Customer Reviews

Bachelor Girl (Little House the Rose Years)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As true Laura and/or Rose fans know, "Bachelor Girl" is simply a redress of Roger MacBride's 1977 "biography" of Rose Wilder Lane, which in turn was a rip-off of Roses's 1919 'semi' autobiographical novel, "Diverging Roads".

I feel this was a poor finish to the "Rose Years" series. Given that the MacBride family inherited the hugely successful and profitable "Little House" franchise from Rose, it's a shame that they've passed off this fictional account not once, but TWICE, as a true depiction of Rose's life as a young woman.

While the essentials and facts are mostly true, anyone who has read or researched Rose's life knows that Rose and Paul Cooley were never "engaged". And Gilette Lane was not the "dashing older man" portrayed in the books. In fact, he was one year younger than Rose! Evidence supports that they met while Rose was working in Kansas City and her subsequent move to San Francisco was likely to follow him there, marrying him the next year, BEFORE they sold real estate together.

My disgust with this book really lies in the fact that the owners of the Little House franchise (the MacBride heirs) should have shown more respect for both Rose and the fans of the series and ended the Rose years with a more accurate and honest portrayal of their benefactress.

The spunky characterization of Rose from the earlier books is gone here, and we're left feeling concerned about her choices and future. Nice example to set for girls of today who've read this series from the beginning!

I have been disappointed with the entire Rose series, but particularly this book. I've been reading the series along with my daughter, but I doubt if either of us would bother if we weren't looking for answers to 'what happened next' to Laura and Almanzo. If this is a true picture of Rose's life and personality, then I am very sorry for her. She spends most of her time bored, discontented and depressed; she sees her parents as hopelessly outdated and old-fashioned; she chooses, time and again, to do things her parents disapprove of, then does not seem to learn from the misery those choices cause to herself and others.

I find little of the independent spirit of Laura in this book. For example, upon returning home after a school year in New Orleans where she became interested in social issues, Rose laments that her peers in Mansfield seem to care nothing about those issues. But Rose does nothing to educate the others or even express her newfound views. After moving to Kansas City (to attend a telegraph course at her parents' expense, which she applied for in secret), Rose finds a decent room to live in, only to abandon it meekly when an overbearing acquaintance of her mother's demands that she must move. When she confronts her boss, asking that he make good on his promise to give her a raise, she dissolves into tears and leaves the office when he refuses. Spunky? Independent? I don't see it.

She moves to San Francisco, where she moves in with the first friendly girl who speaks to her, and soon joins a 'fast' life of driving, dancing, and drinking till all hours of the morning. Though MacBride throws in a few token statements of Rose's supposed better sense, Rose's actions speak the loudest. "This life...., wasn't for her, she knew. But it would do until she got a better idea." The problem is, she never gets a better idea.

Even the ending, with its promise of a new start for Rose, falls upon her by circumstance, not by any action or gumption of her own.

Though written in easy-to-read format, the subject matter of this book is adult in nature and will leave younger readers far behind. The characters and motivations are thin. I think readers could find far better descriptions of bachelor-girl life in San Francisco in this period in history than this disappointing effort.

This is an indirect copy of a fictional serial Rose wrote around 1918-1920: "Diverging Roads." It was republished by Roger Lea MacBride as "Rose Wilder Lane: Her Story," back in the 1970's. Unfortunately, it WASN'T her story: after giving the book that misleading title, MacBride explains in the introduction that many details were changed from Rose's real life. I compare this pitiful effort to William Holtz's staggering portrayal of Rose, and it is obvious which of these two men had more scholarly respect for Rose Wilder Lane. Even though I do not agree with many of Mr. Holtz's conclusions about Rose and her relationship with her mother, his work is fully researched, the information sound. The same cannot possibly be said about MacBride's attempts to pass off fiction as fact.

In the serial, here's what eventually happened to Helen (Rose's character): she doesn't marry, but joins forces with other women who are writers/journalists, and realizes that she wants a life of freedom and independence. That part was never published by MacBride, and I have often wondered why that was so. I personally don't understand why the "Rocky Ridge" series ended in such an adult fashion. MacBride could have concluded with Rose traveling to Kansas City to pursue a new career; Rose ended her book "Old Home Town" that way, with her character Ernestine (a young Rose in disguise) going off to business college to learn happily ever after. But no, it is much easier to copy Rose's original text than it is to come up with your own. Yes, I realize MacBride may have already passed on by the time this volume was approached, but anyone with background information on Rose and half an imagination could have finished the series with more success. Actually, that goes for the whole set of books, not just this one.

If anyone out there has hesitated to read the Rose Wilder Lane entries into the extended Little House family as they felt as I once did they would be pale copies of the original series, please don't hesitate any longer! This series has a voice of its own, and is very, very well written. I wish it was longer. I loved this last book. Rose is very different than Laura and in fact I think most women of her day. She is very strong willed and intelligent, and determined to make her own way in the world. I was especially struck by the descriptions of the early day of her life both in Kansas City and San Francisco---just how lonely and desolate life could be for a career girl starting out in those days, and how strong she was to persevere. Her growing awareness in this book that the life she always saw for herself---as a contented wife to Paul in a small world---is not really what she wants is very well done. The message sent to girls who might read this book is powerful. I also very much liked the way this series "grew up" like the original series. This last book is quite adult, though certainly not inappropriate for those who also read the early ones.

"Bachelor Girl" was a nice closing episode to the 'Rose' series of books. It was a well-chosen ending place to the story as Rose clearly is leaving the child world and entering that of the adult at the end.

The 'Rose' series, overall, makes a nice compliment to the original 'Laura' series--not as good, mind you, but a decent sequel. The series starts off a bit slow and uneventfully, but picks up in the later books. I'd recommend them to young readers who've read the 'Laura' books and want more of the story. They don't have, and won't give, the same historical sense as the original series, however, as they lack that element of first-hand flavor Laura was able to give to an era she actually lived through.

Now the nit-picking critique...I found myself questioning the portrayal of Rose's personality in this 8th book. In the previous books she'd been pridefully, almost arrogantly, confident in her intelligence and educational achievements. Though she hadn't socialized well with kids her age she had been bold and out-going in other ways (dating a college man, etc.). Now, grownup and on her own, Rose is suddenly shy and uncertain, letting herself be trod upon and looked down upon. And tell me, would a girl who had managed to learn fluent Latin in less than a year have to look up the definition of "inhibitions"? Laura, even when she was being a proper young lady, always held onto her inner rebelliousness--Rose's seems to have been nearly snuffed out in most of this book.

I also wondered about her sudden interest in being a housewife. Flirting with the idea of playing house with Paul could have worked better if it had been clearly battling inside her with her desire for independence. The entire Paul relationship was not quite as deftly worked as it could have been. Its resolution was foreshadowed in a clunky, predictable way. It was interesting to meet Rose's future husband (and future ex-husband), Gillette Lane. He was not fully fleshed out as a character, but one could see how he would both fascinate her with his flash and style and, regrettably, the traits that could make the relationship fall apart later.

Oddly, San Francisco didn't come to life in the story. A curious omission was the cable cars. I never quite felt I could place her within the City even though several specific places were mentioned (including places where the, mentioned, street cars would have been cable cars). The atmosphere was missing.

Something I would have liked to have seen hints of was Rose's future career as a journalist. Though she wrote many letters (were these historically authentic? ), the inclination to a writing career didn't come through.

Though these books were written as children's or young adult's stories--fiction based on fact-- I would dearly have loved to have seen an "historical notes" section at the end.

A great ending to a great pioneer series. Rose has grown up within our eyes as we were first introduced to her life in 1993.It saddens me that Roger Lea MacBride is no longer with us to write more stories of Rose's life. It seems I grew up with her within the past 8 years, reading of her time of life and her thoughts about life. What also saddens me the most about reading this book was the aftermath of Rose's and Paul's relationship.Therefore, Rose had followed her heart thoughout her hardships which only made her a stronger person. Like her mother Laura, her life touched us all.

Although I was interested to read about this part of Rose's life, this volume wasn't as well written as the rest of the series (it was published after Roger Lea McBride's death and may not have been fully completed by him). It reads a little strangely (especially because it is written at an easy-read level but covers an adult period of her life) and sadly ends fairly abruptly, too, at a major turning point for Rose.

To read more about Rose's life, try "West from Home : Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco 1915," which tells you what Rose was doing nine years after the end of this book and how things turned out for her.

This is an amazingly relevant portrait of a young woman striking out on her own at a time when young women were expected either to marry or stay at home and become old maids. Like her mother, Laura, Rose was a pioneer but in this case an urban pioneer seeking her own identity in a world that was often hostile toward ambitious women. I highly recommend this to adults as well as young adults, and the earlier books which are a living history lesson in life a century ago. Read "New Dawn on Rocky Ridge" for a devastatingly beautiful portrait of the death of Pa Ingalls in Laura's arms.

The writing style is completely different than the other books. At times it reads like what I would imagine a Harlequin Romance would be like. The book is just dreadful and completely inappropriate for the target market, i.e., girls from 6 - 12. As other reviewers have stated (thorvald's and RoseFan's take below are spot on), Rose is no longer the self confident heroine but a confused follower. She falls in with the wrong crowd. I guess a parent who is reading along with their daughter could use this as a learning lesson, but the subject is too adult for the bedtime story age child. I suggest you avoid this book.

Roger Lea MacBride unfortunately died before he could complete the Rose series, and whomever Harper tapped to do the ghost-writing did an utterly awful job. I seriously cannot understand why they put Mr. MacBride's name on the cover -- this book is so utterly devoid of his authorship. Language, dialogue, character development are all completely opposite of Mr. MacBride's style.

Worse, Rose's character is continuously maligned. She rejects her roots, her morality, her own intelligence and good sense.

And in terms of this being a book for girls -- never! The book gives practical instructions for how to learn to drink alcohol, stay out all night partying, and deal with low self esteem by wearing racy styles and flirting. Rose's highly moral fiance is treated with contempt and presented as a foolish and selfish, while the careless, money-grubbing rival wins out in the end. Roger Lea MacBride, Rose Wilder Lane and Laura Ingalls Wilder would be spinning in their graves.

The first four books of this series are very well done, but don't bother with this trash.