The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

by Ree Drummond

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

F Dru

Call number

F Dru

Barcode

3164

Publication

William Morrow (2011), Edition: First Edition, 352 pages

Description

American blogger and food writer Ree Drummond relates the real life story of how she met and married her "Marlboro Man." Her stories about her husband, family, and country living paint a warm and touching picture of life on an Oklahoma ranch.

Media reviews

PW Annex Reviews
Drummond, a blogger and best-selling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, turns her popular blog chronicling her improbable city-girl-meets-rugged-cowboy saga into an affecting new memoir. Drummond deftly describes what happens when life takes a U-turn, taking readers from her chaste but steamy
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courtship with "Marlboro Man," to their subsequent wedding and Australian honeymoon, and into the first year of their marriage where the two decamped to Marlboro Man's isolated ranch (Drummond had been en route to a new life in Chicago when she met him). What emerges is a charming and romantic yet realistic tale of the forces that can test a new relationship—no matter how good it is. She presents a sometimes riotously funny, always strikingly real tale of love and life. Drummond is intensely likable and writes with the facile confidence of one who clearly knows herself well. Plenty of surprises lie along the way, such as her parents' divorce and an immediate pregnancy following the nuptials. She's sure to have readers in tears and in stitches as they share her adventure. In a word: delightful. Includes several recipes.
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Original publication date

2011-01-02

User reviews

LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Breaking up with her LA boyfriend, and feeling disenchanted with the city, Ree Drummond decides to move to Chicago. On her way she stops in to spend some time with her parents in Oklahoma. Just before she leaves, she meets her Marlboro Man, and although she is entirely smitten, does she want to
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drop her dream of the city for a life on a cattle ranch?

Obviously she does and the book describes in hilarious detail all that she and he go through to be together. Ree has since gone on to become a well recognized blogger, and this book is the outcome of people wanting to know the story behind this city lover living on the Oklahoma plains with her cowboy. Included on the final pages are a number of recipes guaranteed to satisfy the cowboy in everyone.

Breezy, funny, light and heart warming, I enjoyed this story, and although it is considered a non-fiction memoir, I suspect there might be a little glitz and gloss added here and there. Reads like a chick-lit novel, but entirely entertaining and enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member whitreidtan
If you have never tried a recipe of Ree Drummond's (aka The Pioneer Woman), let me heartily recommend pretty much anything but especially her cinnamon rolls. My family has been enjoying them ever since she posted them on her blog years ago. Drummond is a phenomenal cook and an entertaining blogger.
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I enjoy my hops by her place on the internet when I find the time and I generally print out a recipe or two to try but I'm not a daily, devoted reader so having the chance to read about how she fell in love with her husband and went from being a big city loving, suburban kind of girl to living on a cattle ranch in the middle of Oklahoma without being chained to my computer sounded very appealing. And her love story is definitely sweet.

Leaving Los Angeles and a relationship that wasn't right for her, Ree decided to move to Chicago with a few months at home in Oklahoma to recharge. She moved back in with her parents and set about readying herself for life in the Windy City. One night out at a bar with her friends, she spots a cowboy across the room and is immediately drawn to him with his Wranglers, his prematurely grey hair, and his cowboy boots. Meeting the Marlboro Man that night forever changed her life in ways she never expected. Several months later and mere weeks before her planned move to Chicago, he called her and they went out on their first date. Ree chronicles their budding love affair even as her parents' marriage is crumbling and the tension at home is enough to make her question the reality of lasting love. She also describes the culture shock she faces as she becomes more and more involved in life on a working cattle ranch.

It is clear that the bulk of the book was written as short blog posts. There is a lot of repetition both in her descriptions of Marlboro Man physically and in what they do (lots and lots and lots of kissing and cuddling, mixed in with more kissing and cuddling). There was no doubt from the first kiss that he made her toes curl and her ovaries jump for joy and while the constant repetition made it clear how attracted they were to each other, it was a little much at times. The courtship phase of their relationship was definitely more elaborate than the first year of their marriage. In fairness, as Ree suffered from serious, debilitating morning sickness for many of the first months, there probably wasn't a whole lot to tell from that portion of time but it felt a little as if the marriage got short shift compared to the dating.

As happy as she and Marlboro Man were (are), sadness and stress did invade their seemingly charmed world but much of it was downplayed and dropped nearly immediately. When Ree runs over her beloved dog Puggy Sue, she is devastated but goes on her date that night anyway. She agonizes over her parents' failing marriage but mainly drops it in the rosy glow of her own love. And when Marlboro Man's aunt dies of breast cancer not long after their wedding, Ree feels out of place and saddened by the family's grief but moves on to other tales almost immediately. Even when their finances take a terrible hit while she and Marlboro Man are on their honeymoon, she glosses over the anxiety and stress that must have dogged them across Australia.

Despite the sometimes immature, superficial feel to the emotion, this is still a sweet story about an abiding love and the radical adjustments a person is willing to make for "The One." Ree is funny and just as willing to show herself at her worst as she is at her best. She can laugh at herself, her misconceptions, and the almost unbelievable situations in which she finds herself. Fans of her blog will definitely see the Ree they know and love in this memoir and those who don't know her yet will appreciate her cheerful, girl next door accessibility even if by the end they might yearn for a little less sweet and a little more depth.
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LibraryThing member ginger72
I can't believe I'm going to say this.... but I actually liked this wholesome, icky sweet, feel good, humorous, romantic memoir.
I've seen Ree Drummond on tv several times and checked out her blog due to the controversy surronding her. I agree, she doesn't live a life like most ranchers(contrary to
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what she thinks) and comes across as very materialistic. I can't count the number of times she mentions the name brands of the clothing shes wearing. BUT I still liked her and this story. Except in the beginning with the incident in regards to her dog. Give me a break ! Your so traumatized by the event that your glued to your bed UNTIL a handsome cowboy comes along, then everythings o.k. Uummm, I don't think so.
Once I got passed that fiasco I found myself enjoying the story and even chuckling out loud several times. I loved her sense of humor and think it shined thru in several parts of the story. I will definitely be on the look out for a sequel !
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LibraryThing member mmadamslibrarian
This read more like a "beach book" than a work of nonfiction. The author, a city girl, is home in OK, in between jobs in LA and Chicago. She goes out one night with friends, and falls in love with a mysterious rancher. The rest of the book is a lot of "making out," and her encounters with ranch
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life. It was OK, but I'm not sure I would recommend it as a pioneer story- more as a true romance.
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LibraryThing member Sarahfine
Having first read her delectable "Pioneer Woman" cookbook, I wanted to backtrack to Ree Drummond's original biography. "Black Heels" fleshes out Drummond's evolution from pampered L.A. party girl to devoted, cattle-tending rancher's wife. The story reads almost like a fictional romance--much is
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made of her "Marlboro Man" and his chiseled arms and Wranglered derriere--but Drummond has genuinely lead an intriguing life which lies well outside the average suburban/citydweller experience. Drummond leans a trifle too heavily on descriptions of starry-eyed infatuation, but her lively narration and snicker-inducing anecdotes make this a rip-roaring read.
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LibraryThing member TheLostEntwife
I am a hopeless romantic. I'm also a bit of a cheeseball (as my family will vehemently attest to). In addition, I can thoroughly understand the lure of Wranglers, and cowboy hats, and cowboy boots, and work-roughened hands. So it was inevitable that I pick up this book.

I've been a follower of Ree's
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blog for a few years now. I picked up her cookbook when it was released and took the opportunity to meet the lady and her sister, Betsy. They were sweet, and perfect. I loved every minute of the five hours I spent waiting for my 30 seconds of hello.

I first started reading her love story on her blog about 5 months ago, but I struggled because I like to do my reading lying down, and sitting at a computer doesn't really let you do that. So I was thrilled when I saw her story was picked up by a publisher and that I'd be able to indulge to my pj'd, warm blanketed delight.

I'm not going to say this book is filled with some of the best writing out there. I mean, how many times can a guy be described the way Ree describes him. Of course, that doesn't mean I didn't love it every time she did it either (see earlier descriptions of myself). Ultimately, this story is for those women out there who, like myself, love the idea of love and want to also experience a bit of the reality of it. Yes, Ree paints things in an incredibly rosy light when it comes to Malboro Man, but not everything in the story is painted as such. There are laugh out loud humilating moments, moments when she is completedly candid about things that paint her in a less-than-flattering light.. but the story has a ring of truth to it and it gives me hope - not necessarily for myself.. but hope that there are still couples out there that are that madly in love and their children are there to see that example set.

This is the perfect story to give that gal in your life (or yourself!) who loves a pure love story. Fun, tear-inducingly hilarious, sweet and everything else it was promised to be.
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LibraryThing member RapidCityPubLib
This is blogger- extraordinaire and author Ree’s take on a classic love story of a big-city socialite, raised in a country-club world falling in love with a country cowboy from Oklahoma (lovingly dubbed a “Marlboro Man). This shockingly original take on an iconic story has been described by Ree
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as “ Green Acres meets Harlequin Romance meets Forest Gump.”
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LibraryThing member TFS93
I normally am not a fan of love stories. This one is SO GOOD!! It made me long for the cowboy that got away. It also made me laugh out loud. The best book I have read lately!
LibraryThing member GaryPaulson
My wife reads The Pioneer Woman blog and is always talking about her “man in chaps” so when I saw the audio CDs of her new book at the library I decided it might be an interesting book. It was interesting but at times I got tired of listening to the author portraying herself as such a ditz. I
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understand that the author led a sheltered life of the country club set but I wonder how she planned to live in Chicago on her own. And, of course, if I wasn’t so sure about my own manhood, then the way she describes her Marlboro Man would be real hard on the ego.
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LibraryThing member abitbookish
I've read pioneer woman's blog for years now, so i was anxious to read the book. Unfortunately when I began the first chapter I turned to my husband and told him "Uh-oh, this isn't good, it's kinda.....err...not good, it's kinda bad actually" "Really?!" he asked, he was as equally shocked as I,
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knowing what a big fan of hers I was. I trudged on willing to give it the thirty page test to see if I changed my mind. I'm happy to say it got better! Once Malboro Man enters the scene her writing wasn't as awkward and I suspect, she, from that point forward just wrote her heart, it shows. This is a very charming love story. It's passionate, funny and reader beware it may cause a strong desire for a real cowboy!
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LibraryThing member sdbookhound
Parts of this book were very cute and sweet. I couldn't help but have that warm fuzzy feeling as their relationship blossomed. However, I did think some things were overdone such as the descriptions of the "Marlboro Man" over and over and the preoccupation with clothing and primping among other
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things. I realize this book is supposed to be the story of how they met and married, but I'd be much more interested to learn in better detail about Ree's adaptation to ranch life. Maybe that will be coming in the next book.
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LibraryThing member jenreidreads
I'm not a regular reader of her blog, but I love her cookbook (those cinnamon rolls are TO DIE FOR!). So when her memoir came out, I had to read it. And it was super cute, funny and romantic. Yes, it's fluff, and far from literary, but reading it felt like chatting with a close girlfriend. Ree and
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I are VERY different - she's really girly, always fretting about looking and dressing just right. Of course, this provides greater comic effect next to her cowboy. This book is SO ROMANTIC. Almost to the point of disbelief - they rarely fight or argue - is any relationship that idyllic? Ree is VERY physically attracted to her cowboy husband, and the descriptions get a bit tiresome. But seriously - such a romantic book. I had a great time reading it.
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LibraryThing member mountie9
Mini Book Review: A truly sweet and adorable quirky love story. If you are a fan of her blog, you will enjoy this book as it is a summary of how she met, married and had kids with the Marlboro Man. You would have to be a horrible jaded cynic not to enjoy this honest, classy, yet rip roaring funny
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tale of how a city girl ends up on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with a cowboy. I really enjoyed her self deprecating way of telling the story -- being honest about the ups and downs without giving up too much personal information. As for the flaws - she obviously isn't a writer as some of the writing style -- well -- its sort of like the way I write and we all know that isn't a compliment LOL! That being said she is charming so you have to let her lack of ability go. Also way too much repetition about Marlboro Mans strong arms, etc -- yes we get it he`s an old fashioned cowboy and you are a city girl. Just a simple sweet story to pass a couple of hours, if you are in a foul mood this will put a smile on your face.

3.5 Dewey`s

Natasha lent this to me
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LibraryThing member cherybear
More a book of humor than an autobiography or anything else. I had lots of "criticisms" (not literary) while I was reading it: Is Oklahoma really considered the Midwest? How is it possible to live one hour from this man's ranch and make it sound like it was practically another country, a totally
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different way of life? What was she doing with her days and her life at her parent's house--she simply quit her job in California and moved home for an extended period of time. No job, no money, never did anything all day (until she met Marlboro Man). She WAS going to move to Chicago, but had no job lined up there, either. Very strange. But the exaggerated humor was entertaining, at least. She's not the best writer. I think she's better suited to short pieces (I've read short magazine pieces, and explored her blog.) An easy enough, somewhat pleasant read, but no great shakes.
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LibraryThing member dddd89
I loved this book! I am getting married soon and I appreciated the part about planning her wedding. The honeymoon and surprise pregnancy were so funny I was laughing out loud!
LibraryThing member ifnotforbooks
I am one of the 2 million people that read Ree's blog so I knew I would like the book. This book will not win the National Book Award for excellence in literature but that is not why I picked it up. Ree's style of writing is folksy, warm, fuzzy, HILARIOUS, romantic (and I don't even like romance
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novels). It is just like a conversation with your best friend and that is why so many of us love Ree and her famiy. If you want a "feel good" book this is it.
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LibraryThing member magnolia2
This is the story of the blogger, the pioneer woman, and her romance with "Marlboro Man" the cowboy from Oklahoma she fell in love with and married. It is a good narrative and if you enjoy her blogsite it is fun to read the story of her romance with Marlboro Man.
LibraryThing member bookescapest
Loved this book! It was written in easy read tone. It was a fun book to read. I would start a chapter thinking one would be good before bed, and then found myself every night reading more than one. I was laughing out loud and picturing myself in this situation. A city girl moves to the country to
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be with the cowboy man she loves. A great easy read!
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LibraryThing member ReviewsFromTheHeart
When Ree Drummond thought of her perfect life, she never imagined it would be the complete opposite of everything she would do and be. Living the life of a city girl in a home that bordered the golf course, her days consisted of country clubs, dancing, and socializing with her girls friends over
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shopping trips until the day she looked across the bar and saw the cowboy.

The complete opposite of all the previous men she had dated in the past and just at the time she was considering a move to Chicago and terminating a long standing relationship, she met Marlboro Man. He was a handsome cowboy wearing cowboy boots, Wranglers and salt and peppered hair. She found herself captivated in so many ways and when she walked over to talk to him, her life would change forever.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond is her personal story of the love story between her and her husband that she affectionately calls Marlboro Man. For those of you who have never heard of The Pioneer Woman, then you need to read this heart warming love story of life on a cattle ranch and all the horror stories that went hand in hand with winning over her heart.

Before I read this book, I knew Ree Drummond from her successful blog, The Pioneer Woman wear one will find anything from home schooling tips, to photographs of her life on the ranch, to the most mouth watering recipes anywhere in the world. But a world of caution, once you begin your journey, Ree will become your new best friend. She is a mix between Ethel Merman, Lucille Ball and a little spice from the South all mixed together for a perfect blend of fun loving lady underneath it all. As you read through her latest novel, you feel like your sitting with your friend over cinnamon rolls and coffee on her porch overlooking her cattle ranch as she tells it like it is, no holds barred, and that's what you will love. The same as her readers and fans from all over. She's a real down to earth lady with a heart of gold.

I received The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and just know that every woman that reads this will find a connection with Ree. The best part is that the book contains some of her infamous recipes that you can enjoy and fall in love with. This one rates 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and for those of you that love a good romance with a whole lot of laughs along the way, then this is perfect for you.
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LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Read from February 03 to 04, 2012

Received for Review
Overall Rating 3.50
Story Rating 3.50
Character Rating 3.50

First thought after finishing: It must be exhausting to be Ree Drummond, she does a whole bunch of over thinking (I mean that in a good way as it makes for entertaining reading)!

What I
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Loved: It is hard not to love a real love story! It was very sweet how she and Marlboro Man courted, got married, and survived a very hard first year of marriage (though that part of the book was rushed--especially since that was the new stuff).

What I Liked: Ree, herself, is a hot mess but fun to read. I will admit I don't watch her show, don't visit her website (though I did to look at pictures--very cute family), and didn't know she was on food network. My sister is a fan so I had "heard" about her but didn't know much. The book made me smile at the end so that is all that is important.

Last thought: Fans of Ree's website will love this book (I think) but non-fans will find it a cute true love story.
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LibraryThing member NellieMc
I must admit to being a little defensive about giving this book four stars — it's not great literature, it's not great writing, it's probably not entirely true, and it's not sophisticated. But it's just fun. If you've read Ree Drummond's enormously successful blog, you know the style (aw shucks,
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fish out of water city girl on large cattle ranch) and, in fact, have probably read much of the book; about 2/3 has been published on her blog. But Drummond has an enormous readership (over 2 million a month) because of the qualities in this book that are relatively rare. She's unabashedly in love with her husband (who has to be less perfect than she portrays him in the book), has a innate sense of humor and irony that comes out frequently, has a tremendous respect for the men and women who live tough ranching lives and live and die by uncontrollable factors such as weather, avoids politics and preaching, and believes that sex and lust should be tied up with emotion. So, if you're looking for an old-fashioned book that will make you feel warm and cozy, and aren't afraid of indulging in a little unsophisticated country life, this is a warming book.
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LibraryThing member JenneB
It was kiiiind of terrible...but also kind of charming. I have to love the Pioneer Woman. But the writing here is pretty ridiculous.
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
As a measure of full disclosure, I am an avowed Pioneer Woman fan. She may not be the most erudite, but she has a way with words that makes me laugh out loud. It has been an absolute pleasure watching her familial exploits, her growing skills with photography, and all that luscious, luscious food.
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Reading her posts are a true highlight of my day.

Reading Black Heels is similar to reading an extra-long post. In fact, the first half of the book was already published on her blog. The rest of the story follows in a similar vein, complete with gaffes, humor, and love. Her writing is simplistic, and yet she manages to adeptly voice all her worries, sadness, joy, and simple humor. Add to that her unabashed honesty and willingness to mock herself, and the combination is a fun, easy read that reaffirms the idea of true love.

While there is plenty of gushing - some would say too much - Ree has a natural storytelling ability that enhances some truly hilarious stories. Her honeymoon adventures alone are worth the read. At the same time, her struggle to abandon almost everything she knew to face an unknown life with a relative stranger is very real. How many others would be willing to take that chance? More importantly, how many others would be willing to stick it out through four children, dogs, cats, droughts, fires, and all other manner of trials and tribulations? If anything, Ree's story is a testament to the ultimate commitment required in marriage.

Black Heels is an easy and enjoyable way to spend an afternoon or two and a must-read for fans. The reader receives a greater appreciation for life as a rancher and the challenges Ree faced when making her decision to choose familiarity versus love. Her singular humor eases the sting from some of her more humiliating stories, all while continuing to endear her to readers and fans alike.
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LibraryThing member szbrooks1
I really liked it. I think it's sort of hard to mess up writing a book about something that happened to YOU in your own life. It was entertaining and I came away happy that the authors life turned out the way it did for her and her family
LibraryThing member nancypantslady
The Pioneer Woman has done it again. She's done what most of us married gals try to keep from happening at any cost: made women everywhere fall in love with her husband. But the acknowledgments make explicitly clear that this piece of Oklahoma is her Territory, "To Marlboro Man, because you're
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mine."

The simple, ironic and sometimes gut-bustingly hilarious love story of a confused twenty-something city girl, while seemingly fanciful is at the same time completely believable. Maybe it's that Ree takes pains to ensure that her readers know that true love, while it may very well be a sweep-you-off-your feet kind of affair, also has its moments where it is less of a sweeping sensation and more of a catching one when you are just about to fall flat on your face, whether figuratively or literally. Drummond captures these too-real-for-the-movies moments, making the reader laugh out loud during an otherwise warm moment. She also sheds light on the real possibility of this thing every woman wants, a good and decent man who loves and does right by her not just in spite of her foibles but at least in part precisely because of them.

Ree conveys the simple and beautiful fact that love sometimes surprises you in both the who and the how it comes about, through laughter, "flop sweat," manure and tears. And what an endearing surprise it is when it comes, just like this book.
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Rating

(212 ratings; 3.4)

Pages

352
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