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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Because it's based on notes and Laura's unfinished manuscript, so it's a much rougher story.
It's very apparent that this book is not a finished work by Wilder but a draft. The story jumps around quite a bit and things just don't flow well as with her other books. I also think that had it been completed and truly put as part of the Little House series, she would not have described some of the incidents that occured. These include: the death of her infant son, the Boasts (family friends) who wanted Laura to give them Rose because they couldn't have children and Laura could just have another, the fire of their house, and perhaps she wouldn't have referred to Almanzo as Manly. If these incidents were written as her other books, I believe they wouldn't have come across as harsh as in this book.
I believe that this book is more "true" to what happened however, it does not fit well with the earlier stories.
I believe that this book is more "true" to what happened however, it does not fit well with the earlier stories.
Whenever I think about how much I didn't care for this book compared to the rest of the series, I have to remind myself that it's unedited and unfinished. Laura died before she finished this book and her daughter Rose had it published as was when it was found. This book covers her first several years of marriage to Almanzo (nicknamed Manly in the book). Even if Laura was alive to finish the book, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it much better. To me, Little House was about the Ingalls family as a unit, not just Laura. It's too strange reading about her and Almanzo without appearances from the others. But maybe that's just me. Final thoughts on the series: I'm so glad that I didn't grow up during this time. My goodness, what a rough time they always had. I'd certainly be in a constant state of stress, that's for sure.
Apparently this manuscript was found after Wilder's death, and isn't quite as polished as the other books in the series, although it's still highly readable. The title comes from the promise newly married Laura makes to her husband Manly, to try farming for three years (she throws in a "grace" year). Laura is as hardworking and resolutely optimistic as always, but the responsibilities of adulthood and the difficulties of farming in a harsh climate take their toll. Throughout the other books, I often thought that the family could have easily been devastated if one of them became seriously ill or disabled. That happens when Mary goes blind from a fever, but not again until this book, when Laura and Manly both get diphtheria and Manly has a stroke and is partially paralyzed and Laura has to do most of the farm work for months. And after Laura's first baby is born, their good friends ask if they can trade the baby for a horse because "You can always have another. We can't." (They're kind people, and I was deeply sad for everyone in the story.) Oh, and Laura's second child dies; he only gets a paragraph, and not even a name. And a kitchen fire burns their house to the ground. There's no crying in farm life, I guess. The book ends with Laura just sort of giving in to the fact that she's a farm wife now, not the pioneer girl she was. It's a melancholy realization, or a resilient one, or both.
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
Unsettling. After what was a joyful series — in spite of the most harrowing circumstances imaginable — this one was a bummer. In the last five minutes, the works fell apart in almost every way it can, and then it was just “oh well, we’ll start again. Little song…”
What I didn’t like about this book is pretty much what everyone doesn’t like about it. Probably should’ve stopped after Book 8.
What I didn’t like about this book is pretty much what everyone doesn’t like about it. Probably should’ve stopped after Book 8.
My least favorite of the little house books -- the story is so bleak. It's hard to have gone through so much and to have so little at the end with these characters (I'm sure it was hard in real life, too). This book had such a different feeling from the rest, and I'm not surprised that it is typically left out of the boxed sets as it is not really appropriate for the same age child as those who would appreciate the earlier books. At the end, you'll feel compelled to check out a biography to find out more about LIW -- and you'll likely find out her life was harder than she let on.
lighthearted
fast-paced