The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story
by Ree Drummond
Nonfiction – Memoir
2011 HarperAudio, Unabridged
Read by Ree Drummond
Finished on 5/31/2011
Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)



Product Description

"That's when I saw him—the cowboy—across the smoky room."

I'll never forget that night. It was like a romance novel, an old Broadway musical, and a John Wayne western rolled into one. Out for a quick drink with friends, I wasn't looking to meet anyone, let alone a tall, rugged cowboy who lived on a cattle ranch miles away from my cultured, corporate hometown. But before I knew it, I'd been struck with a lightning bolt . . . and I was completely powerless to stop it.

Read along as I recount the rip-roaring details of my unlikely romance with a chaps-wearing cowboy, from the early days of our courtship (complete with cows, horses, prairie fire, and passion) all the way through the first year of our marriage, which would be filled with more challenge and strife—and manure—than I ever could have expected.

This isn't just my love story; it's a universal tale of passion, romance, and all-encompassing love that sweeps us off our feet.

It's the story of a cowboy.

And Wranglers.

And chaps.

And the girl who fell in love with them.

About the Author

Ree Drummond began blogging in 2006 and has built an award-winning website, where she shares recipes, showcases her photography, and documents her hilarious transition from city life to ranch wife. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Ree lives on a working cattle ranch near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with her husband, Ladd; their four kids; their beloved basset hound; and lots of other animals.

I’d never heard of Ree Drummond, aka PW (The Pioneer Woman), until two years ago when her cookbook hit the shelves. We had a few copies on our holiday cookbook display and one day I overheard a woman telling her friend about Ree’s hilarious blog. My interest piqued, I came home from work and spent several hours reading some of PW’s archived posts. Drummond is not only a witty writer, but she has a great eye, capturing life on the ranch through the lens of her camera. The hilarious commentary makes for great reading. I was thoroughly entertained, laughing out loud as I read, calling my husband into my office to take a look at the wonderful photographs and listen to the comical anecdotes about Charlie, the family’s Basset hound (who now has his own memoir entitled, Charlie the Ranch Dog!).


The following day, I thumbed through The Pioneer Woman Cooks and knew it was a winner. I ordered in more copies and made it my #1 hand sell for the Christmas season. And, of course, I had to buy a copy for myself, but my husband didn’t mind one bit (in spite of the huge stack of recently purchased cookbooks already on my shelves). This cookbook rocks! I’ve tried many of the recipes and almost every single one is a winner. We especially love the Migas (scrambled egg dish with onions, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, cilantro and fried, chopped corn tortillas), Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich (cube steak with onions and butter on a crusty roll), Onion Strings, and Penne Alla Betsy (shrimp in a tomato-cream pasta dish). Rod can’t wait for me to try the cinnamon rolls and fried chicken. Who am I kidding? I can’t wait, either!

But enough about food. Let’s talk about PW’s memoir, which quite honestly I was a little hesitant to read. It sounded sappy and I already knew the basic story of how she came to meet and marry her husband (aka Marlboro Man) since a large chunk of it is mentioned on her blog. But a couple of customers told me how much they enjoyed the book, so I decided to give the audio version a try. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised! I’m not sure why my expectations were set for something trivial and possibly poorly written, but I was very impressed and entertained. Read by the author, the story feels like a chatty conversation with a friend, tugging at my heartstrings and making me laugh out loud.

My only complaint was the overabundant usage of “Marlboro Man” (used in lieu of her husband’s actual name). I suppose if I were reading the book, as opposed to listening to the audio, I would have skimmed over those two words and not given it a second thought. However, hearing her say them over and over began to bother me ever so slightly. But in spite of this minor annoyance, I was sorry when I reached the final chapter of the book. I hope she’ll write more about her life on the ranch with her kiddos and critters, and of course, Marlboro Man. But, if there's no written sequel to this love story, there’s always her blog. It will take me years to read through all the archives!