You don’t need to be a fan of Little House on the Prairie to appreciate this highly perceptive and solidly crafted biography. I particularly enjoyed reading about:
- The intensity of pioneer living (those first 150 pages stressed me right out!!!)
- Laura’s complex relationship with her daughter, Rose
- The blurring of fact and fiction in Laura’s written evocations of her past ( )

I read through page 180 of this book before it was due back at the library. I had intended to give it back, then rejoin the queue, but the summer got the best of me and it didn't work out.

That said, what I was able to finish of the book was amazing. It situates the true individual story of Laura Ingalls Wilder within the big picture of late 19th/early 20th-century U.S. history. The writing is excellent and so is the research.

Both detailed and engaging, it's an essential read to learn about the struggles of pioneer families and get the proper context on their fraught relationship with Native Americans while making their inexorable way across the West. ( )

This book gives a lot of great background and context for the Little House books - the people, the places, the events. The author even managed to find out information about the doctor who treated the Ingallses for malaria. This first section was by far the best part of the book. Then of course it goes on to tell about Laura and Almanzo after the books, up to and including Laura writing the books themselves. What I didn't like, though, is how much time the author spent on Rose, especially since the author clearly despises her. This is the second historical book I've read recently where an author's dislike for someone they're writing about basically turns that person into a villain. I don't necessarily think historical writers should be completely unbiased and unemotional about their subject, but this seems excessive and it negatively affected my reading of the book. Especially since even the subtitle is about Laura, not Laura and Rose. More time was spent on Rose than on Almanzo! I would have much rather learned more about Laura's sisters. They get barely a mention compared to Rose.

Still I would definitely say this is a must-read for Little House fans. But if you're not that interested in Rose, you can just skip those parts. You won't miss very much about Laura in those chapters. ( )

(dave says excellent, 5*, I still have no interest)

Couldn’t finish it because it was too much like a history book.