I didn't say I don't find the story realistic. I object to her lack of "ear" for the genuine Wyoming vernaculars. As you know, the Rocky Mountain West is pretty vast; there are many regional differences in spoken language and ways of going about things.

I will give her story another try, but so far I find it much less than a "masterpiece." Art Thieme went through Cheyenne in the early sixties where he picked up the Cowboy's Barbry Allen, from an old cowboy named Del Bray. He has a great ear for regional voices and, imo, could do a much better job at dialogue than Proulx. I loved the movie Shipping News. I think she should stick to writing about what she knows best, New England.

But, then, I couldn't stand "Lonesome Dove," either.:-)