Rating: 
Summary: all women should read this book
Review: "Rmemeber, freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose," is just one piece of advice given in this excellent, intreguing collection of short stories by Pam Houston. All women should read these stories which all help to explain why men are so different. I have loaned my copy to so many friends that I have had to replace it several times. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Most stories are forgettable
Review: 1: How to Talk to a Hunter
I enjoyed the off-handed way this story is narrated. The tone is almost an as-if: the woman narrator sounds like she is talking theoretically, when in fact she is hurting a fair bit.2: Selway
Story about a couple in a river rafting trip, doing very silly and unsafe things. Now, on page 40, how can the narrator say "He grabbed for a boulder on the bottom", when she is far away and on the shore? This is not crystalline water, this is white water, so her visibility is minimal. 3: Highwater
Good observations! This is for me the best story in the book. Pam Houston almost has a Jim Harrison quality in her writing, because in this story she is gut wrenching and funny at the same time. I loved the resolution. Nothing better than to put things in perspective. 4: For Bo
I am not a dog lover, and get very irritated with people who think dogs should be adored by everyone. I had to sympathize with the very stiff mother and aunt, because having a dog spit and scratch your clothes is not fun. That Pam Houston put me in a position having to sympathize with these cold women is something for which I resent her. 5: What Shock Heard
6: Dall
7: Cowboys are my Weakness These three stories have the common denominator of women loving men more than viceversa. Although Cowboys are my Weakness has a slightly hopeful ending (up for interpretation: I think she tosses the towel and resigns herself to a life of unhappiness), the bottomline is that in these relationships there is an inherent unevenness, and women get the short end of the stick. 8: Jackson is Only One of my Dogs
What kind of dog eats 14 lbs of anything? This story got me very irritated, with all its psycho-babble. 9: A Blizzard Under Blue Sky
Part 2 of story #8, and same kind of irritation. 10: Sometimes You Talk About Idaho
I read a few women-oriented magazines every month, and here and there I have come across a Pam Houston interview. This story sounds very autobiographical (in fact, the rest are no exception), and again, quite sad. Once things are getting good for the woman, she has to over analyze the relationship and sigh and say, `oh, this is not the picture I have in my head. Therefore, so long". Same thing that happened with story #7. 11: Symphony
I didn't like the very obtuse narration of this one. 12: In My Next Life
Story about the very close friendship between two women, one of whom dies of cancer. Although I wasn't completely blown away by it, I enjoyed that finally men were out of the picture.
Rating:
Summary: To my way of thinking, she asks the right questions.
Review: A book of short stories by a woman in her late twenties whois now getting a Ph.D. at the University of Utah. Born inNew Jersey, Ms. Houston loves the West. She has worked as a river and hunting guide. She writes about her relation ships with nature and the men, and women, she finds out there. These stories are literary and insightful. I encourage you to read them. Ms. Houston writes with a startling self awareness. She is a smart, thoughtful woman who goes into the wilderness to think about love. To my way of thinking, she asks the right questions. Of this book, one reviewer said: "These are the stories that might have emerged had an intelligent woman followed Hemingway around." I am not sure Hemingway could have kept up. Colin Carroll
Rating:
Summary: another opinion
Review: Although I can understand why this book is so popular, as it is well written, I found it depressing and somewhat disappointing. This book came highly recommended to me and promised to be an insightful and witty commentary about relationships between men and women. Each of the stories were well written and a smooth and interesting read, but I found that they were all very similar in tone and character. The women, I found, were portrayed universally as outdoorsy and physically strong, but emotionally wishy- washy and victimized. It just seemed to me to be a typical portrayal of women's weaknesses, but that is what the title says...
Rating:
Summary: I think I missed something
Review: Although Ok to read,I didn't particularly connect, I think. I agree with another reader who said these men were not cowboys, just everyday losers. I think the women who say, gee, gee, whiz, I just can't get a man to commit, must take a look inward and see if it is herself lacking committment of some sort.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectual woman's sexual and spiritual journey.
Review: Any man or woman, gay or straight will enjoy this fine piece of literature. In this collection of stories, a highly educated woman lives out her fantasies of exploring the wilderness, having flings with her fantasty dream lover(s), and sharing time with her companion. Each of her encounters are temporary, but she gets to know herself, the world, and she comes to understand what her whole personal search was for.
The stories seem to have repetitive plots, but the characters are fascinating, sensual, and undoubtedly will leave readers with erotic fantasies. Nothing kinky. Just pure, affectionate, and outdoorsy lovemaking. A real treat to anyone in or between relationships. A fine writer and an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: If you can relate, you'll love it!
Review: As a twenty-something, nature-loving woman who is strong enough to not NEED a man even though I WANT one, I loved this collection. Pam Houston nailed it. Her insights are fantastic. Ten out of the twelve stories are written in first person, and that character changes little, so if you can relate to her, the whole collection is a treat. If you don't like one story, you probably won't like any of them. As you can see from the wide range of reviews here, it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you love the outdoors and relationship talk that lacks whine, you'll eat it up.
Rating:
Summary: I don't read books!!! But I read this one twice.
Review: Does Pam Houston understand me more than my own mother? In the case of Cowboys Are My Weakness, it would seem that she does. She shares with you the most intimate, simple details that you debate on sharing with your closest girlfriend. She understands the complexitity of outdoor women and their desire to be loved by wild, hard-to-win men. She also gives you validation for your dreams and literal explanations of the concepts you want everyone to understand about you but you can't explain for yourself. Any man who wants to pass my course must first study the assigned reading, Cowboys Are My Weakness is my life and my thoughts in a nutshell. I hope she keeps up the good work. I am not a pleasure reader by any means. In fact, I am not proud to admit it, but I have never read a book cover to cover before this book. I don't know how I made it through four years of college doing it, but I did. I believe that is the best testament to this book I can give.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite all it's hyped to be...
Review: Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed this collection of short stories quite a bit. It conveyed a certain feeling which, while I have never experienced as a 20-something man who has always lived in big cities, I felt like I did after reading her stories. The storeis were immensely readable, and quite engrossing, and the characters were very vividly portrayed. My only hesitation is that for all of the accolades this book has gotten, I think Judith Freeman does a similar thing in her writings, and does it better. So if you enjoyed this book (and I expect most of its readers will), I also suggest you check out FAMILY ATTRACTIONS or A DESERT OF PURE FEELING, for a book in a similar vein.
Rating:
Summary: Outdoorsy Romance Transcends Usual Corset Busting
Review: Given to me by the same friend who sent me "Girl Interrupted," "Anywhere But Here," and "Sin," I figured this must be something worth reading. Starting out, I began to think this was going to be a Rosamonde Pilcher type book, and "Cowboys..." does share Pilcher's usual theme: independent-woman-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-someone-cooler-and-smarter-than-Fabio. And the title of the collection implies a lot: the protagonists are all generally strong women who lose it over the Marlboro Man. But there is an underlying pathos in the collection, an electric charge of wild man and level-headed woman. I am sure you could turn out a killer essay exploring the sexual politics in these stories, but they are also just good fun. The tales are very well-written, and the settings are very nicely described. If the reader wants to feel what it'd be like to escape to the high desert with a trapper like Jim Bridger or to the mountains with a cute outlaw like Jesse James, reading this book is a good way to do that. The writer's obvious familiarity with exciting, rugged skills like snow camping and game scouting is impressive, and this knowledge gives the stories extra substance. Warning to animal lovers: contains hunting.
| 
