I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House – Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love that this is a true story of Annie, a 62 year old woman from Minton, Maine. Annie embarks on a cross-country trip, riding horseback. Her destination is Los Angeles California to see the Pacific Ocean. Her chosen companions are her beloved dog and her horse Tarzan. This story is documented with her diary, letters and contacts with relatives. She sets off on the journey with just a few dollars in her pocket, no map and little idea of how she was going to make this happen. She has a strong spirit and the love of her two trusted traveling buddies. She leaves in November of 1954. The reader get deeply involved in the journey as time after time strangers offer her food, a place to sleep and/or a stable for her horse. Many times it is the local police that allow her to stay in an empty jail cell and give her meals. Soon the newspapers learn about her and begin to follow her journey as she make the 3000 mile journey through rain, sleet, snow, heat and traffic on the highways. You learn about the places she visits and the stories of those helpful strangers. When she finally makes it to Kentucky and Tennessee she is told that her horse can no longer carry all the burden of a passenger and being a pack horse so she searches for a second horse and is gifted a Tennessee Walking Horse, Rex, to add to the troop. They travel a route through many large and small cities. She followed suggestions and proceeded to Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Wyoming, Idaho and others. They crossed mountain ranges to northern California and then on to LA. What a journey! The winter is brutal and many times they are forced to spend several days in different locations for one of the group to heal. She encountered many helpful vets, stable owners and curious strangers. Truck drivers followed her progress and would blow their horns at her in greetings that really frightened the horses. ThIs is an exciting story that hooks you into it from the start and keeps your interest. It is a glimpse of the history of our country in the 1950s, the road conditions and the observations of people she did not know.

I must admit I have read other Elizabeth Letts books and I truly am a fan of her writing style. Thank you for another great story. I highly recommend you join her on this unusual journey of the life of a Female Tramp in the 1950s.

I really enjoyed this true story of Annie Wilkins who left her failing farm in Maine at the age of 63 to make her way across the country to California in 1955. With $35 in her pockets, a small dog and a sturdy horse, she layered on her warmest clothing and packed blankets, food and other survival gear onto her horse and started her slow journey into the unknown. She hadn’t planned out her route, and relied on local maps to plan each segment. She found kind people along the way who gave her a meal, a bed and a stable to house her animals. She actually didn’t have to sleep outdoors very often. She achieved notoriety as her journey progressed, and sold signed postcards along the way to replenish her cash. Her biggest challenge was initially her own weak health and a recurring cough which laid her up from time to time. In Tennessee she acquired a second larger horse, so that she could ride him and use the other horse to carry her gear.

The book was well researched and filled with interesting anecdotes and historical background on the towns she passed through along the way. It was an interesting glimpse into an era and a ride that could never be repeated. As highways proliferated and, in many cases, bypassed towns altogether, a solo woman horseback rider would not have been able to connect with strangers and travel 5,000 miles with so much kindness and charity and goodwill bestowed upon her. Annie trusted the goodness of humanity, and fulfilled her dreams of seeing the country.

I read an Advanced Readers Copy, and the maps were missing. It definitely would have been nice to follow along on Annie's journey on a map!

Fact is stranger than fiction. Consider the story of a woman who lost everything and was given a diagnosis of four years to live and decides to mount a horse for the first time in thirty years to ride across the entirety of America. She wanted to see the Pacific Ocean.

She had never seen a movie or lived with electricity and indoor plumbing. She had an arthritis and a cough. She had little money. She had no map of the country, no flashlight, no cell phone, or GPS. She had no knowledge of the world. She had never traveled. Never seen a thruway. She didn't know how far south she had to travel to find warm weather.

She did have a sturdy Maine Morgan horse named Tarzan and a perky dachshund mix named Depeche Toi. And along the way, was gifted Rex, a Tennessee Walker.

Donning men's clothes, she packed up her bedroll, and with a few dollars set off in the autumn of 1954.

What Annie Wilkins did have was faith and persistence and a dream--and the love of her four-footed companions.

Annie found a country filled with people who believed in hospitality to strangers, people willing to care for her and her animals. She found the helpers.

Annie also found a country on the cusp of huge changes. Cars whizzed by without consideration, people were leery of strangers, a gang harassed her, and newspapers and celebrities lionized her.

Elizabeth Letts has written beloved books including The Perfect Horse, The Eighty-Dollar Champion, and Finding Dorothy. The Ride of Her Life is another triumph, a much needed inspiration in an America that has lost its sense of community. It was a joy to read.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

This is good book. I have already recommended it a few times on Facebook book groups even though it is not published until June 1, 2021. Someone was looking for a book about "Hobo's" and this one fit the bill. Annie called herself a "tramp" instead of a "hobo" in this book. It was wonderful how she was embraced by most of the public as she traveled from Maine to California so she could see the Pacific ocean before she died of cancer. It was amazing that a person could do this as recently as the 1950's. I would not have thought a horse on the road would have even been acceptable in the 50's. TV was fairly new. Many people had cars. You could mail a letter to the post office. to be held. Today, it is tough to get a letter to an exact address. Annie's strength, naïve ways, and gumption took her across the country on her two horses and her pup.

If you want a feel good story with a glimpse of the simpler times in the 1950's, this is a wonderful read. There is a trigger warning that an animal does pass but it was not a violent death. For me, it was not a real tear jerker and I pretty easily cry in books. The ending did seem a bit rushed but overall a good book.

I want to thank #NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review. I think I will seek out other books by #ElizabethLetts. She

This was a completely delightful and enjoyable book.
It included the adventures of a brave and charming older woman who with love and devotion to her animal companions braved an evolving country while journeying from Maine to California. It takes you with her on her adventures as it describes a changing and modernizing world.
I could not put it down.

*** I will post about this book on my blog www.jenabooks.com on June 1, 2021.***
Meet Annie Wilkins, her horses Tarzan, and Rex, and her lively doggie Depeche Toi (“Hurry Up) as they band together to fulfill Annie’s big dream. “The Ride of her Life” will inspire and comfort you and leave you with the desire to turn your heart west to California.

The year is 1954, when Annie of Mincot, Maine decides that she has worked her entire life, her health is failing, and she is ready to fulfill her big dream of seeing the Pacific Ocean. After growing her last cucumber crop on her struggling stony-ground farm, she puts her plan in motion. You or I might buy a car or a train or bus ticket. Annie buys a horse. In the late fall she loads up some blankets and canned goods and she and Tarzan and her doggie head south on a country road.

The story shines with the sunshine of her epic quest. Annie captures the hearts of everyone she meets-and she meets people every day. People who smile and wave,who read about her in their local newspaper, who offer her food, lodging and a stall for her horse. Snow, mountains, and highways with trucks don’t deter her and she willingly participates in the community parades and luncheons.

1954 was a year that divided the quiet, country small-town past of America from the emerging land of cities and suburbs, factories and businesses, and 4 lane modern highways. Annie connected people with their past, to the “good old days, the “real” Mayberry America. Before television and car travel changed the heart and soul of America.

This book is fascinating from the viewpoint of getting to know Annie, and also getting to know the America of the past. If you love horses, and personal quests, you will want to read and reread this endearing book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

Amazing story of an amazing woman. I can't imagine what it would be like to just take off like that across the country. Out country has change so much over the past 70 years. It's much scarier. I still believe good people are to be found, I encounter them regularly, so I haven';t lost all hope in total strangers stepping up to help others. Wonderful story. Right up there with the Grandma Gatewood! I love reading about older woman who follow their dreams.. Bravo Girls! Kudos Annie Wilkins! Great read.

Annie called herself a saddle tramp as she made an epic journey across America from Maine to California on horseback in 1954. She had lived a hard life and decided she would have an adventure. It was enlightening to read about the people she encountered along the way. Letts gives Vignettes of the places Annie traveled. I made never heard of this story so I read it with great interest. Annie has grit and gumption. A simple woman who lived without luxury but held in high esteem her trusty steed Tarzan and her dog. It’s the great American adventure during a time in American history that will never be again.

In 1954 Annie Wilkins was told she had lung issues and had only a couple of years to live. She sold her subsistence farm in Maine for back taxes, bought a horse, took her dog, and set out to travel to California so she could see the Pacific Ocean. The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is the story of that journey.

Annie didn't have Google maps. In fact, for part of her trip she had no maps at all. She had no flashlight, or raincoat. She did not travel the most direct way. She depended on the kindness of strangers for a place to sleep and stable her horse(s). (She was given a second horse while traveling through Tennessee.) Some papers and radio personalities picked up her story which helped her find shelter in some towns.

The author did meticulous research, delving into small town newspaper clippings and talking to people who were children when she came through their towns. She also gives the reader great insight into the American culture of the 1950s and how that culture was to radically change in the next few years. The writing does get a little tedious at times, but overall it was an enjoyable read and a remarkable story.

This book is a love letter to 1950s America. It is a nod to a time when simpler things were appreciated in earnest. Author Elizabeth Letts tells the wonderfully endearing tale of a woman who defied all odds to accomplish a goal. Annie had spent her entire life doing what was expected of her. When she reached an impasse and seemed to be out of options, Annie decided to do something for herself. This beautiful story takes the reader on the cross country journey along with Annie and her fellow travelling companions. Without knowing what to expect Annie trusted the American people in a way that was almost childish in its simplicity. Letts allows the reader to savor each moment of kindness and generosity that Annie encountered along her travels. Annie was the embodiment of strength, courage, endurance, and determination whether she wanted to be or not. More than anything, this book is a nostalgic read. For a non-fiction read you would be hard-pressed to find something with the same level of readability.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this inspiring book, in awe of the chutzpah of Annie Wilkins and her determination to live her life in her own way. It was nice to be immersed in a simpler time when people weren't afraid to offer a stranger a meal or a safe place to lay their head down at night.

The story told in this book is amazing. Greatly researched and full of history it tells the true account of a brave woman, Annie, who set out on the adventure to ride her horse across America.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Annie Wilkins was not a quitter. A dirt-poor farmer from Minot, Maine, she worked hard and got little in return. To give you an idea of her standing in the community, locals called her Jackass Annie. But Annie had the last laugh and fooled them all. By the time she reached her early sixties, she was alone, sickly, and lost the family farm. Too proud to accept charity, she decided it was time to embark on a great adventure or at the very least die trying. With her little savings, she bought herself a sturdy horse named Tarzan and on November 5, 1954, she set off with just her horse, and her beloved dog called Depeche Toi. She had no idea what lay ahead, but she knew there was nothing worthwhile left behind. Two weeks later, she was only 80 miles from home, but she kept plodding forward. Riding through multiple states on a circuitous route, Annie slept in fields, horse stalls, and jail cells. Sometimes she got lucky and was put up in hotels by generous townsfolk, who treated her like a celebrity. Newspapers reported her progress and sometimes she granted interviews. Life on the road was hard, but Annie was content with her animal pals. In Tennessee, she was given another horse, Rex, to help carry the load. She and her four-legged friends carried on day after day meeting all kinds of people as she went. On March 25, 1956, Annie reached San Fernando, California. Mission accomplished. Annie Wilkins' story is inspiring. The hardships she faced were daunting, but Annie kept on. Author Elizabeth Letts' words give such vivid detail that you feel you are riding right alongside the lady from Maine with every clop of her horse's hooves. Her heartbreak was your your heartbreak; her triumphs, your triumphs. A reader can't ask any more than that!

Thank you NetGalley, Elizabeth Letts and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the ARC of The Ride of Her Life. This is my personal review.
This book is full of pure determination of Annie Wilkins. It is a story about her journey to see the Pacific Ocean and California a dream her father had always had after she was told she only has just a few years to live.
She gets herself a horse named Tarzan and along with her dog, Depeche Toi she sets off on her journey with no map or knowledge of the massive country outside of where she had lived in Maine most of her life.
Along the way she met regular normal people and some celebrities. She made a journey in the 1950’s that today would even be a challenge to do. But with the end of her life so close she was going to do the one thing she wanted to do.
This is a book that will take you on a journey made by a woman who is made of grit and determination

This true story by Elizabeth Letts shows the determination of a 63 year old woman, Annie Wilkins, to live a dream before she succumbs to a devastating diagnosis of 2-4 years to live. Traveling from Maine to California to see the Pacific Ocean before she dies on horseback with her horse and dog as her only companions. Through her journals and delving into the history of the time, The author recreates her journey with all it’s highs and lows. The kindness of many strangers help her through this unbelievable journey. #TheRideOfHerLife #ElizabethLetts #NetGalley

The Last Saddle Tramp

This story is about courage, determination and the dreams of one woman. At Sixty Three Anne Wilkins left her farm in Main and with a horse named Tarzan and a little dog named Depeche Toi to ride across America to see California with only a few dollars in her pocket and all her possessions packed on her horse.

As Annie travels through the different states on her way she documents in her journal. She is dependent on her horse, her dog and her wits. Thanks to good people along the way she seldom wants for a stable for her horse and a place to sleep. When she reaches Tennessee she adds another horse Rex to her family.

Her journey takes her many places through the winter snows, a few major cities, the Ozarks, the Rocky Mountains, the desolate land of Wyoming and finally to California. She has a few mishaps along the way and a few detours, job offer's and one marriage proposal. She rides in parades and sleeps in jails.

This book is the tale of Anne, but it is so much more. As she travels she tells the history of the places she sees and where she stays from roads to towns to buildings. If you read it you will be pleasantly surprised at the history you will learn . You will love the adventures of Anne and you will not want to put the book down, it is that good. I recommend it.

Thanks to Elizabeth Letts, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I love Elizabeth Letts books; you can always count on a winner when you pick one up. This was an AWESOME read. What a story, this was the first I had heard of Annie Wilkins, I had previously read Grandma Gatewood’s walk and I find it so amazing that you have two 60-year-old women in the 1950’s that decided to take their lives into their own hands and just take off. One went walking and the other got on the back of a horse.
I am so glad Annie spent .60 cents on a notebook to use as her daily diary on the trail. And I so appreciate Elizabeth for researching and sharing this accomplishment with us. My best friend while growing up was my Palomino, his name was Dusty, after school I would come in the front door, change clothes and head down to the barn, we would ride every day. Some of the notations Annie said on how she would watch their mannerisms and know what they were thinking, she couldn’t have said I better.
This book has it all, goodness, kindness, love for yourself, for your animals, and the strangers and acquaintances that you encounter during your travels. So many people made a difference by their time and kindness shown to Annie, I wish there was more of that goodness in the world now.
I want to thank Random House Press along with NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC. This one earns the highest 5 stars I can give.

This is the best book I have read in many years. It makes one yearn for the kinder and more giving times of the 1950's. With only her perseverance, an ex-racehorse, her dog and $32, she set out from rural Maine to fulfill her wish of seeing the Pacific Ocean before she died. I grew up in New England, and was particularly interested in the stories the author told about the towns she traveled through. I am going to buy this book so others in my family can read. it. Thank you to the author for all the memories of an America long-gone.

March is Women's History Month. My choice for 2021 recognition is the life of an ordinary woman who achieved an extraordinary thing.

I received an ARC of The Ride of Her Life, by award winning author, Elizabeth Letts and met Annie Wilkins. This is the true story of a plain and simple 63-year-old woman in poor health who was told she had less than 4 years to live. Annie Wilkins was the last of her family and unable to work the farm. A kind doctor found her a place to stay at the County Home; a quiet place to wait out her fate. That option didn't sit well with the hard working, strong willed, and independent Annie.

Ignoring nay-sayers, a poor choice of seasons to start, dead-broke, poor health, inadequate clothing, few food supplies, and without a plan or a map, Annie set on November 5, 1954 from Minot, Maine to fulfill her father's dream to see California. Her mode of transportation was a retired trotting horse. She reasoned it was better to sit in a saddle and see the world than die of boredom in a rocking chair.

Annie had little formal education and little knowledge of life beyond her Maine farm. Yet she firmly believed in the kindness of strangers and her ability to achieve whatever she set her mind to doing. She did successfully cross into California, just as she started, in the dead-of-winter, on March 25, 1956.

The ride wasn't always sunshine and roses. She soon learned that automobiles now ruled the roads, saddle tramps were history, and the United States had wicked weather and elevation challenges. Annie also was relieved to find strangers who were kind and generous outnumbered those who were stinkers and hateful. She suffered injuries and near frostbite but nothing slowed her down for long.

After her journey, Annie fulfilled another ambition. Using her nickname, Mesannie, she submitted her memoir entitled The Last of the Saddle Tramps to a publisher. Editors polished the crusty edges off her character to suit the readers of the God-fearing era. They transformed Annie into "Doris Day", and the book was published in 1967.

In 2017, the author, Elizabeth Letts, began a lengthy and exhaustive search for facts about Annie, before, during and after her journey, that would culminate in her newest work, The Ride of Her life to be published in June of 2021. Where Annie's book is told from personal experience, Lett's new book is more a travelogue of the journey using what remains of Annie's journals, newspapers articles and personal interviews. The book is nicely annotated.

I found the book fascinating, Annie as stubborn as a mule, the towns and communities along the way generous and invested in her journey. And in the end, I know that dumb luck played a part in her success as well. This journey could not be accomplished today. Horse lovers, history buffs, and curious travelers will enjoy the read.

True Story!
November 5, 1954 - Annie and her dog got on a horse and headed from Minot, Maine to California.
She had no map, GPS, cellphone, credit/debit card, not even a flashlight or rain coat. She did not have a bank account, only $32 cash, her clothes, and few belongings.

I so enjoyed this book/ride!!
The descriptions and the history were so interesting. I will be researching and reading more of this!