
chosen members is actually a woman who signed all correspondence using her initials. When they finally meet they all have to deal with this twist to the all boys club.
The story has a little flavor of pione More...

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Aug 23, 2010

Allison rated it:

I read this book a few years ago and liked it. I wanted to add it to my list of books I recommend when people want historical fiction titles and also when people want books about the national parks. This one is set in Yellowstone in 1898. The main character is A.E.(Alexandria) Bartram, who is allowed to join a Smithsonian sponsored expedition to Yellowstone because the leaders believe the Cornell medical student and avid botanist is a man. The story is told entirely though letters and includes d More...

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Sep 21, 2009

Paulette rated it:

This is written in the epistolary style, and I have been finding I like this style very much, an intimate way to experience the character development. Set in 1898, in the newly designated 1st National Park a botany expedition is formed, including a ... woman. The issues facing the national park are the same vein as today, the issues facing a woman in a non-traditional activity are also the same. The details for plants, nature, are well written. The details of the activities and characters mo More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Judy rated it:

Letters from Yellowstone tells the short story of a specimen-gathering expedition to Yellowstone National Park in 1898. The party includes Professor Howard Merriam, Professor Rutherford, A.E. Bartram, a mountain man driver, a Chinese cook and two students. The story unfolds through letters that Bartram, Merriam and occasionally Rutherford write to family, friends or colleagues. Much can be learned about the gathering methods of the time period as well as what fauna existed. Very interesting, and More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2011

Maude rated it:

The is a book told in letters to friends, relatives and colleagues, mainly written by A. E. Bartram (Alexandria) but others as well. Alexandria has a passion for botany but is at present a medical student. Under the impression she is a man, she has been invited to be part of a field study in Yellowstone National Park. This is what I would call a "quiet" book. Although, Howard Merriman, the head of this study was surprised to find out Alexandria was a woman, he adjusted quickly and l More...

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Dec 17, 2010

Natalie rated it:

A really great book set in the early days of Yellowstone National Park. The characters, the discriptions and even the story line were all highly entertaining but the Author did that thing where she hinted that two of the characters were romantically interested in each other but never bothered to tell us what, if anyting, ever happened between them. Why? Why go to the trouble of hinting at it if you're not going to finish it? Now all I can think of is unrequited love instead of all the other good More...

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Jun 21, 2010

Lea rated it:

Depending on if you're a male or female, I think you may be able to get a different perspective on this book. Since I'm female, I sided with A.E. and looked at it from her point of view.
I found the points of view and the descriptions fascinating. The text seemed historically accurate to me, who is in no way an expert.
I loved the letters back home and how that was how we got their story. A very neat and unusual method.

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Mar 21, 2011

Paige rated it:

n 1898, Alexandria Bartram, a medical student at Cornell, joins a scientific team studying the plants and wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. This feisty young woman with a strong passion for botany and the natural world learns a great deal about herself and human relations as she struggles to win the respect of the male scientists in the group. A charming epistolary novel of bygone age.

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Dec 09, 2011

Sarahandus rated it:

I really like books in the form of letters, so I thought this one should be right down my alley.
The first half was pure joy and hilarious at times, however the second half was a disappointment. I found myself becoming more and more irritated with the characterizations of the leaded as ineffective and the woman as supper woman. Especially the ending.

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Sep 17, 2010

Sheryll rated it:

I loved this little novel! It is a celebration of scientific thought and methods of botanical collecting in the early days of Yellowstone National Park. Told through letters written by and to the group, the main character is a young woman. It is a delightful read, especially if you have a wildflower guide nearby to refer to.

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Sep 25, 2010

Lynn rated it:

A sweetly told book, all in the form of letters and an occasional telegram from various members of a botanical exploration in the summer of 1898. Read for a VISITING A NOVEL segment I write for MILITARY OFFICER magazine.

Next on the list: VALLEY FORGE by MacKinlay Kantor. Who also wrote ANDERSONVILLE which I've already written about. Starting to branch out from original assignment of Civil War novels.

We snowmobiled around some years ago. Noisy, smelly machines, but whe More...

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May 01, 2011

Margo rated it:

I love to read stories about my adopted state, Wyoming, and Yellowstone of course makes for a fascinating read: it is like a fantasy world tucked away in the mountains. Add to the magnificent setting some interesting history and memorable characters, and you can't help but enjoy this exploration.

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May 07, 2009

Dennis rated it:

Through a series of letters, a story of scientific exploration and wilderness emerges in a way that made my trip to Yellowstone quite memorable. This plot emerges in the late 1890's and through a variety of characters provides insight into American society and the exploration of the West.

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Jul 18, 2010

Misty rated it:

This book is basically like any other book written in letter format. You get part of the story from one persons letters and another view from the other letters. This was a bit interesting because you got to see the social views of women in the field of science, and in general in the late 1800's- early 1900's. For that reason alone I think it is worth reading.

Review in a sentence: A worth-while read for anyone who has a love for plants, or anyone who likes to snoop through letters.

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Aug 04, 2009

Patricia rated it:

Interesting fiction about a young female naturalist who gets a job in Yellowstone in the 1890's. I was looking for more info about Yellowstone, but the book concentrated more on the fauna and human relationships. I still enjoyed the book.

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