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122nd out of 136 books
—
23 voters
Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Courage, Adventure, Steadfast Love
From a little house set deep in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, across Indian territory and into the Dakotas, Laura's family moved westward right along the frontier.
Their true-life saga, beloved by countless millions of TV viewers and readers of the bestselling Little House books, is one of spirit and devotion in the face of bitter-cold wint
...morePaperback, 1st, 241 pages
Published
May 1st 1977
by Avon
(first published 1976)
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This is a good book once you get into it. The issue is getting into it. It took me days to finish the first 20 pages. The only reason I read far enough into the story to discover that I enjoyed it is that I determinedly, painstakingly, agonizingly, (insert long list of adverbs) refused to read the book I was dying to read ( The Forgotten Beasts of Eld) until I finished Laura . (I certainly hope Forgotten Beasts is worth it--I've been waiting half my life to read it--but that's another stor...more
I’ve decided that I want to become a Laura expert, so this was my foray into a voluntary autobiographical study. My college lit professors would be so proud!
I must admit that at first, I could not stay awake while reading this book, but please don’t let that stop you from reading it. It wasn’t boring, exactly; I would call it soothing. And I was really tired. I absolutely loved the new things I learned. I’ll try to limit myself to listing just a few. I learned that Laura’s age was drastically ch...more
I must admit that at first, I could not stay awake while reading this book, but please don’t let that stop you from reading it. It wasn’t boring, exactly; I would call it soothing. And I was really tired. I absolutely loved the new things I learned. I’ll try to limit myself to listing just a few. I learned that Laura’s age was drastically ch...more
Anyone that enjoyed The Little House books or Rose Wilder's books, or even the tv series, back in the day, should read this book. I loved it! I picked it up randomly at a used book store. When I think of the Little House books I view them as very biographical in nature, so reading a biography-type book had never really occurred to me (as silly as that might sound). I learned so much about the more historical aspects of her, and her families life. Things that may have been touched on in her books...more
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The back cover art of my paperback copy was obviously done by an artist more used to illustrating bodice-rippers. Laura is depicted in the traditional long skirt, but her blouse is open to the waist and shows a very low bustier or chemise. Woo-hoo, Laura Ingalls Wilder shows some skin! Hardly authentic, but very amusing to see. The book itself contains some interesting facts, including that the "Olson" family was actually the "Jones" family, which pleased my Celtic soul. Also, the tortuous path...more
I have been reading the Little House series to the kids over the last several months, so it was very interesting for me to get the real inside scoop on Laura's life. It was sad to find out that things weren't always as perfect as the Little House books made it seem. It gave a lot of insight into Laura's worldview. She was a strong woman, but she seemed to only have religion, no real relationship with God, which was sad.
An excellent book, especially for those people who only know about Laura from the TV series Little House on the Prairie. Even for those of us who read all her books and thought they were completely factual, it's quite interesting to find out that Laura changed things around a bit when writing her books, whether because that's how she remembered it or because it just made a better story (especially for little kids -- true pioneer stories ARE pretty harsh).
I'm giving this book 5 stars, but really...more
I'm giving this book 5 stars, but really...more
The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder is as the title suggest a book about Laura's life. We know a lot from her own little house series but in Donald Zochert's book we deal with what Laura didn't write and with the things that in Laura's books were fiction.
We begin with pa and ma's families. When they were born, how and where they grew up and how they met each other. Then we move through the stories we think we know so well only to discover that there was so much more we didn't and yet more we will...more
We begin with pa and ma's families. When they were born, how and where they grew up and how they met each other. Then we move through the stories we think we know so well only to discover that there was so much more we didn't and yet more we will...more
By now, any Lauraphile knows the variance between the books and her life. I don't think that gets glossed over but instead explained more charitably and without shock or dismay. Seeing how her life, her beliefs, are reflected in the books is clarified.
How to explain the books' enduring popularity takes a little more thought. Laura began publishing in the 1930's--the Great Depression. Seeing how her family's independence and hard work were not always rewarded (grasshoppers, anyone? Or six months...more
How to explain the books' enduring popularity takes a little more thought. Laura began publishing in the 1930's--the Great Depression. Seeing how her family's independence and hard work were not always rewarded (grasshoppers, anyone? Or six months...more
This is a nice companion piece to the Little House series - Zochert mentions things in passing that fans will instantly recognize, but he tries not to dwell on those things overmuch. Much of the book is focused on laying the factual groundwork of Laura's books, and he draws on census records and newspapers and other contemporary documents to help pin things down. I got much more of a sense of what drove the various moves (aside from Charles' "itchy feet" as others have put it). It is a little dr...more
Zochert's Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder was published in the days of auld lang syne by my generation's standards--1976--but it was one of the earliest biographies about Laura and thus remains a starting source for any hardcore Little House fan. Although I mostly enjoyed Zochert's biography, it had some vexing weaknesses: most notably, its emphasis on description rather than facts and its romanticization of Laura's youth.
Early on, Zochert says he hopes to write this biography like Laura...more
Early on, Zochert says he hopes to write this biography like Laura...more
Not precisely bad though not overwhelmingly good. The book is written in a style clearly meant to echo Laura's. Aside from some details about Laura's more distant family, there really wasn't a lot of information that isn't easily available elsewhere. I certainly don't feel as though I know any of the characters from the books or the people who inspired them any better.
Most of the book is devoted to summarizing the events of the Little House books while filling in some detail.
There is not as much...more
Most of the book is devoted to summarizing the events of the Little House books while filling in some detail.
There is not as much...more
I've had this book on my shelf since childhood, when I bought it at a book fair. It's a sweet, lovingly written book that gives a more factual account of Laura's life than she gave in her books, but makes the important point that she had her reasons for taking artistic license. I can see why she skipped over that miserable year in Iowa, for example. There are great old photos and interesting accounts of Laura's later years with Almanzo. Anyone who loves Laura should have this book along with her...more
I enjoyed this history of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The author filled in some gaps and inconsistencies from the tv show to the books that I thought were made up but were in fact more true than I realized. I did not appreciate his retelling of the stories already told in the books Wilder wrote. It seemed he was filling space to make his own book longer. I took my daughter to the Laura Ingalls Wilder home in Pepin, Wisconsin, when she as little. A small cabin that was built as a replica to the home th...more
A necessary follow-up once you've read the series Laura wrote. This book presents researched facts, places and actual names, and offers some additonal historical context. I learned Laura used some artistic freedoms in her writing, such as with Nellie's character. Reading about the faint connections to Durand, where I have family, was personally exciting. This serves well as a brief primer on the actual timeline/family moves. I agree, the cover art is in dire need of an update!
I enjoyed this biography, though at times it felt gushy. I appreciated how he interwove actual events from the Little House series into the story of her life. I also liked the genealogy and family history background he gave of her parents and grandparents.
Her life was much harder than described in the stories she wrote and yet she endured and let the hard times make her a better person.
I would recommend it to anyone curious about knowing more about Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Her life was much harder than described in the stories she wrote and yet she endured and let the hard times make her a better person.
I would recommend it to anyone curious about knowing more about Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I chose to read this biography because I grew up watching the Little House series TV shows and also reading her books. I thought this book would reveal a lot more personal information in the life of Laura Ingalls rather than focusing on her books. However, I have always been a fan of Laura so of course I still enjoyed it. It provides a lot of historical information about the time period in which Laura grew up. In that aspect, it was a good book.
I'm fascinated by the hardships the Ingalls family endured, yet they had a zest for life. This bio was a bit depressing as Laura had much bad luck in her life. But I think this is due to the biographer not being able to convey her personal joys and every day living. It's much easier to write about the hardships which stand out more. I would recommend this bio to anyone interested in how America was settled and what pioneer life was like.
This is an older book and there have been many things discovered since then, but this is a well written book about the life and family of Laura Ingalls Wilder. He started with Charles and Caroline (Quiner) Ingalls' childhoods and went up through Laura's death. It is an excellent read for any fan of the Little House books or TV series. And it will set the record straight on what really happened to the Ingalls family and what Hollywood created.
I gave this one three stars, because I didn't care for the author's style. He attempts to describe to the reader the sights and sounds that Laura must have seen in her early life as a pioneer girl, to the point that at times I felt he was really reaching to make the story exciting or interesting when little real biographical information was available. I could almost hear his thought process when all he had to go by was one census record, and how he must have struggled to find a way to piece toge...more
Really enjoyed reading about the truth behind the Little House books, which I have been enamored with since I was a little girl. As a genealogy buff, the first part about the background and family of Laura's Ma and Pa were really interesting for me to read, and I also liked hearing about her life after the stories ended.
A little idealized, but considered to be the definitive biography of LIW. I liked learning more about the “missing” years in Burr Oak, Iowa, as well as more about her real-life family and friends and character compositions in the books.
My mom read all the "Little House" books to my brother and I over dinner as children, so I loved reading more about the author herself. I read this book a couple times between ages 10 and 14 and really enjoyed it. :)
The cover seems to buy into the TV series idea of what Laura's life was like, but the author does a pretty good job of researching the real Laura. Documented with pictures of the family and samples of writing.
It was a very detailed (read ,a tad boring) but I did learn a lot about Laura's extended family and sisters I hadn't known. I like the connection of seeing the real family members and Laura as a young person.
The Little House books were some of my very favorites as a little girl. I received the box set for Christmas one year when I was very young, and read them over and over again throughout my childhood.
I also shared them with my niece, and then my own children.
I've been meaning to read this book for years, but just never got around to it. It was nice to see pictures of Laura and her family, and to learn about some of the stories that didn't make it into the book.
Though some of the information in th...more
I also shared them with my niece, and then my own children.
I've been meaning to read this book for years, but just never got around to it. It was nice to see pictures of Laura and her family, and to learn about some of the stories that didn't make it into the book.
Though some of the information in th...more
In some ways a retelling of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, this is the first book that took the time to tease apart fact from fiction. I've always wished for a hardcover version of this book.
Actually read this a long time ago and again a few years ago, but just forgot to put it on my 'read' shelf. It is good to read the real story behind the LIW books.
It just wasn't what I wanted or expected it to be. I guess I was hoping for more insight into Laura and her life, but the historical background was good although somewhat dry.
As far as biographical sorts go, this was much less "academic" than others I've read. It reads more like story telling with some factual data thrown in to support things.
I fully enjoyed it until, just a little past halfway, the author was describing in detail one of the photos of Laura, Mary and Carrie that was a few pages back. He described Laura as "determined... defiant" and was saying this because of her "fist clenched defiantly at her side". When I flipped back to the photo in question, I e...more
I fully enjoyed it until, just a little past halfway, the author was describing in detail one of the photos of Laura, Mary and Carrie that was a few pages back. He described Laura as "determined... defiant" and was saying this because of her "fist clenched defiantly at her side". When I flipped back to the photo in question, I e...more
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Feb 27, 2011 12:52pm