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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Excellent book to reread after 35 years! I'm not saying I'll never complain about winter again, but what this family and town had to go through puts our troubles into perspective. The Long Winter is more story-driven and easier to read than some of Wilder's earlier (distractingly descriptive) books, too. You don't have to read the whole series to enjoy The Long Winter.
In which the Ingalls family faces starvation because of weeks and weeks of blizzards.
okay in my 2020 re-read I was SHOCKED at how desperate they got. it really hits different as an adult.
The series has definitely taken a darker turn now. The first few books were quite lighthearted, but the fifth one and now this one deal with more serious issues.
This one is about, as you guessed, a very long winter for the Ingalls family. Blizzard after blizzard comes through with little respite, and starvation becomes a real possibility for them, seeing as no trains can get through to deliver food and supplies to town.
I thought it was interesting how in this one there were interludes that did not focus on Laura but instead on Almanzo, which is not something that happened in the previous books. Farmer Boy was entirely about him, but this is the first time we’ve seen a mixing of the two perspectives which is rather clever, seeing as they end up marrying each other later on. At this point in the series Laura knows of him but has had little interaction with him.
This one is about, as you guessed, a very long winter for the Ingalls family. Blizzard after blizzard comes through with little respite, and starvation becomes a real possibility for them, seeing as no trains can get through to deliver food and supplies to town.
I thought it was interesting how in this one there were interludes that did not focus on Laura but instead on Almanzo, which is not something that happened in the previous books. Farmer Boy was entirely about him, but this is the first time we’ve seen a mixing of the two perspectives which is rather clever, seeing as they end up marrying each other later on. At this point in the series Laura knows of him but has had little interaction with him.
This book is more traumatic than I remember when I read it as a kid. You get a good glimpse at Almanzo's character in this story. I constantly worried about the family getting scurvy. I would be so sick of bread and potatoes. It's like the Martian was a retelling of this traumatic blizzard filled winter, set in space.
Read 2/13/14 and 1/24/16 (just the recorded times, I have read it many times in the past). One of my all time favorites and especially fitting to read outdoors in a tree surroundEd by 2+ feet of snow.
Can’t believe the events in this book are real!! Fun to read to Janna over our “cold” winter.
I liked rereading as an adult, so I can appreciate the narrative touches like foreshadowing, and the political jabs (stuck in by Rose?) which, as mentioned by Ghost in the Little House, are often undercut by the narrative (Charles and Caroline are appalled at the idea of relying on other people -- real Americans like them stand alone! As he begs Alonzo for some of his spare wheat and also only survives because two bachelors go get food for the community), and the structural questions of how did Laura know the parts that she didn't see -- we get many scenes from Alonzo's perspective because she's going to marry him.
Also I'm aware of the controversy over racism both towards African Americans and towards Native Americans, and they are both present in the stereotyped Indian who warns about the winter, Ma's mentioned distrust of all Indians, and a few casual remarks about being "free, white, and twenty-one" which would jar on any kid reading who will not grow up to that status.
It will be fun to see what my book club thought of this!
Also I'm aware of the controversy over racism both towards African Americans and towards Native Americans, and they are both present in the stereotyped Indian who warns about the winter, Ma's mentioned distrust of all Indians, and a few casual remarks about being "free, white, and twenty-one" which would jar on any kid reading who will not grow up to that status.
It will be fun to see what my book club thought of this!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was fairly boring in comparison to the rest.