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Buffalo Coat

carol ryrie brink mary e. reed

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Originally published in 1944, Buffalo Coat spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The first adult novel written by acclaimed Idaho writer Carol Ryrie Brink, winner of the Newbery Award for the outstanding book of children's literature in 1936, Buffalo Coat has become a classic of Northwest literature. It tells the tale of three doctors who came to Opportunity (Moscow), Idaho, in the 1890s seeking success and fortune in the town with the promising name. At first all attained their private objectives and financial success, symbolized by owning a great buffalo coat to wear through the bitter winters. Then one by one, each of their lives ended in tragedy. Noted for her human insight and succinct storytelling, Brink's Buffalo Coat was perhaps her finest novel, the first in a trilogy about northern Idaho and eastern Washington that also includes Strangers in the Forest and Snow in the River.

421 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1944

This edition

Format
421 pages, Paperback
Published
September 8, 1993 by Washington State University Press
ISBN
9780874220957
ASIN
0874220955
Language
English

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About the author

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carol ryrie brink

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Born Caroline Ryrie, American author of over 30 juvenile and adult books. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal.

Brink was orphaned by age 8 and raised by her maternal grandmother, the model for Caddie Woodlawn. She started writing for her school newspapers and continued that in college. She attended the University of Idaho for three years before transferring to the University of California in 1917, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1918, the same year she married.

Anything Can Happen on the River, Brink's first novel, was published in 1934. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Idaho in 1965. Brink Hall, which houses the UI English Department and faculty offices, is named in her honor. The children's section of the Moscow, ID Carnegie public library is also named after her.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.2 / 5.0, 32 votes)
5 stars
13(41%)
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32 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
TravisBickle
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I was totally engrossed in this book, which is odd for me, considering the age and how thick it was. Also, it wasn't a tight plot -- there was a lot of meandering, but for some reason I could barely put it down. The characters were all believable and I liked many of them (but not Doc Hawkins). I really liked the description of frontier Idaho and how several prominent citizens took it from a rough town to some semblance of civilization. Also, the descriptions of the landscapes were amazing -- Carol Ryrie Brink really helped to make you feel that you were there.

Great story lines, great writing, great everything. Highly recommend.
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LoliSlayer_
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This was an absorbing book, and a page turner for me, and her characters came alive - perhaps in part because she based them on real people, like her grandmother. CRB can write! Her story concerns the early history of Moscow, Idaho (even though the town is called Opportunity in the book). So, what was my problem, and why didn't I like it? These people were people of despair, 'without hope and without God in the world.' Ultimately it was full of the worship of the creation: the mountains around Moscow, the pure, sharp air of the West, the seasons, the seemingly wild, cruel country just beginning to be civilized - typical of the first settlements). The story purported the idea that man's wickedness sprouted from this cruel Idaho wilderness, and that's where the murder, adultery, etc. comes from.....peace and happiness was to be found in the mountains that never change. I totally disagree with her philosophy; wickedness comes from within man, and man's only Savior is the CREATOR, not the creation. I was very disappointed - I kept hoping for regeneration and forgiveness, but that didn't happen. The minister of the Methodist church was a sentimental wimp, the doctor a proud and selfish man, and his wife a fatalist.
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Oldlike
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This book was on the New York Times Best Seller list of novels in 1944. It is still a quintessential novel. It is well -written with a strong plot and compelling characters. Also, it is based on the history of Moscow, Idaho when the 19th Century was turning to the 20th Century. I would recommend it to novel readers everywhere.
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oto999
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This book is great. Although, you get really involved with all the characters, and then they die.
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PPLXI_
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I loved this book even more this time around. I think this is the third time I have read it, but I have learned more each time. This time I really keyed into the beautiful writing. I loved her description of the Idaho landscape and the mountains. She has a beautiful way with words. The ending surprised me, even though I have read it before and I like that. I read the forward again and enjoyed learning the history behind the story and the writer. This is a very mature book and I feel like I understood the themes better now than I have before.
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NiniAlex
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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The author, Carol Ryrie Brink, took the stories her grandmother told her about Moscow, Idaho and her relatives and wove them into this engrossing book. Her grandparents are the source and main characters of this story which tells how and why three doctors came to Opportunity (Moscow), Idaho in the late 1800s looking for success and fortune. The title comes from the buffalo coats they wore as a sign of prestige. This is basically a picture of life in a small American town that moves from being part of the frontier to an emerging state of civilization. There are great descriptions of landscapes as well as depictions and human insight into the characters who inhabit this book. It is also a love story - one immature and one mature. One caution - there is not a warm fuzzy ending. I discovered this is book one in a trilogy and hope I can find the other two! P.S. Brink wrote the classic children's book Caddie Woodlawn.
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unicorn1293
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Historical fiction about early times in Moscow, Idaho, in which the author's own grandparents are central characters.
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BroDudeManDude
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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We read this for a Library History Book Club, and I have to say it's one of my favorite reads this year. The story revolves around three doctors in Opportunity, Idaho (actually, Moscow) in the late 1800s/early 1900s, and the three women who figure prominently in their lives. Brink is really honest in her portrayal of each of the characters, and they are all, for the most part, quite three-dimensional. The description of the town and its inhabitants doesn't shy away from the grit and grime of frontier life - the sly (and not so sly) bigotry, the drinking, the independent attitudes, the violence. Instead, she slowly develops a quiet, but searing story that ends with some optimism, if not a happy ending.
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