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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Readers need to keep in mind that what this book is is Laura's first time writing down the events as they happened through her adult perspective. This is the process she started with for all the Little House books. She wrote down what happened, and then she, with her daughter, Rose, turned what she wrote into a story, and then edited it to be appropriate to children. Yes, this book has a lot of tragedy in it. But so do the earlier books. Her mother lost a baby, a son named after his father. The family nearly starved to death in The Long, Long Winter. Laura's father nearly died as well. Go back and re-read that book, and pay close attention to all the horrid things that happened.
In Little House, they struggled so hard to get their crops planted, and were met with a great deal of misfortune. They had to leave it when they found out that the land wasn't open to settlement yet. Do you really think Charles was so cavalier when telling the family that they were going to have to leave? Do you think he was really so calm and cool and collected when reporting that a friend managed to have their lives spared from an Indian-attack (using the book's term) that would have resulted in their deaths?
All of the books have a lot of difficult things in them. Children dying. Threat of rape or sexual assault. Hunger. Near-death. More actual death. What Laura and Rose managed to do was to use the English language to create a sort of dance that obscured the harshness of these realities without entirely erasing them from history. It's easy to overlook how many absolutely horrible things happened when the words used to tell them are like a soothing melody. We got the gist of it without the pain. If these were adult books, we would be turned off by the emotions being minimized. But since these were written for children, the full brunt of the emotional trauma would have been too much.
For a bonus, re-read Farmer Boy, and notice how much time she spends describing the Wilder family's food. It's nearly food-porn! She describes all the delicious fruits and jellies and treats in such detail that it's hard to not become hungry. Also re-read her description of their pantry in Big Woods, before the Ingalls family headed west and struggled. So much food, an abundance of food!
At her grandparents' party, we learn how they made maple candy, and more about food. Compare that to her family's often-plain foods that were fairly glossed over. They had a lot of cornbread, plain white bread, potatoes, and baked beans. It wasn't unusual for dinner to be just a pot of boiled beans seasoned with only salt. You start to realize that she spend much of her childhood without enough to eat, without much variety even when her tummy got more than its fill. You start to realize that food was left out because there wasn't much to talk about because there just plain wasn't much. They lived in poverty. That's a harsh reality just as much as the crop devastation or Laura's miscarriage or Manly's illness in The First Four Years. It was just made more palatable with brilliant use of the English language.
We are privileged to have been given these first-hand, unedited memories. That's really what they are. They're her raw memories as she first wrote them down. And as such, they shouldn't be expected to have the same playful word-choices as the others. I give this book five stars for this privilege. What an absolute treat to get to read her direct, unedited words. They mean as much to me as seeing the remains if a sliver of soap she had used right before she died, and the beds she and Manly had, and to walk through her home. These things, and this book, are the real, unconcealed Laura, and we are lucky to have received them all.
In Little House, they struggled so hard to get their crops planted, and were met with a great deal of misfortune. They had to leave it when they found out that the land wasn't open to settlement yet. Do you really think Charles was so cavalier when telling the family that they were going to have to leave? Do you think he was really so calm and cool and collected when reporting that a friend managed to have their lives spared from an Indian-attack (using the book's term) that would have resulted in their deaths?
All of the books have a lot of difficult things in them. Children dying. Threat of rape or sexual assault. Hunger. Near-death. More actual death. What Laura and Rose managed to do was to use the English language to create a sort of dance that obscured the harshness of these realities without entirely erasing them from history. It's easy to overlook how many absolutely horrible things happened when the words used to tell them are like a soothing melody. We got the gist of it without the pain. If these were adult books, we would be turned off by the emotions being minimized. But since these were written for children, the full brunt of the emotional trauma would have been too much.
For a bonus, re-read Farmer Boy, and notice how much time she spends describing the Wilder family's food. It's nearly food-porn! She describes all the delicious fruits and jellies and treats in such detail that it's hard to not become hungry. Also re-read her description of their pantry in Big Woods, before the Ingalls family headed west and struggled. So much food, an abundance of food!
At her grandparents' party, we learn how they made maple candy, and more about food. Compare that to her family's often-plain foods that were fairly glossed over. They had a lot of cornbread, plain white bread, potatoes, and baked beans. It wasn't unusual for dinner to be just a pot of boiled beans seasoned with only salt. You start to realize that she spend much of her childhood without enough to eat, without much variety even when her tummy got more than its fill. You start to realize that food was left out because there wasn't much to talk about because there just plain wasn't much. They lived in poverty. That's a harsh reality just as much as the crop devastation or Laura's miscarriage or Manly's illness in The First Four Years. It was just made more palatable with brilliant use of the English language.
We are privileged to have been given these first-hand, unedited memories. That's really what they are. They're her raw memories as she first wrote them down. And as such, they shouldn't be expected to have the same playful word-choices as the others. I give this book five stars for this privilege. What an absolute treat to get to read her direct, unedited words. They mean as much to me as seeing the remains if a sliver of soap she had used right before she died, and the beds she and Manly had, and to walk through her home. These things, and this book, are the real, unconcealed Laura, and we are lucky to have received them all.
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a wonderful end to the Little House series all about the struggles of newlyweds, owning a farm of their own, and livin' on love.
Written differently than the other books. I am glad I read the series again. I gave them to my niece to enjoy!
That was quick! Love Laura finding yet another man who keeps digging his family into a huge hole for his obsessive farm dreams. And love him just not telling her about finances and her repeatedly going, "oh I shouldn't worry about this business as a women!"
The beginning was really weird, it seemed to directly contradict the end of the previous book. And for the end of the series, this was super bleak. Should have just stopped after the last one. Oh well.
The beginning was really weird, it seemed to directly contradict the end of the previous book. And for the end of the series, this was super bleak. Should have just stopped after the last one. Oh well.
Appreciated finding out the 8th book was actually an unpublished and unfinished manuscript. Did not have the same feel as the previous books
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A