Sign in with FacebookLaura's Reviews > The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie
The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie
by Wendy McClure (Goodreads Author)
by Wendy McClure (Goodreads Author)
The author claims to be a huge, obsessed Laura Ingalls Wilder (LIW) fan, I claim that I make, too. Because of her claim, I thought that I would really enjoy reading this book. How wrong I was.
In the beginning of the book, the author comes off as rather stupid to me. Her constant shocking revelations about what happened and, more importantly, what didn't happen, were old news and made her seem like a newbie LIW researcher. When she finally got past the "I can't believe it didn't happen exactly how it was in the books" stage, she launched into a self-centered, whiny exploration of various LIW historical sites. At this point I do have to give her credit: she managed to get to all the Little House sites, which is something that I'm not interested in doing.* Along the way, the narrative is jumpy, self-congratulatory, and annoying. As the author strives to do all things Laura, she shows us all that she's a Nellie.
The best part of the book was the selected bibliography, which listed a few books that I have not already read. However, I wish the author had included a full bibliography, because she mentioned some books in the text that I was interested in reading. In lieu of a full bibliography, an index would have been nice.
If you are a true LIW fan, do yourself a favor and skip this book. Read one of the many better-researched and more comprehensive biographies of LIW. This book is an autobiography of a period in Wendy McClure's life, it is not a LIW biography. This book is better suited for someone who read the Little House books as a kid and then didn't think about them again.
• Full disclosure: I have been to two Little House sites. I've been to DeSmet, SD, which I consider to be the most significant location from the books series. And I've been to Burr Oak, IA, which is completely absent from the book series. The only other Little House site that I want to go to is Mansfield, MO, the place where LIW eventually settled and the place that hold the most LIW's possessions.
In the beginning of the book, the author comes off as rather stupid to me. Her constant shocking revelations about what happened and, more importantly, what didn't happen, were old news and made her seem like a newbie LIW researcher. When she finally got past the "I can't believe it didn't happen exactly how it was in the books" stage, she launched into a self-centered, whiny exploration of various LIW historical sites. At this point I do have to give her credit: she managed to get to all the Little House sites, which is something that I'm not interested in doing.* Along the way, the narrative is jumpy, self-congratulatory, and annoying. As the author strives to do all things Laura, she shows us all that she's a Nellie.
The best part of the book was the selected bibliography, which listed a few books that I have not already read. However, I wish the author had included a full bibliography, because she mentioned some books in the text that I was interested in reading. In lieu of a full bibliography, an index would have been nice.
If you are a true LIW fan, do yourself a favor and skip this book. Read one of the many better-researched and more comprehensive biographies of LIW. This book is an autobiography of a period in Wendy McClure's life, it is not a LIW biography. This book is better suited for someone who read the Little House books as a kid and then didn't think about them again.
• Full disclosure: I have been to two Little House sites. I've been to DeSmet, SD, which I consider to be the most significant location from the books series. And I've been to Burr Oak, IA, which is completely absent from the book series. The only other Little House site that I want to go to is Mansfield, MO, the place where LIW eventually settled and the place that hold the most LIW's possessions.
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Melissa
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May 31, 2011 07:50pm
I love Mansfield and you will too.
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I agree with Melissa and b! Add Mansfield to your vacation list. Your review described my response to the book so well that I linked to it in mine.
I will be linking to your review in my review. Well said. and I agree with Melissa - you will like Mansfield. It made me swoon just a teeny bit :) I still want to go back and see it again!
This book is an examination - sometimes self-deprecating - of the author's relationship to the IDEA of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the meaning of memory, the way we tend to romanticize earlier times, and how a series of books can blend with our own memories of loved ones now dead and dearly missed. The book does not represent itself as a biography or a history, so - right - don't read it if that's what you seek! Rather, read it if you'd like to examine your own relationship to the books and our own country's treatment of our sometimes mythical past. I found the book to be witty, sometimes mordant, but at heart a very reflective and even poignant testament to the power of the books and to their connection with our own lives and families. I enjoyed the little wicked touches and the author's willingness to tweak her own Laura obsession, as well as our culture.
I am one of those people that read the books as a kid but didn't think of them again until I saw this book's cute cover at the library. But it's not even for people like me. ;) I agree with your assessment: the narrative is jumpy, self-congratulatory, and annoying. I forced myself to finish the book, all the while just wanting to slap McClure out of her whiny self-obsession.
