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Jan 26, 2011

Melissa rated it:

Be warned! This book is very, very different from all the other books in the Little House on the Prairie series. In fact, this book makes it easy to see how embellished the other books are and the positive spin that was put on them. Because it was published after the death of Laura and her daughter, it is not quite complete as well. It was taken directly from Laura's notebooks that were found in her belongings after her death and barely any editing was done on them. That being said, this book is More...

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Jan 03, 2012

*tarazza rated it:

I do not consider this really a part of the Little House series. Because it was just a draft found in LIW's notes after her death, it does not read the same as the previous books do. Plus, it seems to be the first chapter of a new series rather than a continuation of the Laura we know from the previous books.

The book's worst offense is that it actually begins before These Happy Golden Years ends, and rewrites history. There's a scene before they're married where Laura tells Almanzo More...

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Oct 29, 2011

Carin rated it:

This book is written a little differently than Ms. Wilder's previous books, as she never finished writing and editing it. It's 4 chapters, so naturally those are long, although the book itself is very short.

Even though Laura doesn't want to be married to a farmer she agrees to give Almanzo three years (which stretches into 4 and then into 70) to prove that he can be just as successful as a farmer, and she can be as happy as a farmer's life, as Laura wants her life to be. It was surp More...

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Oct 10, 2009

Chris rated it:

Discovered in 1971 and posthumously tacked onto the previous eight volumes of the 'Little House' series, it's obvious from the first pages that something's a little amiss here. The tone is different, harder, more grown-up, with many details that ended 'These Happy Golden Years' changed here, and not for the better. After going off to live 'the life of a farmer's wife' in the previous book, the same scene is revisited, with Laura telling Manly (she calls Almanzo by his nickname throughout the boo More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Apr 20, 2011

Kelly rated it:

As the title would suggest, this details the first four years of Laura and Almanzo's marriage. They have two children (Rose, who lives, and a son, who doesn't) and basically have a ton of bad luck (a hailstorm ruins the crops one year, plus there's a fire...basically anything that can go wrong, does).

This is a lot less cheerful than the first eight books. Part of that may be that when she was younger, Laura was shielded from a lot of the reality of prairie life and it was sort of l More...

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Nov 25, 2011

Heather rated it:

I hadn't read this in a long time and was a little shocked. The introduction mentioned that it had been found among Laura's belongings after her death and was not published until after Laura's daughter Rose had died. I didn't know this when I read the book as a child and simply accepted it as an automatic continuation of the other books in the series. In my own mind, I can see why The First Four Years was not published. Though very interesting and a short read, the book is not very happy. I More...

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Feb 05, 2010

Patel added it

15. summary
In this begining of the story Laura has just married Manly Wilder. They prepare to settle into married life, their small home on the Prairie. Although Manly is set on being a farmer, Laura advises him againts it. She fears poverty and being taken advantage of store owners. Manly makes a deal with Laura. He will be farmer for three years. Laura think about that if farming is going well for the family, if not Manly will choose another profession. Laura and Manly see al More...

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Sep 21, 2011

sabisteb rated it:

De Smet, South Dakota 1885-1889. Dieser letzte Band der Reihe erzählt in kurzen Episoden von den ersten vier Ehejahren von Laura Ingalls mit Almanzo Wilder. Von Missernten, der Geburt ihrer Tochter Rose und dem kurzen Leben ihres kleinen Sohnes.

Anders als bei den ersten Bänden handelt es sich nicht um einen fertigen Roman, sondern um ein Manuskript, in welchem die Handlung eher Grob in Einzelepisoden umrissen wird. Das Manuskript zu diesem Band fand sich unter den nachgelassenen Papier More...

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Jun 26, 2011

Nelly rated it:

Almanzo (Manly) & Laura adalah pasangan keluarga muda yang harus berjuang keras dalam menyongsong masa depan mereka. Banyak rintangan yang harus mereka hadapi sebagai petani.

Saya sangat mengagumi Almanzo (Manly) sebagai sosok suami yang tidak kenal kata "menyerah" dan selalu berusaha meyakinkan istrinya Laura bahwa mereka akan berhasil sebagai petani, sekalipun di awal pernikahan mereka Laura tidak setuju kalau suaminya seorang petani.

Namun pada akhirnya Laura More...

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May 12, 2011

Laurie rated it:

This book was, finally, refreshingly honest. I loved the previous 8 books, but was always a bit bothered at how Laura's true feelings were rarely described. Finally hearing about the boredom that Laura felt as a new mother, about how she didn't want Manly to be a farmer, and how she occasionally hated the stink of their farm stock was quite satisfying to me.

And, "Manly?" Two things about this nickname: first, have I been pronouncing his name incorrectly? Is it not "Ah More...

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Aug 17, 2010

Jonathan rated it:

This book, published posthumously, has a very different feel than the others. It is as if (and maybe it is that) Wilder wrote down the biographical notes, then stopped working on the book before fictionalizing the story. The result is a book in a very different style than the previous ones, and with some details (such as Almonzo's age) not agreeing with previously written facts. This book is more biographical than the other books. It should be read as an unfinished work, and there are many thing More...

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Mar 15, 2008

Amanda rated it:

I read this many years ago, but enjoyed reading it again as Laura Ingalls Wilder has a way of story telling that draws you in and invites you to stay for a while. This book was published in its "rough cut" form since she died without ever fleshing it out for publication, but it was still enjoyable. Her light humorous touches in this retelling of her first years of marriage brought back memories of my own early married life.

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Jul 29, 2009

Empress5150 rated it:

Frankly, this books is fairly depressing because not a lot of good came out of the first four years Laura and Almanzo (referred to as "Manly" now) were married (save their daughter, Rose). Just about every bit of bad luck one living out on a prairie could experience, they did, including ruined crops, their house burning down, their baby son dying and Almanzo getting diphtheria. It was likely due to these awful times that the Wilder's ultimately moved to Mansfield, MO. Also, this book w More...

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Mar 13, 2011

Ruth rated it:

I would doubt this is a favorite of those fans of the "Little House" series--I think it's so dissimilar to the 'voice' of the other books, that it's slightly jarring by contrast. The notes were found after Laura's death, in draft form, and so perhaps by publishing it in that format there's no help for the way it comes across (rather hasty--there are only about 5-6 chapters in all; also a bit impersonal in tone). And yet--when one reads of the huge challenges Laura and Almanzo (she ca More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Amber rated it:

We were a little disappointed with this installment to the series. Really, I think it should not have been added to the series as I don't think the author intended it to be. This was written in a very different tone and from a very serious perspective which is not in keeping with the rest of the books. In previous books they have been near starvation and yet the story is happy. Even though Almanzo and Laura face some really tough times in the first four years their struggles are no worse than More...

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Mar 23, 2009

Ashley rated it:

it was good.

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 15, 2011

Sherrie rated it:

I must admit that I haven't read any of this series of books. But Little house on the Prairie was one of my favorite t.v. shows. While I was reading this book I kept thinking of Laura from the t.v. show. Her face would pop right into my mind. There is an introduction at the beginning of the book that tells how this book came to press. This book takes you through the first four years of Laura and Almanzo's marriage. Almanzo has talked Laura into staying on their land claim for 4 years to see if t More...

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Jul 31, 2010

Margaret rated it:

This book was written only as a first draft by Laura and was found in her belongings when she died. It was published after her daughter died. It tells of Almanzo and Laura's first four years of marriage. Before they got married Laura told Almanzo that she didn't want to be a farmer's wife because it was a very hard life for a woman. But Almanzo tells her to give it three years and if he hasn't made success by then he will do something else for his occupation.
So since this is only a fi More...

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Aug 03, 2010

Maria rated it:

Although this book was published posthumously and doesn't really have the same panache as the earlier books, Laura comes through as a totally different person with overtones of Mrs. Brewster, the depressed housewife from an earlier book. It surprised me since I had gotten so comfortable with the Ingalls who always pitched in and worked things out, no matter how troublesome. It did seem like the young Wilders were jinxed, but I think the main problem was that Manly did not choose to put his ene More...

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Dec 04, 2011

Michelle rated it:

Ack, you guys, remember when I was constantly worrying about the Ingalls family because of the crazy situations they were always getting into (grasshoppers, blizzards, nearly starving, you know, the usual)? It continues in The First Four Years. Ugh, I went from being so happy and secure and sure of a good future for Laura and Almanzo to being concerned again. I guess the book was more real in that way, but oh, what a harsh reality it was. Losing a baby, worrying about debts (will this farming li More...

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Sep 11, 2011

Catherine rated it:

Jarring is the best word I can think of for this book, hardly the "happily ever after" you'd expect after reading These Happy Golden Years. It's pretty painful--a baby born maybe a bit too soon to unprepared parents, a traumatic, unconscious childbirth, postpartum alienation (where are Ma and her sisters who supposedly live just a few miles away?), financial ruin, another baby who nobody seems too excited about and then who dies before he even gets named, and it just gets worse from t More...

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May 29, 2011

Lex rated it:

I'm at a loss of words on how to describe this book. As mentioned in the forward of the book, this manuscript was discovered after both Laura's and Rose's deaths and was presented in it's unedited form-that was clear. The book describes the first four years of marriage and the trials the family faced. What I felt the most from the book was an undertone of unhapiness, not only for the poor weather situation but also for her marriage. I don't know enough of the history of Laura to know if she More...

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Aug 09, 2010

Zelda rated it:

This unedited and unfinished manuscript was in the possession of Rose Wilder Lane, Laura's daughter, upon her death. It reads in many spots more like notes than a story. It's an interesting peek into the early marriage of Laura and Almanzo for true Little House fanatics but the writing lacks the color of the finished works.

There is much speculation that Rose doctored up the writing of her mother and based upon this manuscript I find that believable. Most writers manage to infuse More...

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Jul 23, 2010

Maggie rated it:

The Little House books were the first thing I ever bought when I found out I was having a baby. I first read them to my daughter when she was far too young to understand them. When she old enough to read them for herself, I held this one back. I have heard rumors that it was unfinished or written by someone else. All I know is that it doesn't fit with the rest of the series. It's as if the main characters I loved so much suddenly loose their pioneering spirit. They stop working hard and st More...

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Mar 10, 2011

Kressel rated it:

If The Long Winter was above my level in second grade, The First Four Years, which I think I read in third grade, was even more so. It’s not as long; in fact, it’s the shortest in the series, which is why it attracted me, but it’s about Laura’s first four years as a married woman. How can an eight-year-old relate to that? I remember Rose’s birth, I remember a fire, and I remember that they went through many other hardships, though I can’t specify what they were. All I remember is that it wasn’t More...

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Jan 15, 2011

Jrobertus rated it:

As usual I enjoyed this last book in the famous seeries. This book is rather different from the others in that it was discovered after Laura's death and was edited not by Rose but be Rose's attorney, Roger MacBride. The tone is similiar, but it seems more formal abd pollished. In any case, the story is the main thing and this relates Laura and Almonzo's (referred to here as Manly)earlly years together, including the birth of their daughter Rose. Even in spite of Almonzo's skill and planning, More...

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Oct 18, 2009

Megan rated it:

I don't really associate this book with the rest of the "Little House" series for several reasons. First of all, it was published without the consent of Laura Ingalls Wilder or her daughter (and editor) Rose Wilder Lane. Second, it was only found after Rose's death, and for whatever reason, it was never finished. And lastly, it seems to lack the innocence and charm of the other books (perhaps because it was written without the help of Rose, or that it was simply meant for a more mat More...

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Mar 13, 2009

Kathleen rated it:

My least favorite of the little house books -- the story is so bleak. It's hard to have gone through so much and to have so little at the end with these characters (I'm sure it was hard in real life, too). This book had such a different feeling from the rest, and I'm not surprised that it is typically left out of the boxed sets as it is not really appropriate for the same age child as those who would appreciate the earlier books. At the end, you'll feel compelled to check out a biography to fi More...

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Mar 05, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

It's interesting at all times!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 23, 2011

Amy rated it:

This was the "shit just got real" variation of the Little House series. I understand life was tough back then but this book was kind of jarring after all the pioneer whimsy of the other books. It was also awkward since it was just written out from a manuscript. It could definitely use a good edit.
It was interesting as well that Laura wrote herself as kind of a weaker person in this story. I know her daughter helped write the earlier books and the generation gap in the narrative More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

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