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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Reading through this one as an adult, it was much more frightening than I remember when I read it as a child. The specter of starvation was never very far off that spring when the trains stopped coming and the wheat was running low. Even Pa eventually reacted viscerally to the blizzard as if it were a living thing, maliciously howling and pinning them down in their little shanty in town. I was impressed again and again with both Pa and Ma's ingenuity and ability to scrounge together a solution to their problems with so few resources.
My older two boys both liked the story of the uppity Eastern train executive who thought he knew better than all those Western train workers and was convinced he could force his way through the snow banks if he just backed up far enough and got going fast enough. My boys laughed and laughed when he got trapped in the tunnel of ice of his own making.
They were also excited to see how Almanzo and Royal Wilder's lives intersected with the Ingalls family, having wondered what happened to them after the end of Farmer Boy.
And now every time my boys complain about what's for dinner, I can remind them that the Ingalls family had nothing to eat but coarse brown bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for months on end, especially once the potatoes ran out, so they'd better sit down and appreciate their tacos, dang it.
My older two boys both liked the story of the uppity Eastern train executive who thought he knew better than all those Western train workers and was convinced he could force his way through the snow banks if he just backed up far enough and got going fast enough. My boys laughed and laughed when he got trapped in the tunnel of ice of his own making.
They were also excited to see how Almanzo and Royal Wilder's lives intersected with the Ingalls family, having wondered what happened to them after the end of Farmer Boy.
And now every time my boys complain about what's for dinner, I can remind them that the Ingalls family had nothing to eat but coarse brown bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for months on end, especially once the potatoes ran out, so they'd better sit down and appreciate their tacos, dang it.
This is my second favorite so far (Farmer Boy is my fav). It's more plot-driven and bleak than the others, which makes the ending that much more rewarding.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What perseverance, grit, resourcefulness, and determination.... This Little House book was so inspiring.
Definitely a meaningful reread because of the pandemic. (Previous read dates approximate!)
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Of all the books in this series, this one is my favorite. The writing, for me, improves drastically starting in book 4 and at this point in the book the emotions are conveyed even better. What I've found remarkable about these books is how as the character gets older, the writing changes to speak to that age. This book is a wonderfully written book about pioneer life, endurance, and psychological turmoil.
This is by far my favorite Little House on the Prairie book.
The way she describes the blizzards make you feel as if you are living it through it with them.
This is one of the most repetitive books of the series and really could have used some editing. It goes on and on, and of course, it is cold, cold cold, and it snows, snows, snows, and no-one knows if it ever will stop or not. Of course it does, but she could have got to the ending a lot sooner. The only thing that makes it bearable is reading about Almanzo Wilder.
emotional
medium-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