Sixty-three-year-old Annie Wilkins, a farmer in Maine, found herself penniless with no home and no family, but she had a dream. Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She had never driven a car, and she didn’t want to leave her dog, Depeche Toi, behind so she opted for a horse. She got a broken down racehorse named Tarzan, donned men’s jeans, and set off South.
The journey starts in 1954 when the world was quite different from today. There was no GPS so Annie had to use gas station maps to find her way. Riding a horse is very different from cruising along in an SUV. Annie could only do ten miles a day. What it cost her in speed it made up in the friends she made, and the communities she visited. In the end, the press found out about her ride and she became a celebrity. Towns had parades to welcome her, but besides the good times there were floods, mountains, snow and more traffic than she’d seen before.
This is a wonderful book. I loved it. Annie is an unforgettable character. When the going got tough, she kept on believing that if you keep moving you will get there. She didn’t give up on her dream, either. She was offered homes in various states, and even one marriage proposal, but Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean
In addition to meeting all the interesting, helpful people Annie encountered, we also learn about the history of the places she visited. Interspersing history with the adventure of the ride is very effective. The book is well written. It’s an adventure you’ll remember for a long time, I did.
I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.
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