The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932

Another great historical fiction read by Jim Ferguson!I enjoyed this book all the way through. If you like historical fiction, check this one out.

If you like Western novels, this one should definitely be on your list. Personally, they’re not a genre I gravitate towards, despite living in the Southwest, very close to where this novel is located. I only read it because it’s on our Book Club list. Every time I picked it up to read—took me three days to read it, having avoided it for a few weeks before that—I was reluctant. Perhaps because there were so many anti-Western movies in my 20s (Soldier Blue, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) that I prefer to avoid the subject.Read it I did though. It’s a good book, the characters, although somewhat stereotypical for our modern sensibilities (the brave female anthropologist, the funny and self-deprecating gay guy who surprises himself with his bravery, the noble white guy, the ethereal native girl, the bad guy white cop, etc., etc….) still drew me in and made me smile, if a bit wryly. The author has tried to be “historical” while admitting it’s mostly a work of fiction. And he has also tried to be neutral in his depiction of both the whites and the Apache. I liked his Q & A at the back of the book, helped me see what he had tried to do. I think he mainly achieved it.Our Book Club meeting is in an hour, am curious to see what they will make of it.

I read this book based on a brief recommendation that only included one detail about the story - "It's called the Wild Girl. It's about a dude from Chicago." The characters, the landscapes, and the story are all too real. This book doesn't tell you about the highlights of the adventure and call it a day. This book tosses you into the adventure's gritty reality and runs off. The writer has gotten a lot of praise for his ability to write female characters, and it's all well-deserved. Whoever you are, you'll enjoy reading it. Except for Fidel. This books to good for Fidel to be touching with his unwashed hands. He'd ruin it somehow.

Surprisingly good read. I purchased this and the author's first novel "One Thousand White Women on the strength of good reviews. I planned to read them in turn but got bogged down in "1000". That's not a criticism of the writer but of my inability to appreciate his work. I put it aside and began "The Wild Girl", hoping for a better result. I found it and upon finishing it, picked up "1000" and tried it again. So far, so good. "The Wild Girl" is an entertaining tale that had me looking forward to times that I could read it. Though I am certain it wasn't intended to be of the "Western" genre, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading the like.

Really enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down. The characters were well defined and easy to follow. I would recommend.

I bought this after reading 1000 White Women by the same author, and once again, I was really happy with the novel. Fergus's style of taking some piece of true history, and rewriting the story, makes it educational from the perspective of taking us back to a time when human interactions mattered. (Unlike today, when I go out to dinner and see so many families all on their mobiles instead of actually talking to each other!) Fergus's characters have heart and flaws, speak in voices that ring true, and make you really care about what happens to them. On the thought-provoking front, this book made me pause and wonder why we "White Eyes" think the entire planet is ours for the plundering ... as we watch our skies and oceans darken with pollution, and our polar caps melt into oblivion. My message to the author is really simple -- please write more of this type of historical fiction. For example, I'm wondering what the story would be if Pocohontas turned out to be Carrie Bradshaw's great-great-great grandmother! :-)

The events of the historical time period kept me captivated. The diversity of the characters and the cultural clashes between them were well thought out and it felt as though I was transported to that time and places. My only complaint which made me give it three stars is as a native Spanish speaker, the author should have consulted a native Spanish Bilingual speaker to make sure his translations were accurate. Or does he not associate with Spanish speaking people and was unable to consult anyone as to the correct translations?

Loved the characters and the huge difference in their lives previous to their introductions in the novel. One of those books you put off ending, because you know you will miss your friends!

This is identical to 'The last Apache girl' so a waste of time ordering it. But a wonderful story and one I have read many times

very disappointing, had already read The Last Apache Girl, didnt know when I ordered it that it was the same story with a different title.

Excellent bouquin.

Je n'ai pas été déçu. Belle narration sur le sud de l'Arizona que je connais un peu. A lire et relire

Great read, terrific story and beautifully written!