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The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House
When other girls her age were experiencing their first crushes, Melissa Sue Anderson was receiving handwritten marriage proposals from fans as young, and younger, than she was. When other girls were dreaming of their first kiss, Melissa was struggling through hers in front of a camera. From age eleven in 1974 until she left the show in 1981, Melissa Anderson literally grew up before the viewers of Little House on the Prairie.
Melissa, as Mary, is remembered by many as “the blind sister”—and she was the only actor in the series to be nominated for an Emmy. In Growing Up Mary, she takes readers onto the set and inside the world of the iconic series created by Michael Landon, who, Melissa discovered, was not perfect, as much as he tried to be. In this memoir she also shares her memories of working with guest stars like Todd Bridges, Lou Gossett, Jr., Mariette Hartley, Sean Penn, Patricia Neal, and Johnny Cash.
In addition to stories of life on the set, Melissa offers revealing looks at her relationships off-set with her costars, including the other Melissa (Melissa Gilbert) and Alison Arngrim, who portrayed Nellie Oleson on the show. And she relates stories of her guest appearances on iconic programs such as The Love Boat and The Brady Bunch.
Filled with personal, revealing anecdotes and memorabilia from the Little House years, this book is also a portrait of a child star who became a successful adult actress and a successful adult. These are stories from “the other Ingalls sister” that have never been told.
Melissa, as Mary, is remembered by many as “the blind sister”—and she was the only actor in the series to be nominated for an Emmy. In Growing Up Mary, she takes readers onto the set and inside the world of the iconic series created by Michael Landon, who, Melissa discovered, was not perfect, as much as he tried to be. In this memoir she also shares her memories of working with guest stars like Todd Bridges, Lou Gossett, Jr., Mariette Hartley, Sean Penn, Patricia Neal, and Johnny Cash.
In addition to stories of life on the set, Melissa offers revealing looks at her relationships off-set with her costars, including the other Melissa (Melissa Gilbert) and Alison Arngrim, who portrayed Nellie Oleson on the show. And she relates stories of her guest appearances on iconic programs such as The Love Boat and The Brady Bunch.
Filled with personal, revealing anecdotes and memorabilia from the Little House years, this book is also a portrait of a child star who became a successful adult actress and a successful adult. These are stories from “the other Ingalls sister” that have never been told.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
136 people are currently reading
1357 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Anderson
1 bookMelissa Sue Anderson is an American-Canadian actress. She began her career as a child actress after appearing in several commercials in Los Angeles. Anderson is known for her role as Mary Ingalls in the NBC drama series Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 419 reviews
February 2, 2025
I recently read Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Allison Arngrim. It was interesting and funny and a really good read. It wasn't at all like what I have long assumed celebrity autobiographies are like. Not full of name-dropping and self-promotion. Not full of so much "who the heck cares?" detail. Allison's book was funny, witty, and full of heart. And she didn't seem to think much of Melissa Anderson. So, of course, I had to find out more.
Bummer. Melissa's book didn't shed much light on what I was wondering about. Let me tell you, Melissa Sue Anderson might be able to act, but she sure can't write. Her book was pokey, boring, uninteresting, and self-important. It was full of name-dropping and Little House of the Prairie plot summaries. Well, hey! If we are bothering to read your book, you can bet we've seen all those episodes - don't need the review. I wanted to know more about the person. I ended up thinking that Allison Arngrim was right - Melissa Anderson as a child was sort of a blank. Like maybe, there were too many secrets that needed to be kept? I dunno. Even the personal pictures which are often the best part of a biography, weren't personal. They were copies of newspaper articles. Hmmmm...
Reading the book I felt I just couldn't get through to the real person behind the big blue eyes. Don't like that. Readers like me read to know the authors. Or at least to feel like they do. Not only did I feel like I hit a blank wall where her opinions and personality should have been, but she can't write. UGH! Boring, uninspiring - more like a 10th graders English II composition on personal essay than an interesting book by someone who was an insider in an American cultural phenomenon.
This book was a disappointment.
Bummer. Melissa's book didn't shed much light on what I was wondering about. Let me tell you, Melissa Sue Anderson might be able to act, but she sure can't write. Her book was pokey, boring, uninteresting, and self-important. It was full of name-dropping and Little House of the Prairie plot summaries. Well, hey! If we are bothering to read your book, you can bet we've seen all those episodes - don't need the review. I wanted to know more about the person. I ended up thinking that Allison Arngrim was right - Melissa Anderson as a child was sort of a blank. Like maybe, there were too many secrets that needed to be kept? I dunno. Even the personal pictures which are often the best part of a biography, weren't personal. They were copies of newspaper articles. Hmmmm...
Reading the book I felt I just couldn't get through to the real person behind the big blue eyes. Don't like that. Readers like me read to know the authors. Or at least to feel like they do. Not only did I feel like I hit a blank wall where her opinions and personality should have been, but she can't write. UGH! Boring, uninspiring - more like a 10th graders English II composition on personal essay than an interesting book by someone who was an insider in an American cultural phenomenon.
This book was a disappointment.
June 14, 2016
After reading the memoirs of “Little House on the Prairie” actresses Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim, both of which depict co-star Melissa Sue Anderson as aloof at best and downright mean at worst, I thought Melissa Sue deserved a chance to defend herself in her own memoir. Whether or not she’s mean, I can’t say. As I think she wrote her memoir after theirs, she had her chance to get back at them, and she didn’t. She told only one negative story about Melissa Gilbert’s attention-seeking and was fairly neutral about Alison. The aloofness, however, does come through. It’s not so much that she didn’t share intimate details about her life – I, for one, don’t want to read about a star’s experiences in the bedroom – but her tone wasn’t as warm or funny as the other two, and all the friends she mentioned had nothing to do with Little House. Also, the dialogue didn’t always seem natural (how many different people called her “kiddo”?) and it was sometimes written in script form, which was gimmicky.
Mostly, the book summarizes the plots of the episodes in Little House where Mary had a key role and gives a little behind-the-scenes description. Since my main interest is what went on behind the scenes, I usually found the plot summaries excessive, but there was one notable exception: where she discussed the research and method she used in playing a blind character. She went to a real school for the blind for training and said, “If there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s my blind stare.” She’s right; she did a great job at it. Even if she was as cold as her co-stars said she was, they can’t knock her as an actress.
If she dishes the dirt on anyone, it’s Michael Landon. The other two did this to a lesser extent. All three acknowledged his bad temper, his drinking, and how he left his wife for a younger woman. All three respected him professionally and enjoyed working with him. But because Melissa Anderson also had a role in a TV movie about his early life, I learned more about him from her book. She told about his abusive mother and the cruel streak he learned from her. She describes him humiliating a stutterer on set once – something Nellie did in the plot of one episode. Is that where the idea came from? Melissa Anderson doesn’t say so, but that’s how I connect the dots.
So let me take it a few steps further. One of the plots that the book mentions involves Laura and Albert trying to sell some honey to Mrs. Oleson so that they can pay for Mary and Adam to take a stagecoach somewhere. Mrs. Oleson won’t give them the price they want, so they sell her their whole hive, giving her incorrect advice that guarantees that she’ll be stung, probably multiple times. Now I ask you: where is the morality here? Laura is supposed to be good, and Mrs. Oleson is supposed to be bad, so if Laura takes revenge against her, that’s perfectly acceptable, right? How about if that revenge is dangerous and completely out of proportion to the original offense?
Another plot line the book describes is when Mary slaps Nellie. (Alison Arngrim’s book discusses the slap, too.) Apparently, the audience loved it. Heck, I loved watching the Olesons get their come-uppance every week. But the original books don’t condone revenge; just take a look at Ma’s poem to Laura in Little Town on the Prairie. As Alison Arngrim said in her book, Little House was the most Christian series ever shown in the history of television, but this Jew is wondering what happened to the most central value they profess: forgiveness.
Both Melissa Gilbert’s and Melissa Anderson’s books tell the story of the very last episode in which Michael Landon decided to blow up the entire set so that nobody else could use it. In the show, the characters sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” and then use a wagon load of dynamite to keep their town out of the hands of the new landowner. Is that “Christian” behavior?
The fact is, Michael Landon was religiously confused. He was born Eugene Orowitz, the son of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. According to Torah, that means he was a non-Jew, but a rabbi officiated at his funeral anyway. As Alison Arngrim pointed out, he gave voice to his unorthodox views on interfaith childrearing by marrying her character to a Jew. She also adds, “Then he just simplified things by making himself an angel” (in his next series “Highway to Heaven”).
Now I don’t mean to bash Michael Landon too hard; his mother sounded like the ultimate witch, and it’s incredible that he grew up to be so successful after such an upbringing. I learned in my own writing classes that the best material comes from our dearest wishes and our deepest fears. Taking revenge on people through writing is considered bad form, but those emotions are probably a rich source of material, too. And Michael Landon tapped into all of it: he created his dearest wish by creating the idyllic TV family. He tapped into our worst fears with all the melodrama that was such a departure from the books. And he gave us revenge: Laura versus Nellie week after week. And thousands of people loved it, including me.
This review has gone far astray of Melissa Anderson’s book. It’s interesting only if you really loved “Little House.” I really loved “Little House,” and I love knowing that out of all those crazy Laura/Nellie fight scenes grew a decades-long friendship, which is the lesson you’ll get from Alison Arngrim’s book. But considering that rebellious Rose Wilder may have been the real author of the books and that neither Rose nor Laura got any of the wealth created by the TV series, I guess Michael Landon’s dark side is just one more irony of the entire “Little House” phenomenon.
Mostly, the book summarizes the plots of the episodes in Little House where Mary had a key role and gives a little behind-the-scenes description. Since my main interest is what went on behind the scenes, I usually found the plot summaries excessive, but there was one notable exception: where she discussed the research and method she used in playing a blind character. She went to a real school for the blind for training and said, “If there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s my blind stare.” She’s right; she did a great job at it. Even if she was as cold as her co-stars said she was, they can’t knock her as an actress.
If she dishes the dirt on anyone, it’s Michael Landon. The other two did this to a lesser extent. All three acknowledged his bad temper, his drinking, and how he left his wife for a younger woman. All three respected him professionally and enjoyed working with him. But because Melissa Anderson also had a role in a TV movie about his early life, I learned more about him from her book. She told about his abusive mother and the cruel streak he learned from her. She describes him humiliating a stutterer on set once – something Nellie did in the plot of one episode. Is that where the idea came from? Melissa Anderson doesn’t say so, but that’s how I connect the dots.
So let me take it a few steps further. One of the plots that the book mentions involves Laura and Albert trying to sell some honey to Mrs. Oleson so that they can pay for Mary and Adam to take a stagecoach somewhere. Mrs. Oleson won’t give them the price they want, so they sell her their whole hive, giving her incorrect advice that guarantees that she’ll be stung, probably multiple times. Now I ask you: where is the morality here? Laura is supposed to be good, and Mrs. Oleson is supposed to be bad, so if Laura takes revenge against her, that’s perfectly acceptable, right? How about if that revenge is dangerous and completely out of proportion to the original offense?
Another plot line the book describes is when Mary slaps Nellie. (Alison Arngrim’s book discusses the slap, too.) Apparently, the audience loved it. Heck, I loved watching the Olesons get their come-uppance every week. But the original books don’t condone revenge; just take a look at Ma’s poem to Laura in Little Town on the Prairie. As Alison Arngrim said in her book, Little House was the most Christian series ever shown in the history of television, but this Jew is wondering what happened to the most central value they profess: forgiveness.
Both Melissa Gilbert’s and Melissa Anderson’s books tell the story of the very last episode in which Michael Landon decided to blow up the entire set so that nobody else could use it. In the show, the characters sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” and then use a wagon load of dynamite to keep their town out of the hands of the new landowner. Is that “Christian” behavior?
The fact is, Michael Landon was religiously confused. He was born Eugene Orowitz, the son of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. According to Torah, that means he was a non-Jew, but a rabbi officiated at his funeral anyway. As Alison Arngrim pointed out, he gave voice to his unorthodox views on interfaith childrearing by marrying her character to a Jew. She also adds, “Then he just simplified things by making himself an angel” (in his next series “Highway to Heaven”).
Now I don’t mean to bash Michael Landon too hard; his mother sounded like the ultimate witch, and it’s incredible that he grew up to be so successful after such an upbringing. I learned in my own writing classes that the best material comes from our dearest wishes and our deepest fears. Taking revenge on people through writing is considered bad form, but those emotions are probably a rich source of material, too. And Michael Landon tapped into all of it: he created his dearest wish by creating the idyllic TV family. He tapped into our worst fears with all the melodrama that was such a departure from the books. And he gave us revenge: Laura versus Nellie week after week. And thousands of people loved it, including me.
This review has gone far astray of Melissa Anderson’s book. It’s interesting only if you really loved “Little House.” I really loved “Little House,” and I love knowing that out of all those crazy Laura/Nellie fight scenes grew a decades-long friendship, which is the lesson you’ll get from Alison Arngrim’s book. But considering that rebellious Rose Wilder may have been the real author of the books and that neither Rose nor Laura got any of the wealth created by the TV series, I guess Michael Landon’s dark side is just one more irony of the entire “Little House” phenomenon.
July 27, 2011
I'll be honest; I tried to read this book. In the end, I wound up skimming it because it was written so badly.
Anderson spends rather too much time addressing what she wore to bring out the colour of her eyes, or otherwise flattering herself, and the majority of the book is little more than recaps of various Little House episodes. Then there are the scenes where she will recount conversations from decades before, miraculously word for word. Sometimes she even attempts to recreate them by writing them in script form, assigning specific actions and stage directions not only to herself but to the other actors on the show - most frequently Michael Landon. Most people can't remember conversations in that kind of detail even a week later, let alone after decades. It's amateur writing at its most painful, and a lot of the time, it reads like trumped-up name-dropping.
Don't waste your time reading this poor excuse for a memoir. If you're looking for something interesting to read with a hell of a lot more substance (that is also by someone who starred in Little House), try Alison Arngrim's Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.
Anderson spends rather too much time addressing what she wore to bring out the colour of her eyes, or otherwise flattering herself, and the majority of the book is little more than recaps of various Little House episodes. Then there are the scenes where she will recount conversations from decades before, miraculously word for word. Sometimes she even attempts to recreate them by writing them in script form, assigning specific actions and stage directions not only to herself but to the other actors on the show - most frequently Michael Landon. Most people can't remember conversations in that kind of detail even a week later, let alone after decades. It's amateur writing at its most painful, and a lot of the time, it reads like trumped-up name-dropping.
Don't waste your time reading this poor excuse for a memoir. If you're looking for something interesting to read with a hell of a lot more substance (that is also by someone who starred in Little House), try Alison Arngrim's Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.
August 10, 2010
Whoa. Wow. In a word, 'Craptacular'. This book was majorly disappointing. After reading Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim's books, I have to rate this one fifth. Yes, fifth place out of three books. It's that bad. I'm guessing the actresses that played Carrie and perhaps the dog who played Jack would be better reads than this waste of time, money, and effort. If you take away the retelling of Little House episodes, you'd have about five pages of text. I'm baffled why Melissa Sue Anderson would think anyone who watched the shows enough to want to read her book would want to simply read a retelling of episodes. Quite simply, this book sucks. Skip it and read Alison Arngrim's book - it's well written, thoughtful, funny, and eye-opening. This one will be in the bargain bin before you know it... if you see it there, don't waste your seventy-five cents on it.
September 23, 2010
This book was super boring. After reading Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by the actress who played Nellie Oleson, I was very curious about Melissa Sue Anderson, who played Mary and was apparently quite a little snot to the other child actresses, if not to everybody. I was hoping this book would give her perspective and explain what was going on. Totally not, however. The vast majority of the book was a rehash of the plots of the Little House episodes featuring Mary. That was probably 85%, then another 10% was "and then I got X part on show Y, and that was really cool because I got to work with famous people A, B, and C. Here's the plot of that...." The Little House plot rehashes were boring enough, but at least I had seen those, so I could look on it with some fondness. These other shows and movies offered me nothing.
I'm really disappointed that there was almost no personal content in this book whatsoever. What did she think? How did she feel? What was her family like? Nothing. There were a few snipes at Melissa Gilbert, but even those weren't direct enough to inspire much interest.
One part that surprised me was a bit about Michael Landon having an affair with, and eventually marrying, Melissa Sue Anderson's double. But even that was limited to a few paragraphs and covered with a surprising degree of blandness. Michael Landon's death? Three sentences, even though they were friends again by then and had worked together on a bunch of other stuff besides Little House. Even when the author gets married, it's told in two detached paragraphs. Is this woman a robot? Or maybe she just didn't want to share herself or her feelings with the public... in which case, why write this book???
Also, the dialog was really awkward, and she very cheesily used the device of presenting things in script format occasionally, with even more awkwardness than the straight writing. Very lame. Overall, the only explanation I can offer for having finished reading this book is that I was bored.
P.S. In addition to stories of life on the set, Melissa offers revealing looks at her relationships off-set with her costars, including the other Melissa (Melissa Gilbert) and Alison Arngrim, who portrayed Nellie Oleson on the show. from the book cover? Lies. That's what I wanted to see, and the closest she came to this was writing that one time she and Melissa Gilbert went to an amusement park with Michael Landon and his kids, and people recognized them and she felt sorry for Michael Landon's kids because he ended up signing a bunch of autographs all day, and another time she says Melissa Gilbert acted like a little kid even off camera (she was 9). That's it. Ooh, deep stuff there--not!
I'm really disappointed that there was almost no personal content in this book whatsoever. What did she think? How did she feel? What was her family like? Nothing. There were a few snipes at Melissa Gilbert, but even those weren't direct enough to inspire much interest.
One part that surprised me was a bit about Michael Landon having an affair with, and eventually marrying, Melissa Sue Anderson's double. But even that was limited to a few paragraphs and covered with a surprising degree of blandness. Michael Landon's death? Three sentences, even though they were friends again by then and had worked together on a bunch of other stuff besides Little House. Even when the author gets married, it's told in two detached paragraphs. Is this woman a robot? Or maybe she just didn't want to share herself or her feelings with the public... in which case, why write this book???
Also, the dialog was really awkward, and she very cheesily used the device of presenting things in script format occasionally, with even more awkwardness than the straight writing. Very lame. Overall, the only explanation I can offer for having finished reading this book is that I was bored.
P.S. In addition to stories of life on the set, Melissa offers revealing looks at her relationships off-set with her costars, including the other Melissa (Melissa Gilbert) and Alison Arngrim, who portrayed Nellie Oleson on the show. from the book cover? Lies. That's what I wanted to see, and the closest she came to this was writing that one time she and Melissa Gilbert went to an amusement park with Michael Landon and his kids, and people recognized them and she felt sorry for Michael Landon's kids because he ended up signing a bunch of autographs all day, and another time she says Melissa Gilbert acted like a little kid even off camera (she was 9). That's it. Ooh, deep stuff there--not!
March 6, 2018
This may be the worst Little House memoir of all. It is the unemotional and cold account of Melissa Sue Anderson's time on Little House On the Prairie. It was so unbelievably dull. At the time I read it my life was extremely stressful and this book certainly didn't tax my brain and it enabled me to fall asleep each night with ease.
I have to wonder what the point of this book was? To relive a cherished time in America's golden age of wholesome TV? Um no. To put to rest the rumors that she was unfriendly and difficult? Or even to tell her side of the story? Um no. This book contains very little depth and the bulk of it consists of Melissa Sue (she doesn't care to be called that BTW) sitting watching the DVDs...hitting pause...writing down the blow-by-blow account of her more memorable episodes with very little commentary. Bizarre. Equally bizarre is when describing something that might actually be interesting she writes it in a screen play format...Lest you try to ferret out any emotion from her whatsoever.
This was such a strange book. Even some of her pictures where copies of newspaper clippings etc. The very few family pictures she included were years old and there were absolutely zero photos of her parents. In fact, there is hardly any biographical information from her life prior to Little House. It is strange to read a "memoir" with such little personal content. There is a bit more at the end of the book about meeting her husband and having her children. But it still lacks any depth and is so detached and bland that who cares by this point anyway.
After reading this book it doesn't appear that she had any friends on the set or that she keeps in touch with anyone. From information gleaned from reading both Melissa Gilbert's book and Alison Arngrim's book she doesn't come to any Little House reunions. Things like this only lend credence to the claims of her former costars about her onset behavior.
There is no reason to read this book. Watch the DVDs and imagine her voice describing everything. "Mary walks in...Adam smiles. Ma says...blah blah blah." That's what this book is...blah, bland, detached and a total bore.
My Review: Boring with a capital B.
I have to wonder what the point of this book was? To relive a cherished time in America's golden age of wholesome TV? Um no. To put to rest the rumors that she was unfriendly and difficult? Or even to tell her side of the story? Um no. This book contains very little depth and the bulk of it consists of Melissa Sue (she doesn't care to be called that BTW) sitting watching the DVDs...hitting pause...writing down the blow-by-blow account of her more memorable episodes with very little commentary. Bizarre. Equally bizarre is when describing something that might actually be interesting she writes it in a screen play format...Lest you try to ferret out any emotion from her whatsoever.
This was such a strange book. Even some of her pictures where copies of newspaper clippings etc. The very few family pictures she included were years old and there were absolutely zero photos of her parents. In fact, there is hardly any biographical information from her life prior to Little House. It is strange to read a "memoir" with such little personal content. There is a bit more at the end of the book about meeting her husband and having her children. But it still lacks any depth and is so detached and bland that who cares by this point anyway.
After reading this book it doesn't appear that she had any friends on the set or that she keeps in touch with anyone. From information gleaned from reading both Melissa Gilbert's book and Alison Arngrim's book she doesn't come to any Little House reunions. Things like this only lend credence to the claims of her former costars about her onset behavior.
There is no reason to read this book. Watch the DVDs and imagine her voice describing everything. "Mary walks in...Adam smiles. Ma says...blah blah blah." That's what this book is...blah, bland, detached and a total bore.
My Review: Boring with a capital B.
May 13, 2010
have to honestly say that this book was so much better than the Melissa Gilbert book. The reason that it was so much better and deserves five stars is because it focused more on "Little House", had a lot of wonderful stories, the pictures were great and went deeper into the life of Melissa Sue Anderson without having anything vulgar in it. I reccommend it to all of the bookworms like me, and also for big fans of "Little House"(which I am also.)
You get to see more of the personality of Michael Landon, the work, writing, directing and steps it took to create the wonderful series of "Little House" based off of Laura Ingalls Wilder's amazing series of books. There are things about Michael Landon in here that shows he only is human, also about Melissa aka Missy as people called her to not have the two Melissa's mixed-up, doing such a wonderful job at playing a blind person that people really thought she went blind. Also the wonderful stories of Melissa hanging out with Michael Landon's daughter, family, friends, people from the show and her relationship with them. I don't want to give away to much, for those who haven't read it yet, but know this it was defintely worth reading.
You get to see more of the personality of Michael Landon, the work, writing, directing and steps it took to create the wonderful series of "Little House" based off of Laura Ingalls Wilder's amazing series of books. There are things about Michael Landon in here that shows he only is human, also about Melissa aka Missy as people called her to not have the two Melissa's mixed-up, doing such a wonderful job at playing a blind person that people really thought she went blind. Also the wonderful stories of Melissa hanging out with Michael Landon's daughter, family, friends, people from the show and her relationship with them. I don't want to give away to much, for those who haven't read it yet, but know this it was defintely worth reading.
June 26, 2010
In her new memoir, "The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House", Melissa Anderson, who played Mary Ingalls on the classic family show Little House on the Prairie, shares her memories of several Little House episodes and her career during her time on the iconic show.
Taking readers from her initial meeting with beloved creator, actor and producer, Michael Landon, through After-School Specials, Love Boat episodes, The Equalizer, and more, Anderson speaks fondly of the career she temporarily left behind to raise her family.
Out of the three books recently written by Little House on the Prairie cast members, this is the one I wanted to read the most. We still hear a lot about Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim, but Anderson walked away from the business and had maintained her privacy for years. Knowing she was finally ready to discuss with fans her Little House years, found me pre-ordering the book from Amazon as soon as it was posted. Despite the fact that I have over 60 books in my TBR pile, the minute this book arrived on my doorstep, I cracked it open and began reading. Perhaps that's why my disappointment seems so great.
I wanted to get to know more about Melissa Anderson, her relationships with the cast and crew of my favorite show, and how she handled being a child star. It ended with me not feeling I learned much more than when I started.
"The Way I See It" is mostly recaps of Little House episodes in which the character of Mary played a significant role. In addition, there are spots where the dialogue from the episodes is quoted. Having been a fan since childhood, I could probably recite most of these episodes back from memory.
While Anderson shared some memories of Michael Landon and Karen Grassle, the rest of the cast and crew received minimal nods. She didn't speak ill of them, but I felt after so long on a show, she would have more to share about those people she grew up around. I wasn't looking for dirt on who she might not have gotten along with, but it seems like her need for privacy prevented her from offering anything new to readers.
I admire Melissa Anderson. She's beautiful, she's talented, and I would love to see her back on the small screen again. She gave up her career to raise her family and she's not sorry about it. While I am glad I purchased the book so that I can add it to my Laura Ingalls Wilder/LHOP collection, I wish she had been willing to open up more about the role that defined her career.
Taking readers from her initial meeting with beloved creator, actor and producer, Michael Landon, through After-School Specials, Love Boat episodes, The Equalizer, and more, Anderson speaks fondly of the career she temporarily left behind to raise her family.
Out of the three books recently written by Little House on the Prairie cast members, this is the one I wanted to read the most. We still hear a lot about Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim, but Anderson walked away from the business and had maintained her privacy for years. Knowing she was finally ready to discuss with fans her Little House years, found me pre-ordering the book from Amazon as soon as it was posted. Despite the fact that I have over 60 books in my TBR pile, the minute this book arrived on my doorstep, I cracked it open and began reading. Perhaps that's why my disappointment seems so great.
I wanted to get to know more about Melissa Anderson, her relationships with the cast and crew of my favorite show, and how she handled being a child star. It ended with me not feeling I learned much more than when I started.
"The Way I See It" is mostly recaps of Little House episodes in which the character of Mary played a significant role. In addition, there are spots where the dialogue from the episodes is quoted. Having been a fan since childhood, I could probably recite most of these episodes back from memory.
While Anderson shared some memories of Michael Landon and Karen Grassle, the rest of the cast and crew received minimal nods. She didn't speak ill of them, but I felt after so long on a show, she would have more to share about those people she grew up around. I wasn't looking for dirt on who she might not have gotten along with, but it seems like her need for privacy prevented her from offering anything new to readers.
I admire Melissa Anderson. She's beautiful, she's talented, and I would love to see her back on the small screen again. She gave up her career to raise her family and she's not sorry about it. While I am glad I purchased the book so that I can add it to my Laura Ingalls Wilder/LHOP collection, I wish she had been willing to open up more about the role that defined her career.
January 24, 2012
You have to be a real Little House fan to even care about 3/4 of what she has written. Apparently, her "research" for this book involved watching every old episode of the show, and giving her memories from the shooting of each. Each chapter contains a episode summary form one or two shows, with passive-aggressive stabs at her co-stars sprinkled throughout.
I picked up this book, because I kind of felt she was being portrayed unfairly by her costars in their memoirs.... What do you know: they were right. She is a know-it-all and (almost) completely unbearable. As a tv fanatic, I am not charmed by a 11-yr old who calls Michael Landon "Mike" from their first meeting, and is pissy that Laura Ingalls Wilder didnt write enough story line about Mary. Hello?? It was Wilder's AUTObiography! How rude of her not to write a part juicy enough for a pretentious preteen, who lands the role of her sister some 75 years later....
1.23.12
I've had enough..... not finishing....
I picked up this book, because I kind of felt she was being portrayed unfairly by her costars in their memoirs.... What do you know: they were right. She is a know-it-all and (almost) completely unbearable. As a tv fanatic, I am not charmed by a 11-yr old who calls Michael Landon "Mike" from their first meeting, and is pissy that Laura Ingalls Wilder didnt write enough story line about Mary. Hello?? It was Wilder's AUTObiography! How rude of her not to write a part juicy enough for a pretentious preteen, who lands the role of her sister some 75 years later....
1.23.12
I've had enough..... not finishing....
May 21, 2014
Finally ... an autobiography by a child star that has not screwed up her life by doing drugs, alcohol, etc.
In the book, Melissa says that if she could advise child actors, she would tell them: Make sure you have something you can fall back on. Make sure your life doesn't only revolve around show business. Develop different interests and, most of all, get to know the great person that is way down deep. Spend your hard-earned money wisely. Furthering your education is a good idea. Make the most of the opportunity you've been given; appreciate it, but don't perceive it as the Be All, End All. I think this is excellent advice!
Anderson describes her life using her favorite episodes of Little House as a guideline. The best thing is that many of her favorites are also mine, as well.
Also, I learned that Michael Landon's second wife was not originally a make-up artist on the show. Rather, she was Anderson's double on the show.
Finally, Anderson included one of my favorite quotes from the show (as spoken by Patricia Neal's character):
Remember me with smiles and laughter,
For that's the way I'll remember you all.
If you can only remember me with tears,
Then don't remember me at all.
In the book, Melissa says that if she could advise child actors, she would tell them: Make sure you have something you can fall back on. Make sure your life doesn't only revolve around show business. Develop different interests and, most of all, get to know the great person that is way down deep. Spend your hard-earned money wisely. Furthering your education is a good idea. Make the most of the opportunity you've been given; appreciate it, but don't perceive it as the Be All, End All. I think this is excellent advice!
Anderson describes her life using her favorite episodes of Little House as a guideline. The best thing is that many of her favorites are also mine, as well.
Also, I learned that Michael Landon's second wife was not originally a make-up artist on the show. Rather, she was Anderson's double on the show.
Finally, Anderson included one of my favorite quotes from the show (as spoken by Patricia Neal's character):
Remember me with smiles and laughter,
For that's the way I'll remember you all.
If you can only remember me with tears,
Then don't remember me at all.
August 20, 2010
I would give this book a half star if I could. It was horrible and gives autobiographies a bad name. Having read Melissa Gilbert's memoir and Alison Angrim, I was looking forward to the third take on growing up in the Little House series. Melissa Sue Anderson really did not understand the point. This book did not mention her parents or life before she auditioned for the series. You don't know until the last page whether or not she had siblings. You have only a couple of pages on her
husband and kids. What she did instead is write about the plot of each episode she was in in detail. She does not tell what it was like to shoot the episodes or much about her co-stars. She tells us instead what Mary went through. I knew that from watching the episode and learned nothing new here. What a waste!
husband and kids. What she did instead is write about the plot of each episode she was in in detail. She does not tell what it was like to shoot the episodes or much about her co-stars. She tells us instead what Mary went through. I knew that from watching the episode and learned nothing new here. What a waste!
January 26, 2012
This book was DULL. I liked the beginning, highlighting the pilot and little insider notes. I found myself Googling the area in California where it was shot and feeling nostalgic for the 70's. After the first 20 pages, I even Youtubed the pilot, and watched it again, some 30 years after I watched it as a kid. But the format in which this memoir was written was too weird to be engaging.
Firstly, it feels like she had the whole series out and was watching the episodes while writing down notes then publishing it. So you wind up reading plot synopsis of every episode that was memorable to her. After about the fifth plot synopsis, I realized there was going to be no information about her personal life. Not that I wanted dish and drama. But just little things, like what was your family life like? Did you have hobbies? Were you parents into theatre? That kind of thing.
You don't get that. Just plot synopis after plot synopsis. I wonder if the editor at the imprint was sleeping; maybe the editor was paid off? The level of editing or direction is zero.
I returned it back to the library unfinished.
Firstly, it feels like she had the whole series out and was watching the episodes while writing down notes then publishing it. So you wind up reading plot synopsis of every episode that was memorable to her. After about the fifth plot synopsis, I realized there was going to be no information about her personal life. Not that I wanted dish and drama. But just little things, like what was your family life like? Did you have hobbies? Were you parents into theatre? That kind of thing.
You don't get that. Just plot synopis after plot synopsis. I wonder if the editor at the imprint was sleeping; maybe the editor was paid off? The level of editing or direction is zero.
I returned it back to the library unfinished.
January 31, 2021
Having grown up watching LHOTP on television, I always connected with Mary in the early seasons. She was the practical, studious type (she even wore glasses like me!) whereas Laura was more outgoing and rambunctious (like my sister). That being said, I was interested in reading some of the memoirs written by the actresses from the show.
Ideally, a memoir is supposed to give the reader insight into the person's life and who they are outside of their career/profession. With Melissa Anderson's book, there isn't much about her as a person. There are plenty of plot summaries of Mary-centered episodes ("The Award," "Four Eyes," "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away," etc.) and a few tidbits of behind-the-scene information on the production of these episodes. There's also quite a bit on the work Anderson did outside of Little House, such as her guest spots on other popular shows and television movies. Other than that, you don't really get to know her outside of her career as an actress.
The character of Mary is still my favorite on the series, but this book does not reveal much of the actress who portrayed her.
Ideally, a memoir is supposed to give the reader insight into the person's life and who they are outside of their career/profession. With Melissa Anderson's book, there isn't much about her as a person. There are plenty of plot summaries of Mary-centered episodes ("The Award," "Four Eyes," "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away," etc.) and a few tidbits of behind-the-scene information on the production of these episodes. There's also quite a bit on the work Anderson did outside of Little House, such as her guest spots on other popular shows and television movies. Other than that, you don't really get to know her outside of her career as an actress.
The character of Mary is still my favorite on the series, but this book does not reveal much of the actress who portrayed her.
May 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I appreciate Melissa Anderson's clean approach to telling her story which means "no use of profanity." It was an easy read, unlike Melissa Gilbert's book which contained too much unnecessary use of profanity and sexual relationships. Melissa Anderson's story shows that actors and actresses can lead a clean life without constant marriage breakups and having sex with every person one meets. She has a lot of morals about her that is highly appreciated. This is a book that teenagers can read and learn from. The only reason I did not give this book five stars is because of Melissa Anderson's overuse of summaries from the Little House episodes. Instead, I would have liked to have heard more about her relationships with the cast of Little House. I have seen every episode of Little House and did not need a summary of each episode. Near the end of the book, I bypassed a few summaries because I had tired of reading them. With that exception, I think the book was a great read and would highly recommend it to other readers.
June 2, 2010
I was a HUGE Little House fan! And Mary was my favorite character. This book, however, was a huge disappointment. Melissa Anderson is not a writer. I found her sections written in the form of a script annoying and disruptive to the flow of the book. There were certainly some interesting tidbits in there. Mostly though, Anderson just gave a recap of some of her most memorable epidsodes. She obviously didn't like Melissa Gilbert and I wish she would have just come out and said it rather than putting in little jabs toward her co-star here and there. I also felt Anderson came off as arrogant in this book.
March 28, 2015
Boring, so boring. Who is Melissa Anderson? I hadn't a clue before and I haven't a clue now. Not as good as Melissa Gilbert's bio. Not as good as Alison Arngrid's, either. Is she hiding something?
May 27, 2010
When I heard about this book, I literally could not wait to dive into it. I was like a kid on Christmas morning, opening the book with the same type of awe usually afforded to that Red Ryder BB gun or Barbie's deluxe penthouse. So I should probably begin this review with a disclaimer - - I love Little House on the Prairie. I loved the books when I was little, I loved the television show and I love reading about production of the show and what went on behind the scenes.
The Way I See It is Melissa Anderson's tale of growing up on the set of one of the most beloved and iconic television shows of the 1970s, from her initial audition to taping her last episode seven years later. The book itself is broken into sections for each year of the show, with specific episodes highlighted. Ms. Anderson recounts behind the scenes tales of everything from a Dinty Moore beef stew overload (what the cast members ate during meal scenes where they had stew) to disputes between co-stars.
Michael Landon and Karen Grassle (the actress who played Caroline Ingalls) would apparently butt heads throughout much of the run of the show. Grassle was a classically trained actress who wished to have a more significant role on the show, against Landon's wishes. Landon himself was revealed as a controlling jokester with a mean streak who could be difficult to work with, particularly once he began an affair with Anderson's stand-in, but who could still remain a compassionate and caring man.
Ms. Anderson herself did not go without a bit of friction, as she recounted the awkwardness between herself and co-star Radames Pera, who played early love interest John Sanderson, and their first kiss.
Ms. Anderson recounts these instances with class and grace, without resorting to mudslinging or name calling that is often peppered in Hollywood memoirs. Also missing from Ms. Anderson's memoir, happily, is the all too tragic tale of alcohol, drugs and other vices that are too common in child actors today. In fact, Ms. Anderson appears to have escaped unscathed from the downside of the entertainment biz and she comes across as a very level headed and secure adult.
I finished this book in two or three days. It was an easy read and fun one, albeit one without dirt and gossip. I very much enjoyed Ms. Anderson's memories of the show once Mary went blind and appreciated how terrified she herself was to take on such an enormous undertaking (and remember, she herself was only fifteen when she had to portray a newly blind teenager, which she did stunningly).
Any readers that are looking for a tabloid type of recounting will be disappointed and I encourage those readers not to pick up this book. For those readers who love and appreciate Little House on the Prairie, this book will be a fun and informative read. As the title suggests, this is not Melissa Anderson's complete biography so don't approach it as such. It's her life during the run of Little House, so it does include the performances she gave on films and television shows between 1974 and 1981 but nothing prior or since.
Was there anything I found disappointing in the book? I do wish there had been more mentioned about the relationship between Ms. Anderson and Melissa Gilbert, who played sisters, as well as with Allison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson. I also would have loved reading a behind the scenes recap on each and every single Little House episode but, of course, that would have increased the size of the book exponentially.
All things considered, I enjoyed my time back on the prairie with Ms. Anderson and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book.
The Way I See It is Melissa Anderson's tale of growing up on the set of one of the most beloved and iconic television shows of the 1970s, from her initial audition to taping her last episode seven years later. The book itself is broken into sections for each year of the show, with specific episodes highlighted. Ms. Anderson recounts behind the scenes tales of everything from a Dinty Moore beef stew overload (what the cast members ate during meal scenes where they had stew) to disputes between co-stars.
Michael Landon and Karen Grassle (the actress who played Caroline Ingalls) would apparently butt heads throughout much of the run of the show. Grassle was a classically trained actress who wished to have a more significant role on the show, against Landon's wishes. Landon himself was revealed as a controlling jokester with a mean streak who could be difficult to work with, particularly once he began an affair with Anderson's stand-in, but who could still remain a compassionate and caring man.
Ms. Anderson herself did not go without a bit of friction, as she recounted the awkwardness between herself and co-star Radames Pera, who played early love interest John Sanderson, and their first kiss.
Ms. Anderson recounts these instances with class and grace, without resorting to mudslinging or name calling that is often peppered in Hollywood memoirs. Also missing from Ms. Anderson's memoir, happily, is the all too tragic tale of alcohol, drugs and other vices that are too common in child actors today. In fact, Ms. Anderson appears to have escaped unscathed from the downside of the entertainment biz and she comes across as a very level headed and secure adult.
I finished this book in two or three days. It was an easy read and fun one, albeit one without dirt and gossip. I very much enjoyed Ms. Anderson's memories of the show once Mary went blind and appreciated how terrified she herself was to take on such an enormous undertaking (and remember, she herself was only fifteen when she had to portray a newly blind teenager, which she did stunningly).
Any readers that are looking for a tabloid type of recounting will be disappointed and I encourage those readers not to pick up this book. For those readers who love and appreciate Little House on the Prairie, this book will be a fun and informative read. As the title suggests, this is not Melissa Anderson's complete biography so don't approach it as such. It's her life during the run of Little House, so it does include the performances she gave on films and television shows between 1974 and 1981 but nothing prior or since.
Was there anything I found disappointing in the book? I do wish there had been more mentioned about the relationship between Ms. Anderson and Melissa Gilbert, who played sisters, as well as with Allison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson. I also would have loved reading a behind the scenes recap on each and every single Little House episode but, of course, that would have increased the size of the book exponentially.
All things considered, I enjoyed my time back on the prairie with Ms. Anderson and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book.
Read
January 5, 2011Remember that opening scene to The Little House on the Prairie, when the girls were running downhill in a field of wildflowers? Well, nothing was actually growing at that time of year, and all the flowers were plastic, stuck into the ground on little wires. That's the kind of fun thing you learn reading this book. Word on the street says that this is one dull memoir, and by today's standards, it is. Melissa Anderson (called Melissa Sue Anderson back in the day) was never abused, never did drugs, and never sank into crime. She loved being on Little House, has wonderful memories, was delighted that she got to meet so many famous people (Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Steven Spielberg to name a few). She grew up to get married and stay married, and raise normal children. My husband gave me this book because, like most little girls of my generation, I watched Little House religiously. It was fun to get a look behind the scenes. It was hot on location in California, especially wearing long sleeves and tights, so the actors all had sweat rolling down them. Michael Landon made all the cast members wear heavy makeup so they would match his olive-toned skin. Michael Landon was autocratic on the set, but still managed to be a kindly father-figure to Melissa. The closest thing to scandal here is that Michael disappointed Melissa by having an affair (with her stand-in) and smoking marijuana. But they remained friends. If you loved Little House, you'll want to read this. If you weren't a big fan, probably not.
February 7, 2011
If I wanted an episode guide to Little House, I would use Wikipedia.
I found this book painful to read and ended up skimming the last half of it. Where's all the behind-the-scenes stuff? It was very lightly sprinkled in with boring episode descriptions. I felt like I was reading an essay written by a 6th grader.
I also found the book to be completely unrealistic. It read as if Melissa rarely had problems, and the problems she had were made cute by her dialogue and dry descriptions. When I read a memoir, I like a little more honesty.
I still have no idea who Melissa Anderson is. We got zero depth of her real-life personality. I'm left wondering if she just wrote this book because everyone else was doing it.
I found this book painful to read and ended up skimming the last half of it. Where's all the behind-the-scenes stuff? It was very lightly sprinkled in with boring episode descriptions. I felt like I was reading an essay written by a 6th grader.
I also found the book to be completely unrealistic. It read as if Melissa rarely had problems, and the problems she had were made cute by her dialogue and dry descriptions. When I read a memoir, I like a little more honesty.
I still have no idea who Melissa Anderson is. We got zero depth of her real-life personality. I'm left wondering if she just wrote this book because everyone else was doing it.
June 29, 2010
I am only halfway through this farce of a book and I just finished Alison Arngrim's memoir of her time spent on LHOP...everything Alison says about Missy Anderson being rude and standoffish is being confirmed for me. Melissa comes off as incredibly snotty and arrogant in her book and the writing is just terrible. The "scripted" dialogue is distracting and Melissa takes every opportunity to praise herself, praise herself through others' comments and slam her former co-stars. Not my cup of tea. Alison Arngrim's book is much better and I look forward to Melissa Gilbert's take on the Little House years.
August 22, 2010
If you've ever wished that you could read an actor's DVD commentary in expensive hardcover book form, you are so in luck.
October 9, 2023
Melissa Anderson is best known as the eldest daughter of Charles and Caroline Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, which ran from 1974-1983. Anderson details the way she was cast as the oldest Ingalls child and how excited she was because she had been such a fan of the books. As the series continues, she details the main storylines she was a part of and how she felt about them. She also explains when she knew it was time to hang up her bonnet.
I am a Little House fan and have read the entire series. I will also catch a rerun anytime I can. After reading Alison Arngrim's memoir I knew I wanted to read more behind the scenes books. Anderson does a good job of telling her story and does so in such a way that the reader is instantly transported to the episode and can see it in their mind's eye. She also shares details of how she tried to be a regular teenager while on one of the most popular shows of the time. She describes how she felt about Michael Landon and his affair with her body double. She also explains when she knew it was time to leave Walnut Grove for good. The only thing that could have made this book a lot better was if she had read it herself although the narrator did a wonderful job.
I am a Little House fan and have read the entire series. I will also catch a rerun anytime I can. After reading Alison Arngrim's memoir I knew I wanted to read more behind the scenes books. Anderson does a good job of telling her story and does so in such a way that the reader is instantly transported to the episode and can see it in their mind's eye. She also shares details of how she tried to be a regular teenager while on one of the most popular shows of the time. She describes how she felt about Michael Landon and his affair with her body double. She also explains when she knew it was time to leave Walnut Grove for good. The only thing that could have made this book a lot better was if she had read it herself although the narrator did a wonderful job.
November 20, 2022
Mostly episode recaps, that would be familiar to anyone interested in the book.
May 12, 2022
I read this memoir of Melissa Anderson, who played the oldest sister Mary on Little House on the Prairie, years ago. However, I am on a LHOTP kick after recently reading Karen Grassle's (Ma), Charlotte Stewart's (Miss Beadle) and Alison Arngrim's (Nellie) books, so I decided to skim Anderson's book again, and will also revisit Melissa Gilbert's memoir soon.
This actress has been recalled as aloof by all the other actresses' memoirs, and this book seems to prove their point, for Anderson remains distant even in her writings. Most of what she shares are simply recaps of episodes, with no special insight. She utilizes a very strange writing technique throughout the book- she writes a few conversations as if they were screenplays, perhaps as a nod to her IRL screenwriting husband. While she shares a bit of gossip about the show, her life remains an enigma and I found this book very off-putting and bloodless- why did she even bother to write a book (of course for the money) if she wasn't going to be chatty or engaging? Yet, I do have to mention, that she seems to have had the most stable adult homelife of all the LHOTP actresses- she built a solid life without all the drama that the other women have gone thru, so kudos to her for that. (Actual review 2.5/5)
This actress has been recalled as aloof by all the other actresses' memoirs, and this book seems to prove their point, for Anderson remains distant even in her writings. Most of what she shares are simply recaps of episodes, with no special insight. She utilizes a very strange writing technique throughout the book- she writes a few conversations as if they were screenplays, perhaps as a nod to her IRL screenwriting husband. While she shares a bit of gossip about the show, her life remains an enigma and I found this book very off-putting and bloodless- why did she even bother to write a book (of course for the money) if she wasn't going to be chatty or engaging? Yet, I do have to mention, that she seems to have had the most stable adult homelife of all the LHOTP actresses- she built a solid life without all the drama that the other women have gone thru, so kudos to her for that. (Actual review 2.5/5)
April 27, 2012
After reading some of the other reviews, I was a little nervous about reading this book, but I am finding the book to be charming. It is as though little Mary Ingalls was writing it. Like some other reviewers have stated, it is apparent that Melissa is watching the episodes as she's writing it. I find that to be interesting because it's as though one is sitting beside her watching the episodes with her as she shares her personal experiences, her thoughts and views of the episodes and those that were involved in the making of those episodes.
I find it refreshing that she doesn't trash her co-stars or deliver the dirt on everyone she's worked with. I do find it interesting to learn little-known, behind-the-scenes details about how some of the episodes were made.
I have two other books to read about Little House on the Prairie, by Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura and Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson. I'm glad I chose to read Melissa Anderson's book first because it gave me a review of the series and is just such a refreshing look at the events and characters of that show. I look forward to being able to compare the books.
I was such a big fan of the Little House on the Prairie, and I'm delighted to see the reruns that are still on. I wish Hollywood would give families more shows like this one today.
I find it refreshing that she doesn't trash her co-stars or deliver the dirt on everyone she's worked with. I do find it interesting to learn little-known, behind-the-scenes details about how some of the episodes were made.
I have two other books to read about Little House on the Prairie, by Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura and Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson. I'm glad I chose to read Melissa Anderson's book first because it gave me a review of the series and is just such a refreshing look at the events and characters of that show. I look forward to being able to compare the books.
I was such a big fan of the Little House on the Prairie, and I'm delighted to see the reruns that are still on. I wish Hollywood would give families more shows like this one today.
July 3, 2011
Another autobiography that could have used a lot more editing, some writing assitance, and a few more revisions.
Hated - oh so strongly hated - the faux screenplay text portions of the book. Geez. Just tell your story. Don't make us parse through a fake screenplay to figure out what's going on.
Hated the line by line re-enactments of individual Little House episodes. We know - we've watched them. We don't need you telling us all about them again. Spend more time on how you felt in those episodes, what challenges you faced in the acting, what about the episode touched you (or didn't), what you remember about it, what you learned, etc.
There was a good book in here that just wasn't allowed to be free.
In the end I just felt ambivalent about the entire book.
Hated - oh so strongly hated - the faux screenplay text portions of the book. Geez. Just tell your story. Don't make us parse through a fake screenplay to figure out what's going on.
Hated the line by line re-enactments of individual Little House episodes. We know - we've watched them. We don't need you telling us all about them again. Spend more time on how you felt in those episodes, what challenges you faced in the acting, what about the episode touched you (or didn't), what you remember about it, what you learned, etc.
There was a good book in here that just wasn't allowed to be free.
In the end I just felt ambivalent about the entire book.
May 23, 2024
I think I wanted to learn about Melissa Sue from reading her book. I was part of the Ingalls family too, but we didn't share much time together on the screen. This book is more about days of filming, lines, and what happens on a television set... not about Melissa Sue as a person.
did-not-finish
April 5, 2024I chose this because I read Nellie Oleson’s memoir (which was very, very good) and in it she had some choice things to say about Mary Ingalls. Now I can see why. I don’t know if Anderson is shallow or stuck up or shy or not great at writing or just not very smart, but I can see why she didn’t get along with those of her costars known to be outspoken, progressive, and open about their lives. Anderson is none of those things, and this book is practically devoid of any useful content.
I’ve been allll over the Little House 50th anniversary celebrations, and she’s completely absent from them. I just…how?! Very, very strange.
I got about a quarter in before I accepted the fact that she was really going to spend most of the book recapping episodes in which she was featured. Not giving behind-the-scenes insight or anything like that, just straight up, “And then Pa said his line and I said mine and then I had to remember to take a bite of cornbread.” Just so, so bad.
I’ve been allll over the Little House 50th anniversary celebrations, and she’s completely absent from them. I just…how?! Very, very strange.
I got about a quarter in before I accepted the fact that she was really going to spend most of the book recapping episodes in which she was featured. Not giving behind-the-scenes insight or anything like that, just straight up, “And then Pa said his line and I said mine and then I had to remember to take a bite of cornbread.” Just so, so bad.
July 7, 2022
Another book I read awhile ago, they're all coming back to me now.
October 16, 2010
The Way I See It lacked any depth. The book made me wonder if she remembers her time on Little House. She mentioned at the beginning that she was doing her research for the book by watching the episodes over again. That was obvious: The book read very much like a report. It consisted of synopses of various episodes with an occasional "It was neat to work with that actor/actress," etc.
Any mention of her co-stars is very vague, with comments of, "So-and-so probably wasn't happy about that." The exception was Michael Landon, who she regularly described as mean. Because of the absence of any stories, etc. of working with any of her regular co-stars, it comes across that she had no connection with anyone on the set -- like she was an outsider looking in.
Definitely wasn't worth the read.
Any mention of her co-stars is very vague, with comments of, "So-and-so probably wasn't happy about that." The exception was Michael Landon, who she regularly described as mean. Because of the absence of any stories, etc. of working with any of her regular co-stars, it comes across that she had no connection with anyone on the set -- like she was an outsider looking in.
Definitely wasn't worth the read.
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