First and foremost, as the title suggests, she's describing a life which was not at all in line with expectations for her gender at the time, at least in 'civilized society'; and second, she lived during a time of dramatic social and technological change, including the Great Depression and World War I. Beautifully written, and very evocative of it's time, I really enjoyed this novel about a girl growing up in the 1890s but with very much a mind of her own. I’m tempted to say that every so often a pearl can be found amongst the dross of the over-crowded HR genre - but I can’t mention “pearl” without wanting to laugh uproariously about one component of No Life for a Lady - the comedic theme throughout the book - the twists and turns as Violet tries to discover the how, why and what of sex. She tells what it was really like to live and work on a cattle ranch back then, when going to get the mail happened once a week and entailed a fourteen mile horseback ride to the nearest town.

Violet really misses her mother: “Without her protection, her wisdom, men and courtship were like navigating stormy seas in a boat full of holes.She tells many stories about her life in rural NM in a charming way and finishes the book by talking about how things have changed since she was a girl. Several chapters are pretty much nothing more than just Violet thinking variations of the same things again and again. I especially loved seeing her dispatch her eager suitors with practiced ease while she wiggled her way into Mr.

This quirky coming of age little tale tells the story of violet who is investigating her mothers disappearance 10 years ago from Hastings pier.The title to be read and discussed is sign-posted and on sale for the whole of the previous month (with a discount for those who make it known they intend to come) and everybody is welcome, whether first-timer, part-timer or regular-timer. She has no intention of becoming any man’s property and the thought of what goes on in the marital bedroom – from everything she’s been told, which admittedly isn’t very much – fills her with dread. She doesn't get sentimental or try to romanticize the West; in fact, she debunks some of the cowboy mythology that arose from Hollywood and popular fiction. The tone of the book sounds very much like an oral history; I do wonder somewhat if someone else transcribed Morley Cleaveland relating these stories to an audience, because it comes off as very conversational and, at times, as if it is part of a larger conversation to which the reader is not completely privy.

Notice to Internet Explorer users Server security: Please note Internet Explorer users with versions 9 and 10 now need to enable TLS 1. There’s a good deal of humour in this tale, as well as a cute twist, a very dramatic climax, and plenty of scope for further stories featuring this cast. But what the cover lacked in eye catching detail, the summery made up for and I was excited to check this debut novel out! It’s the kind of book that you read too fast and race to the end, only to then wish you’d slowed down and savoured the pages more.

This was not one of my favourites, but the mystery still managed to keep my attention grabbed long enough to actually enjoy the book.