Book Review ~ Laura
I am reading a book that I read about (and later bought) on the blog called Laura's Little Houses. I bought the book from BuyAustralian.
The book reads like a family history book. I helped do a little bit of work on a family history, so the style is much like my distant cousin and our book Dear Clark (by Jean Clark) at least in a small part.
I found it interesting that Mr. Zochert seemed worried about explaining disrepancies in people's ages or birth dates. From my experience with family trees, there can be disrepancies of up to two years. Also I have found on reading another family tree by George Diffey and in perhaps other places there were mispellings of names also, particularly on shipping records for Australian pioneering families.
The impression I have, and I have read just past when the Ingalls family left Wisconsin for the second time, is that it has modern parallels.
The Little House books are so much a statement in Simplicity. It seems people could choose that lifestyle even in the time of the books, Laura being born about the same time as two of my great grandparents in the 1860s. As the family left The Big Woods over the lake, Lake Pepin; which seems to isolated and perfect, we find that the town on the other side of the lake was like a resort. Also there was much danger even around Lake Pepin and some people didn't have such a happy life as the Ingalls.
The simplicity relates to downsizing, getting rid of debt. Even Independence, Kansas was an amazing place when they left just before this part of the story that I am up to now. The shops there had far more things in it that any store I have heard of in novels before. Things that modern people like to buy.
I was surprised that the author didn't write about Ma's time in Milwaukee before she was married.
Because of the style of writing and the print size, the little paperback is hard work.
I can appreciate how many hours work the author put into reading original material it seems to write this book. I suggest reading Maria Wilkes as well.
I was reading near the end of the book last night. Pa died when Laura was fairly young in adult terms, this would explain why she felt she had to write the books because of her love for Pa.
I will have to find out the rules for book reviews if there are any so I can do some more if I feel I want to sometime.
There is a great new book here.
Comments
Gill in Canada
I've been out of town and haven't got to come over to your place to read lately. I'm glad I got to tonight. I love books and movies by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I love the seemingly simplistic times, although, I'm sure, to them, times were hard and not always so simple. Yet, in a way, they were compared to our complicated and hectic, lightening fast-paced world today. I really appreciate watching the old shows on TV with the Ingalls and so do my children. I never tire of watching them. I remember being young and wishing I could be like them and live that way. The book you got looks like an interesting one. I've also helped with some family history and geneology stuff, but never got anything completed, at least, not yet. I hope to someday.
I've also tagged you. I'd like for you to do a little play-along that I've got on my blog, so come on over if you get the chance. The rules of the play-along are on there and I think that you'll think it's fun. It's called "8 random facts about me." I hope you haven't been tagged with this before. I apologize if you have.
Have a good evening.
Peculiar, thanks and thanks again. I will write my post soon. I haven't been tagged with that one.
I really enjoy reading that book and have done so often.
And, we will be in Pepin this weekend for the "Laura Days" and will try to get a picture of the reproduction of her birth home.
I have added in another book, that looks good too, at the bottom of the post.
I hope to get to your blog to check it out Connie, have a nice time! I think of sitting on pumpkins in the attic, and Mary when I think of that house. And dolls at the store.
A few years ago there were a bunch of TV series asking families to give up their lives and live like they did in previous historical time periods. I think "1800s House" and "Frontier House" might have been some of them. I enjoyed watching those and wonder if you got to see any of them?