Love Lessons from the Old West

by Chris Enss

From Calamity Jane’s relentless pursuit of Wild Bill Hickok to Emma Walters, who gave it all up for the dashing Bat Masterson—and learned to regret it, these romantic stories from the Old West are still familiar and entertaining to readers today. Meet Agnes Lake Hickok, the intrepid wife of Wild Bill Hickok and learn about the last love letter he sent before being dealt the dead man’s hand. Learn the story behind the charming performer Lotta Crabtree’s heartaches. And discover the tale of the dashing Kit Carson and his beautiful bride. This collection features the lessons learned by and from the antics of the women who shaped the West.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Romance

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for real love stories from the old West.There were stories girl whose mom refused her to have a relationship, divorces, abandonment are not what I had in mind. During those stories it seemed as if the author pointed the blame at the woman for those bad outcomes. The focus of many chapters were on the men which is the way history is but I found myself wishing to know more about some of the women mentioned.
There are some real love stories in here which I did enjoy reading just wished there were more.

[Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this volume through the GoodReads First-Reads program.

Each women's history is told with a focus on how much or little she pleased the man or men in her life. All of Geronimo's wives got lumped into one chapter that much more focused on Geronimo than any of the wives. The painful misogyny grated on me the whole time I read this.

Each chapter starts with an engaging bit of fictionalized narrative, based on the author's extensive research. Those bits were fun. After that good start, the writing devolved to lists of facts, with occasional comments about what the woman did right or wrong in trying to keep her man happy.

The author's research shows, but the choppy writing and relentless focus on the men in these women's lives blew the promising start.

[Kayrene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this sweet gem in my local library sale shelves. I was not familiar with the author. I love to read about American history, so snatched this one up. I thought it was very well written, and it pulled me into the old west! Loved reading about more personal aspects of old west characters like Wild Bill Hickok (who wouldn't love him!), the heartbreaking story of Calamity Jane, Kit Carson, Bat Masterson, and Geronimo and his wives. I really enjoyed this book, and her creative format.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting stories and fun to read.

[Michael Zimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t rate or review a lot of books, but after having finished Chris Enss’ latest, I decided it was time to start. “Love Letters from the Old West” is the first Enss book that I’ve read, and I enjoyed her forays into the love lives of some of these lesser known personalities from the 19th century American West. Being male, I suspect that what I enjoyed even more was the snippets of history she included on the men in their lives. By focusing on the women, Enss adds a perspective to men like Wild Bill Hickok, Kit Carson, the Sundance Kid, and others, that one seldom gains from heavier tomes on these figures. All in all, I found this book to be fast, fun, and often fascinating. I think you will, too.