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Nov 19, 2011

Hannah rated it:

Whether you loved her, loved to hate her or just plain hated her, there's no denying Nellie Oleson was a force to be reckoned with on "that prairie". Spiteful, hateful, bossy, rude, bullying, bragging, conceited, uppity, vengeful, vindictive, and the ~~bad~~ apple of her mother's eye, there wasn't any length that Nellie wouldn't go to in order to score one over sassy Half-Pint Ingalls in particular and most of the denizens of Walnut Grove in general.

As a long time More...

27 comments like (11 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2011

Gaeta1 rated it:

Growing up, I wasn't a huge fan of "Little House", even though I was exactly in the aimed-for demographic. I thought Michael Landon was a bit smarmy (and beardless, worse yet!) and the show took waaay too many liberties with the books. (I was a picky purist, even then.) I stopped watching even sporadically when Mary got married. Let's face it, Mary's life was over when she lost her sight--even Laura said towards the end of her life that their parents never got over the tragedy--and sh More...

7 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 03, 2011

Carli rated it:

As a young child, Arngrim lived the bohemian lifestyle of her nomadic Hollywood actor parents—and suffered horrific sexual abuse by the hands of her brother, a washed-up teen idol. At age 12, her life changed dramatically when she landed the role of Nellie Oleson on the popular 1970s TV series Little House on the Prairie.

Arngrim is not simply a former child star with a story to tell. She is an excellent writer, and her memoir is poignant, hilarious, and loaded with the type of behin More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 27, 2011

Louise rated it:

Nellie Oleson may have been the nastiest kid in town, but now, she's the one I'd want to be friends with. This woman is a riot. Her recall of all the weirdness that was her life and 'Little House' are done without the rancor and self-pity of so many others who've been through the same horrors. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she's jumped in to helping others and making people laugh.

And to know that hating Mary Ingalls was ok, just make me feel a whole lot better ;)

I read this one in about More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

May 12, 2011

Erin rated it:

Kindle for iPhone

I'm only about ten pages in, and I've already enjoyed it more than Mary Ingalls/Melissa Sue Anderson's whole stupid book!

It was interesting to read this, Melissa Gilbert's book and Melissa Sue Anderson's book in fairly close order. Arngrim hasn't had the career of Gilbert, but she comes across as the one you would most like to have a beer with. I had no knowledge of her abuse story, but she handles it very matter-of-factly (is that a word?) and with cla More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 15, 2010

Halpey rated it:

So sorry that Mary was such a BEOTCH. NOT sorry Nellie doesn't hold back. She delves, dishes, and zings on everyone and it's all done with love, respect, and humor... except for poor Mary who sounds like she deserved the treatment she receives. A quick and funny read.

3 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 18, 2011

Lauren rated it:

I may be different than many readers in that I really don't have memories of "Little House on the Prairie" and those that I do have are of general outline information (hot Michael Landon, family show, taken from the Little House series, etc.) but my interest was pioqued because Ms. Arngrim has represented an organization I've long been a member of, The National Association to Protect Children, and it seemed logical to read her biography. I'm glad I did!

Ms. Arngrim has an e More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 29, 2011

Jodi rated it:

I absolutely loved Little House on the Prairie as a kid! I read all the books and watched all the tv episodes! So of course, I picked up this book when I saw it at the library! Of course, I HATED Nellie as a kid and always rooted for poor lil' Laura! How sad I felt when I read about Alison Arngrim's real life of sexual abuse by her brother, lack of a real home life, living realitively poor, and actually getting attacked by fans of Little House on the Prairie because they hated her character More...

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Sep 08, 2011

Jacqueline rated it:

I didn't intend to go on a Little House on the Prairie marathon read, but I couldn't help picking this up when I was at the library. After reading The Wilder Life this was a true hoot. For those of us GenXers the LHOP show was part of our cultural narrative - for good and for bad. And Nellie Oleson, well, she was the girl you didn't want to be. Mean, nasty and clearly out to get the good girls. Granted, with her crazy mother (in the show) they were the most fun to watch.

I don't usual More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 01, 2011

Lu rated it:

I didn't grow up watching this show and didn't even know of it until I was maybe 13 by then all the episodes were on youtube. I think I got throught the first 6 seasons in two weeks. I loved the show and of course then the autobiogrophies from all the stars came out. I bought and read Melissa Gilberts first but not Melissa Sue Andersons as after reading Alisons I just didn't want to. To be honest Melissa Gilberts book kind of ruined the magic of 'Half-Pint' and I get that she isn't half -pint an More...

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Aug 30, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

LA rated it:

I only wish I could give this book more stars. As a kid who grew up with this iconic show Alison Arngrim
reveals what no one could have possibly known. She is as hilarious, sharp and lovely as can be. Her life outside of show business was fascinating and horrible. She has risen to the top when most others would have floundered. If you want to retain your squeaky clean image of the show then you're probably not going to want to read what Michael Landon and Melissa Sue Anderson were real More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 24, 2011

Camelama rated it:

If you ever watched Little House on the Prairie, you know Nellie Oleson. I never hated her like many friends did (oh how they hated her with a burning passion!) but I could see why she was hated. To me she just seemed sad - it was obvious Laura had the hearts of the village, and the full support of her family, so Nellie wasn't really a worry to her, just an annoyance.

Alison's life before, during and after Little House is quite astonishing. I'm just amazed by the lack of parental beh More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 18, 2011

Kathy rated it:

Having grown up with Little House on the Prairie, I was looking forward to hearing from such a strong character how she was perceived by her actress. Alison Arngrim had just been on a national talk show and made me laugh as she reflected on her time as Nellie Oleson. Reading the book gave me an insight into a child star who "made it" despite a horrible childhood secret of abuse. For years we have been hearing about child stars who skyrocketed to fame and then crashed because of drugs, More...

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Apr 19, 2011

Joanna rated it:

This autobiography is everything you want it to be. It is written in a strong voice that is both clever and culturally literate. She dishes not just about her own personal experiences as a Hollywood child actress but also about those she worked alongside including Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson. Arngrim and Gilbert (the actresses who play Nellie and Laura) were actually best friends on the set! Arngrim also includes details from the most remembered scenes of our favorit More...

0 comments like

Apr 19, 2011

Thebakingbookworm rated it:

I wasn't sure what to expect from this autobiography. I had read Melissa Gilbert's memoire last year and liked it but it pales in comparison to this down-to-earth and brutally honest read. This book vividly and humorously describes Arngrim's difficult childhood, her career on the Little House set as well as her accomplished life after her Nellie years.

I loved that Arngrim doesn't hold back or sugar coat her descriptions of her fellow cast mates or even her own family. She hasn't writ More...

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Mar 29, 2011

Tabitha rated it:

This was an absolutely delightful memoir to read!
Ms. Arngrim has such an easy comfortable storytelling voice, and she has an incredible sense of humor about herself, her life and everyone around her. It was really easy to get sucked into her memories and get a really clear picture of how she felt during filming, and escaping filming. I'd be willing to bet her honesty got under the skin of a few people she's worked with in the past. But always in a good way, and of course she could always wi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 08, 2011

Curlita rated it:

Dylan and I have started reading the Little House books together. I read them all as a kid, but haven't reread any of them in years and years, so I'll read to Dylan, tuck him in, and then start poking around on the internet for additional information about Laura Ingalls Wilder (the books are not entirely factual). In the process of looking for LIW biographies, I tripped over this book and checked it out from the library.

It's been a great, somewhat fluffy read. Arngrim shares all the More...

2 comments like

Jan 09, 2011

Molly rated it:

I bought this book entirely on a whim, and ended up reading it in the span of a couple of days. Though I was never a big Little House fan, I loved reading Arngrim's take on what it was like to be the most hated character on one of the most popular TV shows. There is, of course, the requisite "difficult/abusive past" portion, which is starting to become a staple of the memoir craze (although really, who wants to read about a boring, happy childhood?). I will say, I'm impressed with A More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 12, 2010

Krista rated it:

Man, did I love Little House on the Prairie growing up. My cousin & I would play it/reenact it when we were at my grandparent's house. My grandmother even got us the Mary, Laura, and Carrie dolls! And like everyone who watched LH, I thought Nellie Olsen was a total brat and bitch! LOL

But Alison Arngrim the actress is not. She is freakin' hilarious, and her memoir is full of candor about her family, her days on Little House, and even the molestation by her older brother. She is really More...

0 comments like

Aug 05, 2010

Nicola rated it:

Reason for Reading: I'm a big fan of LHOTP. I read Melissa Gilbert's memoir and was anxious to find out more and very excited when I saw Alison had a book out.

Alison Arngrim's narrative is a pleasure to read. Just by reading the title we get a glimpse of what kind of attitude we can expect to find inside the covers. Arngrim is also a stand-up comedienne and with that knowledge it explains the easy going narrative style full of humour that made this book such a fun read.

Alison More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 26, 2010

Karen & Gerard rated it:

I enjoyed reading Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim because it was mostly about the TV show I liked called “Little House On The Prairie.” Alison was the actress who played Nellie Oleson on the show, the mean, snobby girl. In her book, she shares how people really hated her because of her character on TV when she made public appearances dressed as Nellie. She shares about her childhood which was so heartbreaking that she thought of the cast as her family and loved the diversion. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 29, 2010

Diane rated it:

Arngrim's parents were involved in show business; her mom was a very successful voiceover artist, working as the voices of Gumby and Sweet Polly Purebred from the Underdog cartoons. Dad was a public relations agent, though not as successful. Oh yeah, and he was gay, but that was never really discussed too much.

After a start in Canada, they move to Los Angeles. Alison's older brother got work as a young actor, but when work dried up for him as he got older, he became abusive to his y More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 25, 2010

Cheryl rated it:

If you are looking for a book that is funny, irreverent, and courageous, look no further than "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" by Alison Arngrim. In a style you come to expect from the woman who portrayed Nellie Oleson for many seasons on Little House on the Prairie, Arngrim shares her story from her childhood, the years she suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a relative, her years on Little House, and beyond. This is a woman who isn't shy about opening up, and you'll love her for it More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 16, 2010

Lisa rated it:

For the most part, this book is one big hunk of chocolate cake. Although Alison Arngrim wasn't at the Ingalls family center of Little House on the Prairie, she was an avid participant in the circus of on-set drama, goofiness and gossip, and her stories about the filming of this warm, heartfelt slice of American pioneer family life are told the way every little kid waiting for a bedtime story would expect: they're funny, endlessly entertaining and told with a keen appreciation for the ludicrous s More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Kdevoli rated it:

This was a fascinating memoir. Nellie Oleson was one of those TV characters I loved to hate, but when I read this book and learned about the little girl inhabiting that role, I was really humbled. Alison suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of her older brother Stefan, someone I actually had a crush on when he was on Land of the Giants. No more! What a monster to do that to his little sister. Her parents were no better. She gives her dad a pass, but honestly, when she told him as an adult she wa More...

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Jun 28, 2011

Lynn rated it:

A fantastic book. Alison Arngrim is an amazingly brave woman, and hilarious to boot. This memoir of her growing up years and time spent as Nellie Oleson on The Little House on the Prairie TV series is immensely readable.

Arngrim has a great sense of humor. She tells it like it was, never afraid to be brutally honest about her highly disfunctional family, especially when it comes to the horrible abuse she suffered at the hands of her older brother. While what she had to endure as a chil More...

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May 06, 2011

Lizz rated it:

Can I just stay home and read this? I considered saving it for my upcoming trip to Mexico, so glad I did not. The cover says it all and I'm not talking about the title. Dramatic, snotty, artfully conscious and sparkling: those photos say it all. Alison's performace as Nellie has the ability to rile my blood pressure to this day. Alison did not survive Nellie Oleson, she brought her to life.

Part back-stage gossip, part autobiography, Alison had the kind of abused, neglected, weird-ass More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

Khaya rated it:

Four stars with a caveat: I have a high tolerance for celebrity memoirs. I started reading celebrity memoirs in high school not for voyeuristic reasons (okay, not only for voyeuristic reasons) but out of a genuine curiosity about why, in a creative and chancy field like acting or writing or art, some people succeed and some people fail. It's clearly not only a question of talent; there's a psychology that goes into it and I was curious about that. Although I haven't succeeded in isolating th More...

11 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 18, 2011

Kristen rated it:

As a long time fan of the show Little House on the Prairie I was very much looking forward to reading Alison Arngrim's Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Being Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being hated. In this book Arngrim shares what her life was like growing up, what it was like playing Nellie Oleson, and what she has done since the show.

I found the book to be a great read. I had no idea some of the trauma that Arngrim had to face, but she puts it forth as simply a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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