Annie was a 63-year-old farmer, on her own in Maine, and things were not looking good. After a bad illness and lingering cough, a doctor told Annie that she would not live more than two years. In addition, she could not afford the taxes on her farm and was destined to lose it. Instead of giving up and going into her community nursing home, Annie decided that she would travel on horseback to California and see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She took her trusty dog, Depeche Toi (French for hurry up--he was named by some neighboring farm boys), and her newly purchased horse, Tarzan. (Later on in her travels, Annie was able to pick up another horse to help with the load. His name was Rex.)
The threesome headed off in November of 1954, a time when cars were taking over the road and the United States was seeing a lot of change. Although Annie did not even have a raincoat or a map when she set off, the woman, horse, and dog were all tough, determined, and seemingly cheerful on their journey. Even better, Annie found that there were many folks along the way who were willing to help her out with a place for her and her animals to stay. Annie's horseback journey seemed to hit a nostalgic nerve with many people in the country.
Annie faced bad weather, a collision with a truck, and many other challenges. She took part in parades in more than one city and was followed by national news.
On the whole, this was a nice story. I love a grand adventure, and Annie courageously took her life into her own hands. Initially I was worried about the animals, who didn't choose to trek across the United States. But, according to the book, Annie cared very much for her animals, and except for accidents, they did quite well on their adventure. It was sweet and heartening to see how people took to Annie's adventure and helped her out.
However, this wasn't a favorite book for me. I often felt like I was getting a sugarcoated version of the actual story. There's very little about her earlier life or what Annie really thought about her circumstances. I don't blame Letts for this, I think she used the information she could find. I just wanted more. In addition, the book often felt repetitive. Annie would ride on horseback, find somewhere for her to stay for the night, and do the same the next day. It probably didn't help that the audiobook narrator emoted a little too much for my taste.
In some ways, Annie's choices and adventures reminded me of a 1950's version of Nomadland. Now people are more likely to travel the country in a car, but the idea is similar. Many of today's current nomads are forced into it by circumstances, but they find that life on the road is so much better than barely (or not even) affording a tiny, run down apartment.
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