Customer Reviews

Little House in the Ozarks (Laura Ingalls Wilder Family Series)

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This is NOT a children's book and should not be listed at the reading level "ages 9 - 12". Years before Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the Little House series about her childhood last century, she was a pioneer journalist, writing regular newspaper columns that provided commentary on everyday life in America. The columns, which ran from 1911-1925, discuss a variety of topics - from women & politics to the role of the mother in a home, from having a family motto to the effect of the end of WW1 on ordinary people, and through them all she exhibits a special insight and wisdom. This is a delightful collection that affords us the opportunity to see another side of Laura, in a career which she enjoyed for many years before she penned those famous novels of her childhood.

Well, first her and Almonzo moved away from their home to Florida on doctor's orders for Almonzo. The climate was too
cold. Then the heat of Florida caused Laura's health to suffer so they had to find a "happy medium" climate and they set off with their horses and buggy (and little Rose) to find a new home. They ended up in Missouri and were happy there the rest of their lives on their farm named Rocky Ridge.

However, this book doesn't tell that story. It only mentions parts of it in passing. This is a collection
of newspaper articles written by Laura when she was an old married woman with her child already grown and moved on. It covers about eight years. The last article in the book mentions that Ma passed away. The kids were very bored by it as any kid would be reading a newspaper article and I had to stop reading it to them. I enjoyed it very much as I felt like I really got to know Laura this year through reading her entire series.

This book teaches Many, Many things about how to live
a farm life. One of the most interesting things was how to make a refrigerator for milk and butter without electricity or ice. There are many amusing stories about the different families and people that lived around the Wilder's. For example: one day there was hail the size of golf balls and a neighbor went out his front door to get one and bring it in the house to show everybody. Well, no sooner does he get out but one hits him on the head and knocks him out cold. His family had to drag him by the feet back in the front door. (he was O.K.) There are stories about children and parents and farm hands and for all the stories the purpose is for Laura to give her opinions and philosophies. Do you remember that time when Laura and Mary were little and Laura got a bad spanking for slapping Mary? Well, to this day (in the book) she still feels she was unjustly punished and I found that very interesting.

If you have read all the other books as I have, then you know how she was raised. Now is your chance to see what kind of a grown-up she turned out to be. Each article is only a page or two so you don't have to read it all at once to finish a subject. Yet the book is long (315 pages) so there is plenty to read and enjoy to your heart's content.

This is a collection of newspaper articles Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about life in the Ozarks. Many of the articles are full insights into life that still apply today. She wrote about farmer's wives being equal in importance to their husbands, the frustration of dealing with "new technology" (in her case a new washing machine), and many other day to day activities on the farm.

As a fan of the Little House books, I've read Laura's stories many times. But before she wrote them, she wrote for the newspapers about farm life. This gives such an exciting peak at her adult life, her "what happened next" years, that any true fan should read it.

Since I am currently reading the Little House book series with my children, I was delighted to come across this book in the library. Now I want a copy for myself! Laura speaks with gentleness and insight about human nature and the universal concerns that are timeless. It's an extremely satisfying read because this is the voice of the "grown-up Laura".

Laura Ingalls' writing for adults, through a newspaper column she did weekly from 1911-1925, is highly amusing, and very thought-provoking for those of us living now in Psychobabble, Let It All Hang Out, Complain and Whine and Blame and Brood California.

Her advice is to simply refrain from even commenting on one's troubles, and avoid thinking about the negative things, the things one can't do anything about.

Try to be positive, try to see that work is necessary, and don't avoid one's job and chores, or you make yourself more miserable.

ARe these the commonsense things that today's adults or children ever hear, outside of a church sermon or Reader's Digest?

It reminds me of my early days in Germany, when slowly the meaning of the old folksongs began to penetrate as I learned the German vocabulary. I'd heard them, hummed with them, and played the kazoo and danced to them; but when I finally understood the lyrics, I realized what a completely different time and place they came from. They encourage people to stand up and enjoy their lives, the chance to walk in the flowers of springtime, to make friends, to have a drink with colleagues or family, to see one's beloved again, and to rejoice that God made you at all.

When I met older Germans, they seemed often to still embody such positive efforts and mentality, in contrast to the American-like cynicism of the young.

This will strike you - assuming you are an adult reading this - when you read Laura Ingalls' columns. I don't know what children would think, but I think they'd like them. They're straight and honest and true, just as she advises us to be.

I enjoyed this but not as much as the other Little House books. She really made me want to go out and live on a farm and be self sufficient. Her praises of farm life definitely come from the heart. I liked how she made the point that farmers wives are already "liberated" when at the time women's liberation was picking up steam. She also gave some household tips that would probably also apply today.

Didn't know about this book until stumbled across it. It's wonderful. It gives a great picture of Laura's life and thoughts after moving to Missouri.I read it while waiting in hospital waiting room and half dozen people asked about it. All couldn't wait to get to the library. One man was in trouble with his wife and was sure getting it would get him on her good side again. You could picture everything just like in her Little House books-What a wonderful addition to my Little House set!

The rediscovered writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder are ones you will remember forever. Her writings put pictures in your mind and make you reallize how things really are. Laura's writings and thoughts are ones you will remember forever. This is a great book. Anyone will like it.

This book is a compliation of short articles that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote for various local newspapers in Missouri (Ozark area) from 1911-1925 when she was in her 40's and 50's. These were written before she wrote her Little House book series.

She dealt with the same social and political issues today that there were 100 years ago. People were worried about the same things that we worry about today. War, deforestation of the land, education, work, etc. She wrote from the view of a farmer's wife; the world as she saw it.

I don't like how the book is set up. It's arranged according to topics instead of chronologically, which I would perfer. Setting it up chronologically would not only give a clear time frame but a better understanding of her mindset at that point. I also found several articles that were repeats of previous articles as they were written on the same subject matter and there weren't any new ideas put forth.

Laura wrote a lot about other people (neighors, friends, associations) and she frequently used names. I wonder what those people thought of her writing so openly about them, especially if it wasn't they weren't painted in the best light? I wonder if she had any backlash from those articles?

Overall it was an interesting read, a little dry at points, and I found myself getting bored with some of the articles, especially the repeat topics.