The voice at Johnnywater

"The Voice at Johnnywater" by B. M. Bower is a novel written in the early 20th century. It follows the story of Gary Marshall, a young actor working in the film industry, who is abruptly pulled into the troubles of ranch life when he becomes involved with Patricia Connolly, a spirited young woman who has purchased a cattle ranch named Johnnywater. The narrative intertwines themes of aspiration, love, and the rugged realities of the American West, showcasing Gary's internal conflict between his movie career and the call of a more authentic life. The opening portion of the book introduces the main characters and sets up the plot surrounding Gary and Patricia. Gary receives a call from Patricia while he is in the midst of a tiring workday, and she shares her excitement about a surprise she has planned for him. After dinner, she reveals that she has bought a struggling ranch in Nevada, much to Gary's initial disbelief and frustration. As Patricia expresses her hopes for their future in ranching, Gary’s skepticism grows, highlighting the tension between their dreams and the harsh realities they may face. The introduction paints a vivid picture of their relationship and hints at the challenges that lie ahead as Gary grapples with his ambitions amid the uncertainties of ranch ownership. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Bertha Muzzy Sinclair or Sinclair-Cowan, née Muzzy, best known by her pseudonym B. M. Bower, was an American author who wrote novels, fictional short stories, and screenplays about the American Old West. Her works, featuring cowboys and cows of the Flying U Ranch in Montana, reflected "an interest in ranch life, the use of working cowboys as main characters, the occasional appearance of eastern types for the sake of contrast, a sense of western geography as simultaneously harsh and grand, and a good deal of factual attention to such matters as cattle branding and bronc busting." She was married three times: to Clayton Bower in 1890, to Bertrand William Sinclair in 1905, and to Robert Elsworth Cowan in 1921. However, she chose to publish under the name Bower.