Review: A twist on a classic
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2013
Cowgirl is a twist on a classic coming-of-age story set in the waning days of the Old West. Fourteen-year-old Risa and her brother, eleven-year-old Yani, leave their Jewish community in California and head east where they are taken in by the owners of a ranch in Nevada. The Native American foreman teaches Risa the skills she needs to become independent, and from there she thrives, parlaying her innate intelligence, hard work ethic, and sharp business sense into a prosperous living.Despite the easiness of the style, there are important lessons to be gleaned. Davis clearly demonstrates a facility with her medium and does a masterful job of tempering the overall profundity of the piece with an underlying message of hope. Thank you, Java, for your straightforward, effortless, and unforgettable tale. Cowgirl is a shining example of what can be accomplished by good character development combined with subtle wit and wisdom, a little gem of literature disguised as a simple story.