Waltzing Montana: A Novel

Midwife Mildred Harrington is riding back home one evening after checking on one of her pregnant neighbors when she stumbles upon an injured stranger. She soon realizes it's her old sweetheart, Pat, from country school--and he may not be telling the full truth about how he was injured.

Set in rural Montana in 1925, Waltzing Montana follows Mildred as she grapples with feelings for Pat while also trying to overcome the horrific abuse she suffered as a young teenager. Ultimately Mildred must decide whether to continue her isolated life or accept the hand extended to her.

Inspired by the life of midwife Edna McGuire (1885-1969), who operated a sheep ranch in central Montana, Blew has turned the classic Western on its head, focusing on rural women and the gender and diversity challenges they faced during the 1920s.

Mary Clearman Blew is the author or editor of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including the novels Sweep Out the Ashes (Bison Books, 2019), Ruby Dreams of Janis Joplin (Nebraska, 2018), and Jackalope Dreams (Bison Books, 2008). She is professor emerita of English at the University of Idaho and has won numerous awards, including the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award.