Cowboys Are My Weakness (Paperback)

by Pam Houston (Author) "When he says "Skins or blankets?" it will take you a moment to realize that he's asking which you want to sleep under..." (more)
Key Phrases: coyote woman, bivvy sack, best female friend, New York, Moose Creek, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A gifted storyteller and a fine writer, Houston brings insight and an original perspective to the heavily trafficked gender divide in her short-story collection, which was a two-week PW bestseller in cloth.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Houston, whose short stories have appeared in such periodicals as Mirabella and Mademoiselle , now has her first collection, the highlights of which are "How To Talk to a Hunter," a story selected for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories, 1990 ( LJ 10/1/90), and "Selway." Though these two stand out, the collection as a whole showcases a fresh, original, strong feminine voice. Houston is almost Hemingway-esque in her spare prose, yet richly eloquent in her descriptions of the Western sensibility. "How To Talk to a Hunter" oozes sensuality and masculinity, while at the same time getting inside the feminine mind in love with a man of few words. Likewise, "Selway" brilliantly shows what the experience of loving an adventurer is like. Houston is a part-time guide in Alaska. This is a strong woman who is wise and cynical but refreshingly optimistic. Her view of man-woman relationships is realistic: wise women get involved with "cowboys" they should know better, but they don't. Recommended.
- Rosellen Brewer, Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Lib. System, Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671793888
• ISBN-13: 978-0671793883
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #699,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Published as fiction, but does anyone believe THAT?, October 28, 2003

By	Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Pam Houston's fictional characters somehow to always seem like the great lady herself, eccentric, strong, athletic, daring, and tough. And then there are the men. They have it tough in Houston's world, and no wonder. Sometimes even she agrees that she probably treats her dogs better than she does her men.
However, while her women are gutsy, they are still vulnerable, still learning, still making mistakes, and the biggest seems to be falling for inaccessible men. As her character says in the title story of this collection, "I've always had a thing for cowboys...but they're hard to find these days, even in the West."
Full of gender-heavy wisecracking, Cowboys are My Weakness will have you laughing, groaning, and crying. Enjoy yourself.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outdoorsy Romance Transcends Usual Corset Busting, June 20, 2000

By	Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

Given to me by the same friend who sent me "Girl Interrupted," "Anywhere But Here," and "Sin," I figured this must be something worth reading.

Starting out, I began to think this was going to be a Rosamonde Pilcher type book, and "Cowboys..." does share Pilcher's usual theme: independent-woman-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-someone-cooler-and-smarter-than-Fabio. And the title of the collection implies a lot: the protagonists are all generally strong women who lose it over the Marlboro Man.

But there is an underlying pathos in the collection, an electric charge of wild man and level-headed woman. I am sure you could turn out a killer essay exploring the sexual politics in these stories, but they are also just good fun.

The tales are very well-written, and the settings are very nicely described. If the reader wants to feel what it'd be like to escape to the high desert with a trapper like Jim Bridger or to the mountains with a cute outlaw like Jesse James, reading this book is a good way to do that.

The writer's obvious familiarity with exciting, rugged skills like snow camping and game scouting is impressive, and this knowledge gives the stories extra substance.

Warning to animal lovers: contains hunting.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars She's no female Hemingway., May 25, 1998

By A Customer

This book was OK. Just OK. I didn't think the writing stood up to the glowing reviews that I read. On the other hand, it's a quick read. The plots of the stories were very predictable. After you read one, you had really read all of them. I used to live in West, and I've known a few cowboys in my time. Her portrayal of both was a little trite. These guys weren't cowboys, they were just garden variety losers.