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449 reviews for:
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
Alison Arngrim
4.13 AVERAGE
449 reviews for:
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
Alison Arngrim
4.13 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
It's midnight. I couldn't put it down. This bitch lived quite a life. So glad I picked this one up. Her life was crazy and terrible and wonderful all at once.
Be warned of the content of this book - the "history of traumatic abuse" mentioned off-handedly in the third paragraph of the Goodreads description is a litany of horrors that no one, especially an isolated child, should ever have to experience. Alison Arngrim relates her story frankly, unflinchingly, and matter-of-factly, and in detail.
I can't say I was ever a devotee of Little House on the Prairie. I know who everybody is (at least among the Ingalls clan), and so on; I know it was on at points in my childhood; I knew about Mary's sight and baby Carrie rolling down the hill ... but that was about it. But this sounded like fun.
And, really, except for the parts that were intensely painful to hear, it was a lot of fun. Which is why the painful parts were so very painful. The story of (the rest of) her childhood was fascinating. It was truly wonderful to hear about a tv set that wasn't wall-to-sod-wall drama and angst and screwed-up child stars, and to know that while Laura and Nellie were at daggers drawn on the show, Melissa and Alison were dear friends ... and coming to actually, honestly care about Alison made it even harder than it would otherwise be to hear her talk about the hideous experiences of her childhood.
The word "inspiring" gets tossed around a lot. I honestly try not to use it, because it evokes Hallmark a little too strongly. But Alison Arngrim? Is inspiring. And funny. Really, really funny. I'd love to go have a dinner with her (except we're both introverts at heart). She is a brilliant, strong, admirable, funny force of nature, and a glorious example of someone who was dealt a horrifically bad hand, and has used what she was dealt to win game after game. I am clawing desperately for a better metaphor than that - lemons into not merely lemonade but a table full of chicken francese and lemon meringue and limoncello? Not everyone has the strength to use their pain to help others. I want to be Alison Arngrim when I grow up.
I honestly am not sure why I picked this book as part of an Audible sale, and I'm really not that sure why I decided that this was what I was listening to that day at work. But I'm very glad I did both.
I can't say I was ever a devotee of Little House on the Prairie. I know who everybody is (at least among the Ingalls clan), and so on; I know it was on at points in my childhood; I knew about Mary's sight and baby Carrie rolling down the hill ... but that was about it. But this sounded like fun.
And, really, except for the parts that were intensely painful to hear, it was a lot of fun. Which is why the painful parts were so very painful. The story of (the rest of) her childhood was fascinating. It was truly wonderful to hear about a tv set that wasn't wall-to-sod-wall drama and angst and screwed-up child stars, and to know that while Laura and Nellie were at daggers drawn on the show, Melissa and Alison were dear friends ... and coming to actually, honestly care about Alison made it even harder than it would otherwise be to hear her talk about the hideous experiences of her childhood.
The word "inspiring" gets tossed around a lot. I honestly try not to use it, because it evokes Hallmark a little too strongly. But Alison Arngrim? Is inspiring. And funny. Really, really funny. I'd love to go have a dinner with her (except we're both introverts at heart). She is a brilliant, strong, admirable, funny force of nature, and a glorious example of someone who was dealt a horrifically bad hand, and has used what she was dealt to win game after game. I am clawing desperately for a better metaphor than that - lemons into not merely lemonade but a table full of chicken francese and lemon meringue and limoncello? Not everyone has the strength to use their pain to help others. I want to be Alison Arngrim when I grow up.
I honestly am not sure why I picked this book as part of an Audible sale, and I'm really not that sure why I decided that this was what I was listening to that day at work. But I'm very glad I did both.
Little House was such a big part of growing up for me. After my dad got sick, we would watch reruns every morning with him as we were getting ready for school. I loved watching how Pa was with his girls... How Laura got herself into and out of trouble and I, like almost everyone else loved to hate Nellie Oleson.
Reading this memoir... I have found myself wanting to watch reruns all over again. This book does a great job explaining all the good, the bad and all the in between of what it meant to play the role of the ”prairie bitch.”
I was thoroughly entertained the whole time, laughing and remembering how I felt watching this show...
Reading this memoir... I have found myself wanting to watch reruns all over again. This book does a great job explaining all the good, the bad and all the in between of what it meant to play the role of the ”prairie bitch.”
I was thoroughly entertained the whole time, laughing and remembering how I felt watching this show...
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
It's always fun to read behind the scenes accounts from favorite TV shows. I was not a fan of Nellie Oleson, but I like Alison Arngrim quite a lot! She's championed many causes with her celebrity, and I find that to be admirable. A portion of her book is about the years of abuse she endured at the hands of her older brother. That's a difficult subject to read about. Nellie Oleson helped give her the courage to say enough is enough to the abuse and other challenges in her life.
I especially enjoyed reading about her close relationships with Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls) and Steve Tracy (Percival Dalton) from LHOTP. She and Melissa hit it off right from the start, and Steve Tracy became one of her closest friends.
Reading this book makes me want to go back and watch Little House all over again. This time, with a greater appreciation for Nellie Oleson and the actress who played her.
I especially enjoyed reading about her close relationships with Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls) and Steve Tracy (Percival Dalton) from LHOTP. She and Melissa hit it off right from the start, and Steve Tracy became one of her closest friends.
Reading this book makes me want to go back and watch Little House all over again. This time, with a greater appreciation for Nellie Oleson and the actress who played her.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I think this is book number 50 for 2023 for me, and it is my FAVORITE so far! It is so great! I loved every second of it, and I'm glad I listened to it as an audio book because the author (the actress who played Nelly Olsen) read the book and you could just hear Nellie Olsen plus she does good imitations of Laura Ingles. It is SOOOOO good, but I wonder if it's only good if you loved Little House on the Prairie as much as I did as a kid. I don't know how the book would resonate with someone who isn't really familiar with the show and love everything about the show and the Laura Ingles books.
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Such a pleasure to listen to. One of the very best memoirs I’ve ever read.
I admit, as a kid I was a Nellie-hater. But after reading Alison Arngrim's own words about the character, I not only love the author, but I kinda actually *like* Nellie Oleson!
You probably have to have been a fan of the show to enjoy this book, but really, who do you know above age 40 that is *not* a fan of the show? She lets us in on a few secrets (Melissa Sue Anderson was quite stand-offish). She tells us how she got started in the business. She describes a day on the set. And we learn what poor Alison had to go through at home. Nobody would have known that the ringlet wig-wearing snot had so much turmoil going on at home.
I love her humor, her storytelling and her willingness to share it all with her readers!
You probably have to have been a fan of the show to enjoy this book, but really, who do you know above age 40 that is *not* a fan of the show? She lets us in on a few secrets (Melissa Sue Anderson was quite stand-offish). She tells us how she got started in the business. She describes a day on the set. And we learn what poor Alison had to go through at home. Nobody would have known that the ringlet wig-wearing snot had so much turmoil going on at home.
I love her humor, her storytelling and her willingness to share it all with her readers!