Old Home Town

by Rose Wilder Lane

In Old Home Town, Rose Wilder Lane has recreated small-town society of pre-World War I America with a precise feeling for decorum, dress, and kitchen dialogue. Like Sherwood Anderson in Winesburg, Ohio, she describes a community through the stories of certain memorable citizens. The overlay of nostalgia cannot hide some sharp observations about marriage and women's rights.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Feminism

309 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Rose Wilder Lane (December 5, 1886, De Smet, Dakota Territory – October 30, 1968, Danbury, Connecticut) was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, and political theorist. She is noted (with Ayn Rand and Isabel Paterson) as one of the founding mothers of the American libertarian movement.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very well written, which is what I have come to expect from this author. It definitely gave me a feeling for how people lived in that era. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, though. Perhaps because of the format, I felt there was a certain sameness to each of the stories. I think there is a possibility that Let The Hurricane Roar was her masterpiece.

[Mary Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread and I have to say it was just as enjoyable the second time around. I have learned a little about Rose Wilder Lane and I can say that I wasn't surprised by her acerbic style of writing. She is every bit as good a writer as her mother, but my, what a different attitude toward small town life!!!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun historical read, but even more so if you are a fan of the Little House books by Rose's mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Rose wrote this book before her mother wrote (and Rose heavily edited) the Little House books, so although the book is written about the turn of the century and the styles are more "Gibson Girl" the description of daily life is reminiscent of the Little House books. It also reminds me of the era depicted in "The Music Man" -- we even have the traveling salesman offering sen-sen to young girls (naughty!)

The author says she wrote the book to give modern readers at the time (the 1930s) an idea of what life was like "before the war." (World War I) She manages to convey a sense of irreverence and rebellion in the main character Ernestine, and her views on the absurdity of some of the old restrictions are clear. The girls and women manage to rebel as best they can within the strict conventions of society, and in some cases we get a glimpse of their lives "after the war" when they are able to travel and have professions.

As a period piece it is excellent, and if you're interested (as I am) in references to styles and fabrics (dimity, calico, nun's veiling)-- or the quaint reference to "machine lace" curtains, there is a treasure trove of information and nostalgia. And although the heroine, Ernestine, is sheltered by her parents and the strict customs of the town, the stories don't shy away from drama, death, and even cruelty at times.

Having read "Ghost in the Little House" (the story of Rose Wilder Lane's life) I know that she herself left home at a young age and lived a very modern life for a woman of her era. It's interesting to know that later in her life (much later than the writing of this book) she wrote that the world had stopped making sense to her around 1914 (WWI). So although she rebelled, the world made sense when she knew what to rebel against -- small town life as depicted in this book.

[Annarino K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one, as a good read in and of itself, as well as a good look into Rose's life and impressions.

This is chick-lit and a period piece, really a gift from another time that is still relatable. It's fascinating to see what was and was not considered proper behavior for a young lady around the turn of the century in rural middle America.

But as we learn these cultural nuances, we also observe the many ways people manipulate their social situations in the struggle to get what they want out of life. In this way, human nature doesn't change much over time and through the generations. We outwardly adapt to conform, but search for ways to maximize our options.

Lots of fun, nothing much like the Little House books but a must read for their fans anyway to see our Wilder ladies' thinly veiled lives from another angle. So grateful the publisher dusted off this long out-of-print treasure. Have read and re-read at least ten times and not done yet.

[Caroline Herfindahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third Lane book I've read in a couple of months and after only marginally liking the first two I have to say I'm so glad I stuck with her! This book made me laugh out loud and think about how far (and yet not) women have come in this country. This was the first time I felt I really heard Rose's voice and HER story reflected in her writing. Although highly fictionalized (or maybe not?). I felt the characters and stories in this book about small town life (and especially the women of the hometown) came so much more to life and were so much more authentic because I felt that instead of telling someone else's story Rose was sharing and helping us live along with her story this time. The description and dialogue were real and felt true rather than stilted and journalistic. A fun glimpse into the gossipy life of small towns and how times change but it is always best to be true to yourself no matter how difficult and strange it may be.

[The other John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This here's the Little House book that wasn't. Rose Wilder Lane is the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder and in 1935 she wrote this thinly veiled account of her home town of Mansfield, Missouri. It's not tied in with the Little House series, but knowing readers will realize that "Mother" is no one less than Laura, all grown up. The book is an interesting peek at life in a small town around the turn of the 20th Century. Ms. Wilder doesn't make it sound too inviting--the social conventions were stifling back then. It reads like an alien culture to this 20th Century boy. But the hopes and dreams of the characters are quite familiar. It's quite an enjoyable read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a series of short stories that give a fictionalized look at what life was like in a small town in Missouri in the early 1900s for a young girl and her family. It seems to be semi-autobiographical, although all the names have changed. It is told from the girl's perspective as she comes of age. Each chapter focuses on a different character or set of characters, mostly girls or women as they go through the trials of finding a husband or dealing with being a spinster. Usually they find out that marriage does not turn out like the idealized version they had imagined. It does have a subtle feminist bent as the girl gradually realizes maybe marriage isn't the be-all and end-all of a woman's life. I love the description of the small town, the characters, and all the gossip that flies around town faster than the telegraph.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - a collection of short stories about the residents of a small town at the turn of the century. Her book focuses mainly on women, specifically their lack of rights, restrictions placed on women, and their place in society if they did not marry. Her bias against small towns and marriage shows throughout the book. However, her attention to detail gives a picturesque view of small town living. Characters are well developed - including the men. It is worth reading.

[Laura Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acquired this book on a kick to read anything Laura Ingalls Wilder related.

Took one star off because it wasn't the easiest to read. Basically it's a collection of short stories about women's lives in the late 1800's / early 1900's...which I found fascinating! Women in their early 20's seemed old maids... thankful for the progress that has been made!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, provides an interesting perspective on small town life in the early 20th century. This is not just a nostalgic plotline of hard work and good neighbors, but also stories that illustrate the mores of the community--lives controlled by parental expectations and “what would the neighbors think.”

[Beth Paul]

I'm learning now in Prairie Fires that Old Home Town is only thinly disguised Mansfield, Mo & the townsfolk there didn't think too highly of it. I would have liked it more if I could read the chapters / short stories in one sitting, but they bord me too much to slog through.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best of the three novels I have read by Rose. Free Land and Young Pioneers were ok. Her writing style is very different from that of the Little House books no matter how involved Rose may have been.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars if I could give it. This was a surprisingly great read.

[Debra Foca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose Wilder's best book. Provides a rare insight into daily life in the early 1900s.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting view of small-town America pre-World War I, written by the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Kyle Shoultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nostalgic read for a winter day inside. It has the same feeling as Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good! This book is actually made up of a collection of short stories. Each story is a lone chapter in the book. Sometimes it is a bit confusing, hard to keep straight who is who and what time period it is as the chapters may overlap each other rather than following one another.

The stories are told in first-person by our main character, Ernestine. She’s growing up in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s in small town Missouri. Her life is pretty much the transition between “the old ways” and the beginnings of American feminism. She’s a young girl fighting to get out of the town, trying to avoid that same-old-same-old life all the other women desire. It’s very interesting, though, to read about the customs and the typical gossip that existed at this time, pre-WWI. The time of my great-great- and great-great-great-grandparents.

I think my favorite chapters of the book were all, pretty much, but the first and the last, haha. The first almost lost me and I kept thinking, oh man, I’m not going to be able to finish this book, but once I got past that, it was great. The end of the last seemed a little long, too, but maybe I was just anxious to finish it and return my borrowed book.

But overall, it’s very entertaining and like a light into the Midwest American past. Very enjoyable!

———- spoiler ———-

There is one thing, though, that I totally don’t understand. In a nutshell, Mr. Gifford comes down with Typhoid fever and it looks pretty bleak for him but after something like a week, his fever breaks and he starts to get better. But then, his young wife Lois is feeding him ears of corn. Ernestine exclaims that she knows better, that the doctor said that would kill him, but Lois says she was told nothing of the kind, that Mr. Gifford was hungry and asked for sweet corn. Two and a half days later, he does die. I don’t get this! I’m reading about Typhoid fever right now and all I can figure is… is it because of the intestinal hemorrhage? That would be my guess but I’m no doctor, so if anyone else has an idea, let me know!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books in the whole world. This is a fun book. I think of it as a book of gossip. It takes me right out of my world and sets me in the little town filled with neighbors and strangers, horse and buggies - told in the eyes of a teenage girl. It's wonderful!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose's dislike of growing up in a small town with gossiping women pervades this book. The final story looks like a reflection of herself as a " bachelor girl" who loves to travel and finds herself in Albania.

[Amy Hemann]

I'm about to read it... Haven't got there yet

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny how small town life hasn't changed much in a 100 years!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endearing portrait of small town American life pre-WWI.