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The First Four Years
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Trea, Erica, & Cindy - Little House Series
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message 101:
by
Cindy
(new)
Oct 21, 2016 02:09PM
I started it yesterday and I'm worried about the shanty in the winter too! And I got to where Laura encountered Almanzo. I just read a couple of chapters late last night but I'll have more time to put to it tonight and tomorrow.
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Cindy wrote: "I started it yesterday and I'm worried about the shanty in the winter too! And I got to where Laura encountered Almanzo. I just read a couple of chapters late last night but I'll have more time to ..."I got to the start of Chapter 6. That shanty is not going to last the winter!
Mod
I can't believe how awful these unending blizzards are. Think how isolated this tiny town is. These people had some kind of guts being out there virtually alone.
I wound up finishing it a couple of days ago. I'm really wanting to see the romance between Laura and Almanzo now! That's a bit of a subplot that I doubt I would have seen when I was a child reading these!The blizzards were horrible! I can't imagine having to live the way Laura and her family did back then!
Do we want to go back to reading two books of the series next month so we can wrap up the buddy read by the end of the year?
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Erica wrote: "I'm good with that. These go quickly, and I'm just as anxious to see Laura and Almanzo's story begin!"Cool, shall we start Little Town on the 1st then?
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Cool, shall we start Little Town on the 1st then?"
Sure, if Cindy's up for it!
Sounds good to me! I don't know how they survived those blizzards. Even just getting through the boredom! I was going stir crazy in my house this past January when we got 3 feet of snow and I was stuck in the house for like 4 days... with electricity, internet, and netflix! lol
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I don't know how they survived those blizzards. Even just getting through the boredom! I was going stir crazy in my house this past January when we got 3 feet of snow and I was..."
No kidding. I didn't think of it that way, but you're right. Laura did talk about feeling sleepy and sluggish. They weren't eating very much, so their systems were probably functioning at a very low level. I can't imagine how hungry Pa must have been with all the physical work he still did each day. It's just amazing this little town survived.
Erica wrote: "Cindy wrote: "Sounds good to me! I don't know how they survived those blizzards. Even just getting through the boredom! I was going stir crazy in my house this past January when we got 3 feet of ...
... I can't imagine how hungry Pa must have been with all the physical work he still did each day. It's just amazing this little town survived."
Very true!
Mod
I'm impressed that Laura and Carrie both knew the Declaration of Independence by heart. I am familiar with it, but certainly couldn't recite it.
Also - very happy that Almanzo has made a showing at the 4th of July horse races. I can't wait for him and Laura to truly meet!
Erica wrote: "I have gotten a start on Little Town on the Prairie. It's interesting that she describes the musty and acrid smells of the town. I bet people were pretty ripe!I'm impressed that Laura and Carrie both knew the Declaration of Independence by heart. I am familiar with it, but certainly couldn't recite it.
Also - very happy that Almanzo has made a showing at the 4th of July horse races. I can't wait for him and Laura to truly meet!"
I liked the town's descriptions too!
I was also impressed by Laura and Carrie both knowing the Declaration...and wondered why we don't do something like that reading anymore. Would be a good history lesson and reminder of what we were celebrating!
I loved the races too, and that Almanzo won!
I'm nearly to the end of the book...daily 5 chapter reading only leaves two or three chapters at the end of the book, so I'm aiming to finish this tonight!
I'm reading it tonight, looking forward to it!
message 114:
by
Erica, Quality Control Supervisor
(last edited Nov 06, 2016 09:47AM)
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Mod
Too many exclamation points - LOL. I will also say how I had forgotten what a nasty b**** that Nellie Oleson was.
Erica wrote: "Oh, oh, oh!! Laura finally met Almanzo in person! I won't say how until Cindy gets there but I'm so happy!To many exclamation points - LOL. I will also say how I had forgotten what a nasty b**** t..."
This entire comment made me LOL!
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It amazes me how people were expected to stifle any expression of emotion most of the time. I would have bawled when Mary left for college, but even Grace and Carrie weren't supposed to!
Erica wrote: "I got a little excited... Finished this one last night. SO GOOD! It amazes me how people were expected to stifle any expression of emotion most of the time. I would have bawled when Mary left for ..."
That part baffled me! I didn't understand why they couldn't be sad publicly that she was leaving!
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I am SO looking forward to the next book!
Erica wrote: "It also astounds me that Laura apparently doesn't realize that Almanzo is beginning to court her. How sheltered she was compared to today's teens! And her mother's reaction is understandable in one..."I think my math might have been off...if you figure he was 19 at the time of the events of Long Winter, and this seemed to be no more than a year's events, I'd figured he was 20, possibly very early into 21, but I could be misremembering things too!
I'm looking forward to it too! When are we thinking to start it?
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Erica wrote: "Happy to start whenever both you and Cindy are ready. These are quick, easy trade. Cindy? What are you thinking?"I really had no plans...so whenever Cindy is ready works for me!
I don't understand the whole don't show emotion thing either but then, I cry at commercials. And songs on the radio. And cute dogs in my neighborhood. lol Part of it might have been that they still felt that children should be seen and not heard, even if those children were teenagers or almost adults. It's funny, in earlier books I didn't picture the Little House tv show stars as the characters but now I'm having a hard time not picturing Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, etc. It makes me want to find the show on dvd and watch them all, even though I know the storyline deviates quite a bit.
And I'm ready to start any time on the next book.
Mod
Erica wrote: "Oh, I just finished These Happy Golden Years. SO good!!! Where are you two on this one?"Haven't started! No one came back and said that they wanted to start it other than, "I can start this anytime!". I'm not in a position to start it right now, I just started another book earlier this evening, so I'll get to it when I can.
Mod
I'm starting it either today or tomorrow, depending on how much sewing I get finished this afternoon.
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I've read it finally. I liked the romance in it this time around!
Mod
First of all, can I just say I'm so glad that Pa finally go the other half of the shanty built so now they almost have a proper house!And Mary leaving was so sad! It's not like she can just come home on weekends and holidays like college students can nowadays. Can you just imagine going away to college and being gone almost an entire 5 or 6 years? I'm 40 years old and I see my parents almost every day of the week! lol
And I'm glad that they are living in town during the winter even though the weather is more mild. It is giving the girls more chance to get to know other people and not be so shy and anxious.
And Almanzo's sister! What on earth got into her? I guess that's part of the problem when the teacher is only a few years older than the students. It's easy for a 16 or 17 year old girl to fall into a clique or start listening to gossip. Laura was definitely not the only one who wanted to slap Nellie Oleson! I wanted to reach right through the pages and slap her myself. lol Not to mention I would have liked slap Miss Wilder for being so mean to poor little Carrie.
And I could just imagine Nellie's face when she saw Laura riding to school in Almanzo's buggy! And when they traded name cards, I awwwww'd out loud. lol I love that Laura is so innocent and clueless that she doesn't realize Almanzo is trying to court her but Ma and Pa do! I can't wait to read the next one!
I've got an interlibrary loan that I can't renew that is due back on the 2nd. I haven't even started it yet! If I get that done by the due date I could start on the 3rd or 4th for the next book.
Mod
So let's plan to start this weekend? I'm ready to go when ya'll are, and looking forward to it.
Mod
For the last book I was going to say that at first I SO disliked the wife of the school superintendent Laura had to live with when she taught that one winter (Mrs. Burke? I forget now). But then I thought about how she was probably just miserable out there on the prairie and couldn't help herself being so sour. Makes you wonder how many other non-adventurer sorts were forced west for one reason or another. That had to be awfully rough.
Well, I think that probably partially explains Nellie's attitude. Or more likely, the attitude that she probably learned from her mother. Darn it! Now I'm feeling sorry for Nellie! lol
Mod
Hahahaha. No, I can't feel sorry for Nellie. She was just plain mean-spirited. SO very glad she didn't get her claws on Almanzo!
Erica wrote: "Hahahaha. No, I can't feel sorry for Nellie. She was just plain mean-spirited. SO very glad she didn't get her claws on Almanzo! "My pity didn't last long! lol
Speaking of Nellie, have either of you read Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated?
Mod
Never heard of it! I will likely be checking it out...
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Books mentioned in this topic
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated (other topics)Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated (other topics)
Little Town on the Prairie (other topics)
The Long Winter (other topics)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (other topics)
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