Reviews & More
Praise for Dispatches from the Cowgirl
The writing and storytelling of Dispatches From the Cowgirl by Julie Tully is so strong and riveting that I was only able to set the book down once before fully devouring it. Tully’s love for all of her “homes” fills every page, and the book acts as a love letter to Africa. It was a delight to read and left me wanting to take an international flight.
The first and most obvious thing to strike the reader about this book is the quality of the writing. It’s way, way above what you’d expect of a first-book personal memoir. So much so that after a few pages, I’m ashamed to say that I looked back at the small print to see if a professional ghostwriter had been involved, but no, it’s all her own…she writes like a self-confident pro, with the ease, sparkle and authority I associate with the big people in our genre; I won’t cite names, you’ll know some of them. An engaging delight from start to finish. I do hope this author produces another book before too long.
Funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and full of oh-so-familiar themes for the military spouse, Julie’s story will take you around Africa and make it feel like your home too. What a gorgeous adventure!
Author Julie Tully pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to be the wife of diplomat living in Africa. With so much written about diplomats, attaches, and ambassadors, Tully fills an important void in telling the story of the vital spouses that form the foundation of life overseas.
Dispatches from the Cowgirl is an engaging read from beginning to end. In letters written to family and friends, Tully showed them, in vivid detail, places they would most likely never see. Tully explains, “I am a girl of the land who married a man of the sea.” From her perspective, she writes of extraordinary events and everyday life during her time as a military spouse in Africa. In a world where diplomacy is key, Julie, in her cowboy boots, charms the embassy staff and foreign diplomats in every assignment with her genuine demeanor.
