The Ranch at the Wolverine

"The Ranch at the Wolverine" by B. M. Bower is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the lives of pioneers settling in the rugged wilderness of Idaho, focusing on characters such as the hardened woman Marthy and her shiftless husband Jase, along with young Billy Louise, their neighbor's daughter. The narrative appears to explore themes of survival, hardship, and the nuances of human relationships in a stark and demanding environment. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to Marthy and Jase, who are portrayed as the archetypical pioneers struggling against the tough conditions of the wild. Marthy emerges as a driving force, making the best of their harsh life, while Jase remains passive and shiftless. The narrative also brings us to ten-year-old Billy Louise, who represents innocence and curiosity, often fostering a bond with other characters, particularly Marthy. As the story unfolds, it hints at a deeper exploration of their aspirations, losses, and the stark realities they face, suggesting a journey of growth and resilience amidst the challenges of frontier life. (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.