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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
3, maybe 3.5 stars. This is the best written of the Little House books that I've read; so many of them are descriptions of the tasks that the Ingalls (or Wilder) family must perform to survive with an occasional short anecdote of what actually was happening at the time. In this one Laura is finally old enough to have clear memories of the winter's events; unfortunately it's of months of blizzards and hunger. Ma continues to be a racist (ooooh, ick, it's an Indian) and is just so irritating. The Ingalls family is 'cursed' with 4 girls, one of whom is blind and one of whom is only 3. And yet, the girls shouldn't do farm work because they are real Americans not foreigners. Really? (This wasn't a problem for the wealthier Wilders back in NY). Well, it's damn lucky Pa let Laura help with the hay. And Pa continues to be far luckier than he and his family deserves with his blizzard encounters during the winter. Also his morality is wonderfully flexible in this book - he has no problems taking/liberating Almanzo Wilder's seed wheat nor does he have a problem eating ham and hotcakes with the Wilder brothers while his family starves a few hundred feet down the street. And the Wilders have no qualms about eating well while the other townsfolk are hungry. Ok, Almanzo does go off in the winter to investigate the rumor of wheat on some claim somewhere - an act that does save the town. Still...the rampant selfishness in this book would need much discussion with young readers. And why did the author not actually label what was happening to family that long winter with the proper term? They weren't simply hungry; they suffered from severe malnutrition. I read this for my 2019 Reading Challenge and my Newbery Challenge (Honor Book, 1941).
Read aloud Summer 2020. Very much enjoyed introducing my kids to one of my favorites of the series.
I agree with other reviewers that this is (at least so far) the best. It's a much more grown-up book, dealing with a starving town facing down a long, savage winter on the prairie. The helplessness and desparation are conveyed quite vividly, as well as the apathy that sets in just trying to wait it out and stay alive.Everyone makes it out alive, but there are some close calls. She also accurately portrays the meaness - and the selflessness! - that comes out in some people when the times are tough.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
In the series (so far), this one is by far the scariest. It's written in such a way that kids won't be scared, but my one thought, the entire time I read this, is that the family was starving to death. Not the casual way we'll tell a friend or loved one "Man, I can't wait to eat; I'm starving" but serious, actual, real starvation. I knew the family would survive the winter, but I found myself very, very anxious and scared for them. That's excellent storytelling/writing.
That being said, the book was a little slow for me. I really, really hate winter and the cold, and the long months of winter dragged into a long book for me.
The Ingalls are more real in this book, more human. The family is thought of as a very perfect family, but in this book, Pa steals, gets involved with a mob, and other unlawful things-yes, in order to survive, but it also shows him as being very human.
(Changing the subject, but i just love the fact that all the books in this series counts for four challenges!)
That being said, the book was a little slow for me. I really, really hate winter and the cold, and the long months of winter dragged into a long book for me.
The Ingalls are more real in this book, more human. The family is thought of as a very perfect family, but in this book, Pa steals, gets involved with a mob, and other unlawful things-yes, in order to survive, but it also shows him as being very human.
(Changing the subject, but i just love the fact that all the books in this series counts for four challenges!)
Ever since I started re-reading my Little House Books I have realized that Laura and her family's life wasn't as rosy as I remembered from childhood. Case in point The Long Winter. They are basically snowed in for 7 months with little to no supplies. As a child it was exciting to read about the crazy snow storms that the Ingalls family lived through, not having to go to school because they couldn't even see across the street when they looked through the window. Ma's showed what a true "Pioneer" she was when she made the button lamp when supplies got low.
Re-reading this as a grownup however, I realized that not only would I stand no chance if I happened to live in a town that was basically on its own for 7 months of winter without any new supplies coming in. I also realized how very close the Ingalls family came to actually starving during the Long Winter.
Re-reading this as a grownup however, I realized that not only would I stand no chance if I happened to live in a town that was basically on its own for 7 months of winter without any new supplies coming in. I also realized how very close the Ingalls family came to actually starving during the Long Winter.
Probably not the BEST choice to read during Corona quarantine, but I did like this volume. Even though it made me want to smack Pa for his awful life choices.
Though if they had gone to Oregon, depending on where they settled blizzards would not have been such a problem.
Though if they had gone to Oregon, depending on where they settled blizzards would not have been such a problem.
Oh goodness, but this novel is EXCRUCIATING. There's just so much hardship in this one - the cold, the isolation, the starvation, the extreme rationing. It's not easy to read about such a struggle, and I often felt my heartbreaking for this little family. And yet, it's also the book with the best example of strength and perseverance. They make do with what little they've got, and sacrifice where they have to. Best of all, they have each other to rely on during these hard times, and still manage to look at the silver linings when they appear and no matter how little they are. So even while this is difficult to read, it's also one of the most important books in this series, in my humble opinion.
This has always been one of my favorite Little House books. Even though not a ton happened, it’s still a great look at life on the prairie and it’s a quick read.