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The Ride of Her Life
- The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Letts, Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
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Publisher's Summary
The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion
“The gift Elizabeth Letts has is that she makes you feel you are the one taking this trip. This is a book we can enjoy always but especially need now.” (Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv)
In 1954, 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness.
Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, the three travelers pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than 4,000 miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities - from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers - a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.
Critic Reviews
“Twenty pages of notes and a Bibliography attest to the serious and thorough research by the author who travelled ten thousand miles to research this story.... What is so appealing about this nutball adventure is that the reader is taken on a trip across the United States.” (New York Journal of Books)
“The gift Elizabeth Letts has is that she makes you feel you are the one taking this trip: selecting your route from a gas station map, enduring awful weather and accidents, hearing the creak of the saddle and the roar of the trucks that pass you by. Best of all, you are the one who sees not a country divided and mean-spirited, but rather one full of people eager to console, to care for, and to celebrate the spirit of a woman who would not give up. This is a book we can enjoy always but especially need now.” (Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv)
“This poignant, inspiring story is not just about a woman choosing to live instead of die, but also about an America that no longer exists.” (Melanie Benjamin, author of The Children’s Blizzard)
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What listeners say about The Ride of Her Life
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- Janet Catesby
- 12-03-2024
the believable story
A fabulous foray into America in the 50s before social media and the current greed and racism of individuals.
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- Liz
- 07-02-2022
Historical adventure story of a remarkable woman and her animal companions
Loved this story about Annie and her animal companions adventures across America beginning in the year of my birth.
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- Anonymous User
- 14-02-2023
Annie’s story
I absolutely loved this story about this courageous woman and her animal family. Highly recommend it.
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- Lea Hullett
- 28-04-2023
Wonderful Story
As a person who rode and trekked a little (3-4 days at a time) in my youth, I appreciate this woman's journey and am amazed at her courage and determination. Also how she bonded with her horses and little dog. they were her family.
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