Rating: 
Summary: What a book! What a dame!
Review: Florence "Pancho" Leontine Lowe Barnes may have been to the manor born and bred, but she chafed at her parent's prim and proper society and decided to be true to the one person she could count on -- herself. Until I read this book, I only knew of Pancho Barnes and her Happy Bottom Riding Club from the movie THE RIGHT STUFF. She was the proprietor of the saloon/motel/dude ranch where all the test pilots from nearby Edwards Air Force Base hung out. Her character didn't get much footage in the movie, but she was compelling enough to warrant further investigation. Author Lauren Kessler offers an insider's view into the life of this enigmatic woman, from her privileged childhood to her poverty-stricken death. This is no mere biography...it's a tour de force of the woman behind all the legends. Pancho Barnes was raised by wealthy parents. Her grandfather had made his fortune with patents and in real estate in the early part of the 20th century. Her grandfather died broke, but he lived large. Her grandfather and father doted on her and indulged her every wish. She was puzzled by her mother's world of socials, needlework and fancy dresses. She was dazzled by horses, the outdoors and demanding physical activity. Early on, it was clear that Florence was not going to be a beauty, nor was she the shy and retiring kind. She rode horses, played outside and generally behaved as a young boy. School bored her. Afternoon teas and the idea of running a house set her teeth on edge. Even though she obeyed her family's wishes and married an Episcopalian minister and had one child, she was never a conventional wife or mother, in any form, shape or fashion. As a diversion from her unhappy marriage, she found work as a horse wrangler in the fledgling movie industry. She worked as a stunt person in some of the films she provided horses for. She discovered flying and it became her life-long passion. She found love in the arms of many men, including her four subsequent husbands. She cussed like a sailor, drank whiskey with the best of them, and rubbed elbows with Hollywood elite. She could hold an audience captive with her storytelling acumen. She ran a dairy farm, a pig breeding business, a boisterous resort and maintained a stable full of fabulous horses. She spent three fortunes and died broke, but she lived life to the fullest and made the most of every moment. I read this book in one sitting and dare anyone who starts it to try and put it down. Pancho Barnes was one of a kind. What a dame! I wish I had known her. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: What a book! What a dame!
Review:
Florence "Pancho" Leontine Lowe Barnes may have been to the manor born and bred, but she chafed at her parent's prim and proper society and decided to be true to the one person she could count on -- herself. Until I read this book, I only knew of Pancho Barnes and her Happy Bottom Riding Club from the movie THE RIGHT STUFF. She was the proprietor of the saloon/motel/dude ranch where all the test pilots from nearby Edwards Air Force Base hung out. Her character didn't get much footage in the movie, but she was compelling enough to warrant further investigation. Author Lauren Kessler offers an insider's view into the life of this enigmatic woman, from her privileged childhood to her poverty-stricken death. This is no mere biography...it's a tour de force of the woman behind all the legends. Pancho Barnes was raised by wealthy parents. Her grandfather had made his fortune with patents and in real estate in the early part of the 20th century. Her grandfather died broke, but he lived large. Her grandfather and father doted on her and indulged her every wish. She was puzzled by her mother's world of socials, needlework and fancy dresses. She was dazzled by horses, the outdoors and demanding physical activity. Early on, it was clear that Florence was not going to be a beauty, nor was she the shy and retiring kind. She rode horses, played outside and generally behaved as a young boy. School bored her. Afternoon teas and the idea of running a house set her teeth on edge. Even though she obeyed her family's wishes and married an Episcopalian minister and had one child, she was never a conventional wife or mother, in any form, shape or fashion. As a diversion from her unhappy marriage, she found work as a horse wrangler in the fledgling movie industry. She worked as a stunt person in some of the films she provided horses for. She discovered flying and it became her life-long passion. She found love in the arms of many men, including her four subsequent husbands. She cussed like a sailor, drank whiskey with the best of them, and rubbed elbows with Hollywood elite. She could hold an audience captive with her storytelling acumen. She ran a dairy farm, a pig breeding business, a boisterous resort and maintained a stable full of fabulous horses. She spent three fortunes and died broke, but she lived life to the fullest and made the most of every moment. I read this book in one sitting and dare anyone who starts it to try and put it down. Pancho Barnes was one of a kind. What a dame! I wish I had known her. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Fellow Woman Pilot
Review: A thoroughly enjoyable biography about a wild and adventurous woman. I have heard so much about Pancho in my flying career and my aviation studies. It was nice to know the whole story. I would have loved to have met Pancho. Perhaps, I'm glad I didn't. I know I'm glad I read this book! Enjoy! CAVU! Dash
Rating:
Summary: Fellow Woman Pilot
Review: A thoroughly enjoyable biography about a wild and adventurous woman. I have heard so much about Pancho in my flying career and my aviation studies. It was nice to know the whole story. I would have loved to have met Pancho. Perhaps, I'm glad I didn't. I know I'm glad I read this book! Enjoy! CAVU! Dash
Rating:
Summary: The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho B
Review: Having been a pilot for nearly 30 years I had heard many stories about Pancho Barnes and her famous Happy Bottom Riding Club. Any pilot would love this book and it would make a great gift. A friend of mine gave it to me for my birthday and I could hardly put it down. I had also heard of Thaddeus Lowe, her grandfather and pioneer hot air balloon pilot in the Civil War and enjoyed learning more about this fabulous man who had a great influence on Pancho. Someone should make a movie about the life of Pancho Barnes because she is one of the most daring and gutsy women who ever took to the skies. This book is very well written and extremely interesting, especially for anyone who loves aviation. The details of Pancho's private life are sometimes shocking but brutally honest. I can heartily recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho B
Review: Having been a pilot for nearly 30 years I had heard many stories about Pancho Barnes and her famous Happy Bottom Riding Club. Any pilot would love this book and it would make a great gift. A friend of mine gave it to me for my birthday and I could hardly put it down. I had also heard of Thaddeus Lowe, her grandfather and pioneer hot air balloon pilot in the Civil War and enjoyed learning more about this fabulous man who had a great influence on Pancho. Someone should make a movie about the life of Pancho Barnes because she is one of the most daring and gutsy women who ever took to the skies. This book is very well written and extremely interesting, especially for anyone who loves aviation. The details of Pancho's private life are sometimes shocking but brutally honest. I can heartily recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I had a hard time putting this book down. It offeres a well researched glimpse into the unconventional life of a most unusal woman. A great read for anyone that is into the history of early American aviation and a must read for women's herstory.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Character, But the Book Could Have Been Better
Review: I saw the author one evening on BookTV and I immediatly went out and got the book. If you like aviation history, stories about wild parties, riches to rags stories, or tales about oversexed, hard drinking, foul mouthed women then this is a must read! I give credit to the author for her detail and for her ability to tell the story of a charater like Poncho Barnes and keep the content at a PG-13 level (for the most part). This story is a great lesson on what can happen to a rich child who is not tought the value of a dollar. For those of us who can only read about the rich and wonder what it would be like to be rich and have a good time; well, let me say you will not be disappointed in this read. Pancho is one of those people that you would like to know but (hopefully) not be like. I also learned alot about the early history of Edwards AFB (even how the name was changed to Edwards). I had read Chuck Yeager's Biography years ago and this book ties in and gives the reader a view of life off the base. Read it, you'll have fun.
Rating:
Summary: One Wild Woman !
Review: I saw the author one evening on BookTV and I immediatly went out and got the book. If you like aviation history, stories about wild parties, riches to rags stories, or tales about oversexed, hard drinking, foul mouthed women then this is a must read! I give credit to the author for her detail and for her ability to tell the story of a charater like Poncho Barnes and keep the content at a PG-13 level (for the most part). This story is a great lesson on what can happen to a rich child who is not tought the value of a dollar. For those of us who can only read about the rich and wonder what it would be like to be rich and have a good time; well, let me say you will not be disappointed in this read. Pancho is one of those people that you would like to know but (hopefully) not be like. I also learned alot about the early history of Edwards AFB (even how the name was changed to Edwards). I had read Chuck Yeager's Biography years ago and this book ties in and gives the reader a view of life off the base. Read it, you'll have fun.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Character, But the Book Could Have Been Better
Review: Pancho Barnes is undeniably an incredible character in aviation history. But this book could have done a better job telling her story. The narrative was extremely repetitious, stating certain character traits over and over again, as if the reader had forgotten them. There wasn't enough detail; certain events that seemed important were glossed over or mentioned in passing as if the author hadn't done her homework.
But the worst part of the book (for me) was the author's statement that Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean nonstop. Anyone knowledgeable about aviation knows that this feat was accomplished in 1919 by Alcock and Brown in a Vickers Vimy biplane. Almost 100 aviators crossed the Atlantic BEFORE Lindbergh. This statement, which was so matter-of-fact yet so incorrect, makes me wonder how many other "facts" the author got wrong.
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