Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder [Mass Market Paperback]

Donald Zochert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1977

Courage, Adventure, Steadfast Love

From a little house set deep in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, across Indian territory and into the Dakotas, Laura's family moved westward right along the frontier.

Their true-life saga, beloved by countless millions of TV viewers and readers of the bestselling Little House books, is one of spirit and devotion in the face of bitter-cold winters, wilderness trails, and heartbreaking personal tragedy.

Here, for the first time, and drawing on her own unpublished memoirs is the endlessly fascinating full account of Laura's life -- from her earliest years through her enduring marriage to Almanzo Wilder, the "farmer boy" of her stories.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avon (May 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380016362
• ISBN-13: 978-0380016365
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Those who love Laura will love this book., February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Mass Market Paperback)

When my grandmother began reading the "Little House" books to me when I was 8 I don't think she had any idea what she was starting. Until I read "Laura:The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder" I could only imagine what Laura, her family, and the other characters from her books were like, how they effected each other and even how they looked. It was so exciting for me to open the pages of this book and see for the first time the beautiful young woman I had come to know through the years. Donald Zochert's research and care are evident on every page. He transports us into Laura's world and gives us even more details of her fascinating life.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good 'starting point' to discover more about LIW, December 6, 1999

By 

KC "KC" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Mass Market Paperback)

The first good biography of Mrs. Wilder, even though it leaves out a lot of information, especially about the years between 1894-1957. I don't understand why the publishers decided to make the Ingalls family on the cover look so similar to the TV Ingalls. It is a real shocker for the first-time reader to turn to the photos in the book and see that Pa did not look like Michael Landon in the slightest.

I thought that "Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder" was much more informative, but "Laura" is, I think, geared towards teenage readers, while "Becoming LIW" is more for college/adult readers.

48 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars informative, but poorly written, June 29, 2002

By 

"jen110" (Budapest, Hungary) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Mass Market Paperback)

While it is true that this book reads like a novel, it is also true that it reads like one of the most poorly written novels I have ever forced myself to read. I say "forced myself" because the facts it contains on the Ingalls family are very interesting for someone who grew up on the books and television series. If you want to know about their real lives, this book provides that knowledge, in a round about way. If you can get past the cheesy 70's cover (complete with Laura in a low cut shirt gazing over her shoulder at a strapping, dimpled-chin version of Almanzo on the back), survive the writer's eternal conflict over whether he's writing a Harlequin romance novel or a pioneer biography, and wade through the repetitive use of the same gooey, sentimental phrases (I thought at one point that if he likened the rolling of the wagon to a lullaby one more time I was going to have to throw the book across the room), then this is the biography for you. The only good thing I can say without reservation is that it has great pictures. They are the only reason I didn't toss it when I was finally done.