-
Prairie Fires
- The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $38.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Little House in the Big Woods
- Little House, Book 1
- By: Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Narrated by: Cherry Jones
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told from four-year-old Laura's point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Laura lives in the little house with her pa, her ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town.
-
-
ketchup on mignon
- By martin on 12-27-18
-
The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- By: William Anderson
- Narrated by: John Morgan, Tish Hicks
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a vibrant, deeply personal portrait of this revered American author, illuminating her thoughts, travels, philosophies, writing career, and dealings with family, friends, and fans as never before. This is a fresh look at the adult life of the author in her own words. Gathered from museums, archives, and personal collections, the letters span over 60 years of Wilder's life, from 1894 to 1956, and shed new light on Wilder's day-to-day life.
-
-
Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain
- By Sara on 06-29-16
By: William Anderson
-
Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend
- Missouri Biography Series
- By: John E. Miller
- Narrated by: Paula Faye Leinweber
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Going beyond previous studies, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder focuses upon Wilder's years in Missouri from 1894 to 1957. Utilizing her unpublished autobiography, letters, newspaper stories, and other documentary evidence, John E. Miller fills the gaps in Wilder's autobiographical novels and describes her 63 years of living in Mansfield, Missouri.
-
-
Listened twice!
- By BookBelle on 04-04-18
By: John E. Miller
-
Bright Lights, Prairie Dust
- Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma
- By: Karen Grassle
- Narrated by: Karen Grassle
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Karen Grassle, the beloved actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie, grew up at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a family where love was plentiful but alcohol wreaked havoc.
-
-
Wow
- By AmandaH on 02-26-22
By: Karen Grassle
-
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch
- How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
- By: Alison Arngrim
- Narrated by: Alison Arngrim
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch is Alison Arngrim's comic memoir of growing up as one of television's most memorable characters - the devious Nellie Oleson on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie. With behind-the-scenes stories from the set, as well as tales from her bohemian upbringing in West Hollywood and her headline-making advocacy work on behalf of HIV awareness and abused children, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch is a must for fans of everything Little House.
-
-
Do yourself a favor .....GET THIS AUDIO BOOK!!!!!
- By AnnShamrock on 11-07-17
By: Alison Arngrim
-
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books
- By: Marta McDowell
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The universal appeal of Laura Ingalls Wilder springs from a life lived in partnership with the land, on farms she and her family settled across the Northeast and Midwest. In this revealing exploration of Wilder's deep connection with the natural world, Marta McDowell follows the wagon trail of the beloved Little House series. You'll learn details about Wilder's life and inspirations, pinpoint the Ingalls and Wilder homestead claims on authentic archival maps, and learn to grow the plants and vegetables featured in the series. Excerpts from Wilder's books, letters, and diaries bring to light her profound appreciation for the landscapes at the heart of her world.
-
-
For fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- By Maurizio on 03-07-19
By: Marta McDowell
-
Little House in the Big Woods
- Little House, Book 1
- By: Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Narrated by: Cherry Jones
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told from four-year-old Laura's point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Laura lives in the little house with her pa, her ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town.
-
-
ketchup on mignon
- By martin on 12-27-18
-
The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- By: William Anderson
- Narrated by: John Morgan, Tish Hicks
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a vibrant, deeply personal portrait of this revered American author, illuminating her thoughts, travels, philosophies, writing career, and dealings with family, friends, and fans as never before. This is a fresh look at the adult life of the author in her own words. Gathered from museums, archives, and personal collections, the letters span over 60 years of Wilder's life, from 1894 to 1956, and shed new light on Wilder's day-to-day life.
-
-
Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain
- By Sara on 06-29-16
By: William Anderson
-
Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend
- Missouri Biography Series
- By: John E. Miller
- Narrated by: Paula Faye Leinweber
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Going beyond previous studies, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder focuses upon Wilder's years in Missouri from 1894 to 1957. Utilizing her unpublished autobiography, letters, newspaper stories, and other documentary evidence, John E. Miller fills the gaps in Wilder's autobiographical novels and describes her 63 years of living in Mansfield, Missouri.
-
-
Listened twice!
- By BookBelle on 04-04-18
By: John E. Miller
-
Bright Lights, Prairie Dust
- Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma
- By: Karen Grassle
- Narrated by: Karen Grassle
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Karen Grassle, the beloved actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie, grew up at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a family where love was plentiful but alcohol wreaked havoc.
-
-
Wow
- By AmandaH on 02-26-22
By: Karen Grassle
-
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch
- How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
- By: Alison Arngrim
- Narrated by: Alison Arngrim
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch is Alison Arngrim's comic memoir of growing up as one of television's most memorable characters - the devious Nellie Oleson on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie. With behind-the-scenes stories from the set, as well as tales from her bohemian upbringing in West Hollywood and her headline-making advocacy work on behalf of HIV awareness and abused children, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch is a must for fans of everything Little House.
-
-
Do yourself a favor .....GET THIS AUDIO BOOK!!!!!
- By AnnShamrock on 11-07-17
By: Alison Arngrim
-
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books
- By: Marta McDowell
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The universal appeal of Laura Ingalls Wilder springs from a life lived in partnership with the land, on farms she and her family settled across the Northeast and Midwest. In this revealing exploration of Wilder's deep connection with the natural world, Marta McDowell follows the wagon trail of the beloved Little House series. You'll learn details about Wilder's life and inspirations, pinpoint the Ingalls and Wilder homestead claims on authentic archival maps, and learn to grow the plants and vegetables featured in the series. Excerpts from Wilder's books, letters, and diaries bring to light her profound appreciation for the landscapes at the heart of her world.
-
-
For fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- By Maurizio on 03-07-19
By: Marta McDowell
-
Libertarians on the Prairie
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and the Making of the Little House Books
- By: Christine Woodside
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Generations of children have fallen in love with the pioneer saga of the Ingalls family, of Pa and Ma, Laura and her sisters, and their loyal dog. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books have taught millions of Americans about frontier life, giving inspiration to many and in the process becoming icons of our national identity. Yet few realize that this best-selling series wandered far from the actual history of the Ingalls family and from what Laura herself understood to be central truths about pioneer life.
-
-
Very Interested!!
- By ME on 01-16-17
-
The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman
- Women in the West, Book 1
- By: Margot Mifflin
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1851, Olive Oatman was a 13-year-old pioneer traveling west toward Zion, with her Mormon family. Within a decade, she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America. Orphaned when her family was brutally killed by Yavapai Indians, Oatman lived as a slave to her captors for a year before being traded to the Mohave, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own.
-
-
2/3s of this book is about the BOOK, not Oatmen
- By jo jo on 10-09-18
By: Margot Mifflin
-
The Lewis and Clark Journals
- An American Epic of Discovery
- By: Lewis, Clark
- Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In their own words, recorded in the famous journals of Lewis and Clark, the members of the Corps of Discovery tell their story with an immediacy and power missing from secondhand accounts. All of their triumphs and terrors are here: the thrill of seeing the vast herds of bison, the fear the captains felt when Sacagawea fell ill, the ordeal of crossing the Continental Divide, the misery of cold and hunger, and the kidnapping and rescue of Lewis' dog, Seaman.
-
-
Enlightening
- By Scott Wilkerson on 01-28-18
By: Lewis, and others
-
Influenza
- The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
- By: Dr. Jeremy Brown
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the 100th anniversary of the devastating pandemic of 1918, Jeremy Brown, a veteran ER doctor, explores the troubling, terrifying, and complex history of the flu virus, from the origins of the Great Flu that killed millions, to vexing questions such as: are we prepared for the next epidemic, should you get a flu shot, and how close are we to finding a cure?
-
-
Important read
- By Kathryn C. on 12-21-18
By: Dr. Jeremy Brown
-
Spencer’s Mountain
- By: Earl Hamner
- Narrated by: Milton Bagby
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
High up on a mountain, young Clay-Boy Spencer joins his father and eight uncles to hunt the mythical white deer. What he finds on the mountainside changes his life - and marks him for a special destiny. Years later, Clay-Boy is the first in his family to get the chance to go to college; but success as an adult is much more complicated and bittersweet than the legendary success of Clay-Boy’s childhood quest.
-
-
Earl Hamner has a gift
- By Victoria C on 06-21-22
By: Earl Hamner
-
Alexander Hamilton
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 35 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power.
-
-
we've dealt with people like number 45 before
- By EvaPhiletaWright on 06-01-17
By: Ron Chernow
-
Nothing Like It in the World
- The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing Like It in the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad. In Ambrose's hands, this enterprise comes to life. The U.S. government pitted two companies - the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads - against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution. As its peak the work force approached the size of Civil War armies, with as many as 15,000 workers on each line. The surveyors, the men who picked the route, lived off buffalo, deer, and antelope.
-
-
I really wanted to like this book.
- By Judd Bagley on 10-11-11
-
The Last Days of the Incas
- By: Kim MacQuarrie
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1532, the 54-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to the Spaniards, the Inca rulers of Peru had just fought a bloody civil war in which the emperor Atahualpa had defeated his brother, Huascar. Pizarro and his men soon clashed with Atahualpa and a huge force of Inca warriors at the Battle of Cajamarca.
-
-
Fact is more fascinating than fiction
- By Paul Norwood on 05-02-08
By: Kim MacQuarrie
-
Back to the Prairie
- A Home Remade, a Life Rediscovered
- By: Melissa Gilbert, Timothy Busfield
- Narrated by: Melissa Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times best-selling author and star of Little House on the Prairie returns with a new hilarious and heartfelt memoir chronicling her journey from Hollywood to a ramshackle house in the Catskills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
-
Too political!!!
- By Kathy Peterson on 05-16-22
By: Melissa Gilbert, and others
-
My Dear Hamilton
- A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
- By: Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling authors of America's First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton - a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. In this haunting, moving, and beautifully written book, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza's story as it's never been told before - not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.
-
-
Long and Detailed view of AmHistory.
- By quest1177 on 01-09-20
By: Stephanie Dray, and others
-
The Path to Power
- The Years of Lyndon Johnson
- By: Robert A. Caro
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 40 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country. The Path to Power reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and ambition that set LBJ apart. It follows him from the Hill Country to New Deal Washington, from his boyhood through the years of the Depression to his debut as Congressman, his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, at age 31, of the national power for which he hungered.
-
-
Just fantastic...
- By Casper Paludan on 07-30-14
By: Robert A. Caro
-
A Wilder Rose
- By: Susan Wittig Albert
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Little House books, which chronicled the pioneer adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, are among the most beloved books in the American literary canon. Lesser known is the secret, concealed for decades, of how they came to be. Now, best-selling author Susan Wittig Albert reimagines the fascinating story of Laura's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, an intrepid world traveler and writer who returned to her parents' Ozark farm, Rocky Ridge, in 1928.
-
-
The Author Chose Her Angle And Ran With It
- By Sara on 11-27-15
Publisher's Summary
The first comprehensive historical biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the beloved author of the Little House on the Prairie book series
Millions of fans of Little House on the Prairie believe they know Laura Ingalls - the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains, and the woman who wrote the famous autobiographical books. But the true story of her life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser - the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House series - masterfully fills in the gaps in Wilder's biography, setting the record straight regarding charges of ghostwriting that have swirled around the books and uncovering the grown-up story behind the most influential childhood epic of pioneer life.
Set against nearly a century of epochal change, from the Homestead Act and the Indian Wars to the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Wilder's dramatic life provides a unique perspective on American history and our national mythology of self-reliance. Offering fresh insight and new discoveries about Wilder's life and times, Prairie Fires is the definitive book about Wilder and her world.
Caroline Fraser is the editor of the Library of America edition of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and the author of Rewilding the World and God's Perfect Child. Her writing has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, and the London Review of Books, among other publications. She lives in New Mexico.
Featured Article: The Best Biography Audiobooks to Educate, Fascinate, and Inspire
The best biographies are ranked not only by the scale and skill of their writing, but also by the strength of their subjects. In the audiobook world, these selections are also judged for the quality of their narrative performances, making those that rise to the top all the more excellent. From lighthearted entertainment to inspirational origin stories, these titles represent the best biography audiobooks now ready for your listening pleasure.
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Prairie Fires
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sherry
- 07-31-18
Disappointing
I really tried to like this book but its dull as dishwater. Its very disappointing as I've been a fan of The Little House series since I was little. Save your credit or money and buy something else.
22 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leslie
- 03-05-18
Spoiler Alert: Do Not Read If You Don’t Want Your Childhood Memories Destroyed
The narration for this book is some of the best I’ve listened to; the story itself was well organized and presented in a clear and entertaining fashion. That being said, the picture drawn of Laura Ingalls Wilder makes her all too human and much less sympathetic than she made herself out to be in her Little House novels. The other members of her family - especially her daughter - fare no better. The truth may set one free, but in this instance that freedom comes at the expense of a much beloved American myth.
It should be noted that Ms. Fraser does an excellent job weaving the geopolitical vagaries of Wilder’s lifetime with her personal ups and downs. I was struck by the similarities between today’s social dysfunction/division and that experienced by Americans 100 years ago. Different era, same issues. We appear doomed to eternally repeat the same discourse, the same socioeconomic battles.
Excellent read if you’re ready to put aside another childhood “truth”.
54 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jonathan Baker
- 08-13-18
Was Looking Forward To More Factual History
I'm only half-way through this book but not sure if I can finish. I was hoping to get a factual history of the family but the author diverges frequently and adds her political bias to the story. I find myself cringing at times and wishing she would get back to the reason I bought this book to begin with. There are interesting tidbits throughout if you don't mind putting up with the writer's opinions.
22 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JB
- 01-20-18
Prairie Thunderstorm Engaging with a Tornado of Bias.
If you are like me the first item with an audio title is the narration. It is very well presented. Despite a few pronunciation glitches, for example Pierre, the production is enjoyable to listen to.
Fraser’s presentation is not for the faint of heart Little House fairy tale reader so be ready for a bumpy ride if you are.
This is a dual bio of Wilder and Lane set against a heavy dose of historical backdrop. And almost immediately this is where Fraser goes off the rails. She will recover at times and I stuck with her because the topic is so interesting to me.
Fraser is no historian and it shows. She makes many mistakes that sometimes appear to be just sloppy work. While others are clearly set piece to support a bias. For which she has many.
I gather from a quick look at her other work she has done some environmental writing. And she brings this to Little House as subtle as a Hurricane
The Homestead Act, homesteading and westward expansion are fundamental to the story. A clear understanding is obviously the foundation to the entire work. Fraser brings her environmental focus like a crusade into the story. The Ingalls and Wilders were simply duped into a “scam,” destined to fail because the Homestead Act was a failure and then were complicit in fraud and get this - climate change. Yes Almanzo with his two row sulky plow caused global climate change induced drought.
With that the reader may ask if Fraser has a grasp on 19th century agricultural practices, as this would form another foundation to the story? Well no, she doesn’t. For example, she will indict Almanzo as committing fraud in his HA claim because he left. She ignores the fact that a homesteader had six months to occupy said claim & this was because they would have had no crop or supplies to support the stock.
Almanzo, according to Fraser, committed fraud by lying about his age on the HA application. This being another example of how terrible the process was. Here we have a clear case of ‘fraud’ on her part. It would be difficult to see it otherwise. The records are clear and can be easily checked with NARA docs.
Almanzo’s age issue was Wilder and Lane playing with facts decades later. This is well known and Fraser knows that Lane in particular is fast and loose with facts. But we have to get the fraud angle worked in somehow.
Little picture things are sprinkled throughout. For example, a “Missouri posse” fought a “proxy war” in “squatter Kansas.” Boy that’s a lot to unpack. A posse is a legal group raised by a sheriff. She does like a posse and will use the word incorrectly multiple times. The Missourian’s were most often called Bushwackers. The era known as Bleeding Kansas was not a “proxy war.” I am not sure what her “squatter” context even is. But there is no historical one for it. I imagine it is another bias against the entire settlement process.
Keystone South Dakota is not at 9,100 ft elevation. Google can be a friend to an author’s fact checker. Although I doubt one was used, a history undergrad intern would have caught most of this.
When covering the move from Wisconsin to Mo/Ks she will use 1850’s overland travel as an example. The Wilders were not going 3,000 miles across unsettled land on a trail of tears covered in burials. It was 1869 in settled Iowa and Missouri.
It is unfortunate we have another title in the Little House pantheon that comes at it from a literary point. Fraser would have done well to stick hard and fast to her area of expertise. I found these sections interesting, but always there is the “can I trust this on a subject I am less knowledgable in?”
Even more unfortunate is the Little House fan who wants to more and uses Fraser exclusively will take this as history. It most certainly is not and note Amazon did not classify it in that category.
If one wants to learn Wilder and her times, Pioneer Girl would be a much better source. Then one could read other secondary sources on areas of interest. For example, Edwards, Homesteading the Plains will show you that it was neither a “failure” or a “fraud.”
223 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gypsy Piche-Morgan
- 06-22-18
The only book I've ever returned
I have never returned a book in my entire life until this one. Authors invest so much of themselves in their work I have always looked for something positive to take away from every book. Needless to say, I've read some pretty bad stuff. I truly tried to get through this. The bottom line is that there is hours of content describing someone with a mental disorder. The author not only repeats reports Ms. Wilders daughters behavior patterns over and over and over again but is judgemental of her. It feels like being trapped in a stalled elevator with a terribly negative person who just will not shut up.
51 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elaine
- 05-17-18
More about Rose than Laura
I bought this book because I thought it would be the most comprehensive history of Laura's life, since, you know, the publisher's summary calls it "the first comprehensive historical biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder." I wanted to know what her life story REALLY was, particularly all the things her books left out. This book doesn't do much more than summarize Laura's youth, and i didn't get much out of it that isn't in the Wikipedia article. Most of what we get about Laura's childhood in this book is told by summarizing her books or quoting from _Pioneer Girl_. Perhaps that's because there isn't much documentary evidence from those years--if so, I wish Fraser had spent a bit more time explaining--in a scholarly way--what we don't know, and how we know what we DO know.
But man, this book tells me everything I needed to know about Rose, and more. Wow, she sounds like she was a horrible person! And listening to it, you get the feeling that Fraser hates Rose so much that she relishes dredging up every unpleasant detail, kind of like how in 8th grade you couldn't wait to retell mean gossip about that girl you don't like. It didn't help that the narrator's voice struck me as high-pitched and smug.
Still, I wouldn't call this book a waste of a credit: I definitely learned some things I didn't know, although I wish the book were 5 hours shorter (at least). I should have read it in a hard copy so I could see the pictures and skip the boring parts.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- NMwritergal
- 11-24-17
Don’t read if you don’t want your fond memories...
…of the Little House on the Prairie books or the TV series from the ‘70s entirely ruined.
Because I had read A Wilder Rose (fictionalized version on Rose Wilder Lane’s life based on a fair amount of research, it seems), my fond memories were already trashed, so I thought I’d listen to nonfiction. Things just got worse. Laura Ingalls Wilder is not particularly likeable (though very industrious) and her daughter, Rose is a lying, delusional, wretch. She seems bi-polar, narcissistic, and/or had borderline personality disorder.
I didn’t really know that the Ingall’s and the Wilder’s lives were always one step shy of completely falling apart, how poor they were, the reckless/impulsive/bad decisions that “Pa” and then Almanzo made.
What I most appreciated was that his story was replaced into historical context. Had it not been, I’m not sure I could have gotten through 21 hours. It was fairly depressing, and really Rose Wilder Lane…ugh. Lots of quotations from her personal diaries and letters. Add to the above that she was cruel, a racist and anti-Semite, always trying to undermine her mother. It was just too much and overwhelmed Wilder's story.
62 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- L. Wolfe
- 08-19-18
Interesting but tedious.
Ironically, half the book drones on about how to edit a book- they should have taken their own advice and edited this book. It could have been half the length and it would have made a better story.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- SuezqRN
- 07-09-19
Awful
Growing up loving the LIW books and the Little House TV show this book about the “real” LIW left me dumbfounded and no longer a fan. Laura and her daughter Rose were whiny, rude and unethical. I would have like to have never listened to this book - sometimes ignorance of childhood is best left unblemished.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- March hare
- 01-15-18
Wrong title
This book should be called "Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter was a horrible person." I did not purchase this book to get the incredibly detailed account of all of Wilder's' daughter's fundamentally wrong-headed choices in life, but that is what I got - hours of it. Moore's grating and complaining voice made it even worse.
Incredibly annoying and disappointing!
38 people found this helpful