Reviews

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure

miajmu's review against another edition

2.0

I liked this book... but for some reason it took me forever to read. When I was reading it I enjoyed it but I just never felt like picking it up.

marie_gg's review against another edition

4.0

Like McClure, I loved the Little House on the Prairie series as a young girl, so as soon as I got wind of this book I knew I had to read it. When I was 16 on a cross-country trip with my family, I remember my thrill when we stopped in at one of the Little House locations (I can't remember which one now).

Other the months, McClure rereads all of the books, in addition to anything else she could get her hands on related to the Ingalls/Wilder family; watches the TV series (which she hadn't watched as a child) and Disney's 2005 version; visits as many Laura World landmarks as she possibly can (and there are quite a few); learns how to churn butter, make a haystick, and tackle a number of other homesteading tasks; cooks recipes from the Little House cookbook; attends two Little House on the Prairie pageants; sleeps in a covered wagon; buys multiple bonnets; and sees Melissa Gilbert appear as Ma in "Little House on the Prairie: The Musical."

Read my full review here (with photos):

http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/05/wilder-life-delving-into-life-of-laura.html

pkadams's review

3.0

Speaks to those of us who were obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder as a child (talking the books, not the faux TV series). The beginning particularly made me laugh out loud and made me wonder if Wendy McClure stole my childhood diary!

19paws's review

4.0

This got off to a sort of rocky start for me because I couldn’t quite reconcile the flippant writing with the way I feel about Laura. (There’s no way you’re supposed to use the word “bullshit” in the same sentence as “Laura Ingalls Wilder.”) But, despite the sometimes annoying writing, I found myself sinking rapidly into the author’s experience in “Laura World,” and loving almost every minute of it. By the end, I had started a re-read of [b:Little House in the Big Woods|8337|Little House in the Big Woods|Laura Ingalls Wilder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266449708s/8337.jpg|1200805], put numerous holds on LIW-related books at the library, and even added [b:Farmer Boy|8252|Farmer Boy|Laura Ingalls Wilder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266449672s/8252.jpg|1366740] to my TBR pile (never read it, never cared). I guess that’s a good indication that this book had an effect on me.

misajane79's review

5.0

Still thinking about this book, but loved, loved, loved. I was a good girl and checked it out from the library, but there were many, many times I wanted to underline key sentences. There are moments in this that just sing.

And it didn't hurt that I visited two of the main sites in the last couple of years. So I understood exactly her mixed emotions at seeing it and being there but it being not quite right.

erburnside's review

2.0

I love the idea of a Little House world, but think experiencing it would be better than reading about someone else's experiences with it.

lisayoud's review

3.0

Not a perfect trip down Little House memory lane, but a nice one. I loved the descriptions in the beginning about the author's experiences reading the books as a child nearly spot-on to my own and that was delightful. The latter half of the book seemed to drag, however, and I found myself getting a little resentful of her slight holier than thou attitude. Overall, I felt as though the book, and the idea of it, as one reviewer put it, could have developed into a better read.

dreamofbookspines's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective slow-paced

4.0

Enjoyable road trip through (to quote the author) "Laura land". Not a huge fan of the Little House series but it was enjoyable reading for sure. I think this is a nice companion to the series for folks who are familiar with it or grew up reading it.

april_golden's review against another edition

4.0

I read this for book club. I would never in a million years have read this book, but I am so glad I did! It is just a lovely, funny, interesting little book. That is why I love book club, it pushes me out of my comfort zone.

lynnhull's review against another edition

5.0

I just loved this book - it was so great to read the story of someone else who loved the Little House stories as much as I did! I own Laura Ingalls Wilder Country, which is filled with photos from all the historic homes and it was great to read Wendy's descriptions of each. Her writing style was so comfortable and familiar - it was like reading a letter from a friend.