Rest and Be Thankful by Helen McInnes
I read many of this author's romantic suspense novels when I was a young woman and enjoyed them, so picked this title up when I saw it fit one of my reading challenges. It is a very different book from the others of hers I've read. First published in 1949, it follows two women, close friend. Their friendship was forged by their experiences during World War II and earlier when Margaret Peel, the older of the two, guided Sarah (Sally) Bly through a very difficult period of her life.
They are driving across the continental United States, with their driver a middle-aged Hungarian man who goes by the name of Jackson. In Wyoming, the end up in the middle of a cattle drive, and go to the lodge at the ranch the cattle are from. The ranch is owned by Jim Brent, a veteran of the war, as are some of the cowboys who work there.
They love the atmosphere of the mountains and the lodge itself, built as a family home, but now housing only Jim. Jim is fighting for the ranch's future and when the women ask about buying the lodge to use as an occasional writers' retreat, he agrees.
The women plan for a month-long retreat for that summer when Atherton Jones, a man they know, has his venue fall through. He sends them the information on the writers he planned for and while they have a different idea of how the retreat will work, they do give in to some of his ideas. The group of writers is mixed consisting of both men and women, older and younger people, and people of different political views.
The life of a ranch and its work is depicted well, as is the landscape of Wyoming. Many of the characters are working their way through their own issues, whether they realize it or not, and we growth in almost all of them. MacInnes' insight into human behaviour shows here, and while in some ways the novel is very much of its time, it also has themes that are more timeless. An enjoyable and thoughtful read.
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