Part of Series

Flying U

Series · 12 books

By B.M. Bower

The boisterous and bow-legged Happy Family of Montana rides high in this sequel to Chip of the Flying U . Originally published in 1910, The Happy Family is, like Chip, cinematic in its fast action, unusual in its emphasis on human relationships, unique in its warmth and humor. Here are the cowpokes who endeared themselves to generations of readers—Andy, Weary, Irish, Pink, Happy Jack, Big Medicine, and the rest. They were so popular that their creator devoted a series of novels to their wrangling on the rangeland and in the ranchhouse. These stories play out in the badlands, on the edge of the Rockies. Andy Green, "not famous ever for clinging to the truth," encounters Miss Verbena Martin, who is dedicated to the self-improvement of cowboys and is a character worthy of Mark Twain. Riding a red roan at a contest in Great Falls, Andy hangs on to his honor and pride by the seat of his pants. In another story, there is a crisis concerning the French cook Patsy, whose specialty is heavy pie and not floating island. All this fun has a western flavor, the smell of sage, and the feel of cowhide.

Avg Rating

3.88

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

33%

4 STARS

37%

3 STARS

16%

2 STARS

12%

1 STARS

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Author

B.M. Bower

Author · 29 books

Bertha Muzzy Sinclair or Sinclair-Cowan, née Muzzy, best known by her pseudonym B. M. Bower, was an American author who wrote novels, fictional short stories, and screenplays about the American Old West. Her works, featuring cowboys and cows of the Flying R Ranch in Montana, reflected "an interest in ranch life, the use of working cowboys as main characters (even in romantic plots), the occasional appearance of eastern types for the sake of contrast, a sense of western geography as simultaneously harsh and grand, and a good deal of factual attention to such matters as cattle branding and bronc busting. Born Bertha Muzzy in Otter Tail County, MN and living her early years in Big Sandy, Montana, she was married three times: to Clayton Bower, in 1890; to Bertrand William Sinclair,(also a Western author) in 1912; and to Robert Elsworth Cowan, in 1921. Bower's 1912 novel Lonesome Land was praised in The Bookman magazine for its characterization. She wrote 57 Western novels, several of which were turned into films.