Annie and the Wolves

By: Andromeda Romano-Lax

Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley

A modern-day historian finds her life intertwined with Annie Oakley's in an electrifying novel that explores female revenge and the allure of changing one's past.

Ruth McClintock is obsessed with Annie Oakley. For nearly a decade, she has been studying the legendary sharpshooter, convinced that a scarring childhood event was the impetus for her crusade to arm every woman in America. This search has cost Ruth her doctorate, a book deal, and her fiance - but finally it has borne fruit. She has managed to hunt down what may be a journal of Oakley's midlife struggles, including secret visits to a psychoanalyst and the desire for vengeance against the "Wolves", or those who have wronged her.

With the help of Reece, a tech-savvy senior at the local high school, Ruth attempts to establish the journal's provenance, but she's begun to have jarring out-of-body episodes parallel to Annie's own lived experiences. As she solves Annie's mysteries, Ruth confronts her own truths, including the link between her teenage sister's suicide and an impending tragedy in her Minnesota town that Ruth can still prevent.

©2021 Andromeda Romano-Lax (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A terrific book by a talented author

I loved this book. I purchased it in both paper and audio format because I didn't want to stop following the story even when I needed to stop reading. The story is compelling, the characters are intriguing, and the writing is lyrical.

Ruth, the protagonist, is an isolated historian who has lost momentum in her professional and personal lives, has suffered a serious physical injury in a car crash, and has very little in her life except for her inquiries into Annie Oakley, about whom she is writing a book. As she pursues Annie Oakley, Ruthis also drawn into trying to figure out what happened to her own younger sister, years before.

This book involves puzzling over two different mysteries, one having to do with what happened to Annie Oakley when she was sent to live with a couple as a child, and one having to do with what happened to the protagonist's sister. Through a number of unexpected encounters, Ruth's world expands, and the story lines about Annie and Ruth's sister move in an interesting counterpoint, raising questions about whether time is linear, or whether past and future times are perceptible. In includes reflections about sisterhood, marriage, time, love, and the courage to heal in an uncertain world. It is an addictive read.

Excellent stories, masterfully woven

Great, suspenful book which interweaves historical and fictional stories in a way that offers wisdom about the past, present, and future.

Excellent!

Annie and the Wolves was the best book I've read in years. I'm planning to recommend it to all of my friends so we can discuss it when we get together after we all get vaccinated!