Customer Reviews

I'll Gather My Geese

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I met Hallie Stillwell in 1991 in Ft. Davis. I have camped in Big Bend and area, and her book told of her life around there - her early life, the dangers of the area, her marriage to Roy, her children, her ranchlife plus living back and forth from ranch to Marathon. It is an excellent account of Western life at that time - hot, dusty, busy, trying to survive, herding cattle, raising children, enjoying the land. She wrote well. It's easy to read though it jumps around some. She has a second book which I have not been able to locate. She died about the fall of '97, just short of her 100th birthday. Her ranch is still near Big Bend (about 45 miles south of Marathon and 20+ miles above the Rio Grande) and has a trailer park, general store, and an excellent museum.

Hallie Stillwell's book is a must read for those interested in the history of the Big Bend region of Texas. She is a Texas legend. The book covers the first half of her extraordinary life in the Big Bend.

Hallie Stillwell did not have it easy. It was hard to make a living by ranching in the Texas Big Bend and still is. She created a family business and legacy by determination, perseverance, and an eagerness to learn and contribute.

Go see the Stillwell Hall of Fame and Museum, south of Marathon and north of the Big Bend National Park.

This is an excellent read, most students can successfully endure this book and afterward speak fondly of it (and that is no small testimony). The reading level is about sixth grade and the subject matter inoffensive to even the most sensitive, while still captivating the reader. Filled with real life stories about the life of a woman who took on her little part of the west. While not an adventure thriller she manages adventure just fine, in this readers opinion anyway. Her father said that she was going on a "wild goose chase" moving away from home. Her reply was "Then I'll gather my geese".

I'll Gather my Geese is an interesting look at the life of a woman living in the rugged Big Bend area of Texas. Adventure, hardship and danger could not dim Mrs. Stillwells spirit.

The picture of Hallie and her cousins on the cover of "I'll gather my Geese" sold me on the book. What a bunch of sassy cowgirls! Hallie tells us in the preface that she never set out to write a masterpiece, but she did tell a very fine story of ranch life in the first part of the 19th century in the Big Bend area of Texas. Hallie's spirit is invincible, and her humorous anecdotes of ranch life kept me laughing. Hallie's family survived droughts, huge dust storms and the Great Depression. The story ends with Roy's death (Hallie's husband); as Hallie is about to give in and sell off all the cattle, the rains come. I am waiting for the publication of her next book on the next 50 years of her life "My Goose is Cooked". (...)

I met Hallie Stillwell in 1991 in Ft. Davis. I have camped in Big Bend and area, and her book told of her life around there - her early life, the dangers of the area, her marriage to Roy, her children, her ranchlife plus living back and forth from ranch to Marathon. It is an excellent account of Western life at that time - hot, dusty, busy, trying to survive, herding cattle, raising children, enjoying the land. She wrote well. It's easy to read though it jumps around some. She has a second book which I have not been able to locate. She died about the fall of '97, just short of her 100th birthday. Her ranch is still near Big Bend (about 45 miles south of Marathon and 20+ miles above the Rio Grande) and has a trailer park, general store, and an excellent museum.

A really well written book, it has no plot, other than the day to day experiences of life on the Texas frontier. This true story tells about the life of a remarkable woman and her close knit family.
When I first cracked the book, I knew that it would be hard to put it down, til I was done. I'm looking forward to her second book, "My Goose Is Cooked", as I'm sure it will be an equal joy to read.
What else can I say, except "Bravo,bravo!".

Hallie Stillwell was an authentic West Texas rancher and this narrative is the straight stuff. Life in the Big Bend country with no electricity, running water or paved roads was quite different from our "conditioned" world today. If you are in to gun control, wildlife preservation and immigration reform, you need to look elsewhere. But if you're interested in reading about a plucky gal with loads of grit, this one's for you.