Prairie Tale: A Memoir [Paperback]

Melissa Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 16, 2010

A FASCINATING, HEARTBREAKING, AND ULTIMATELY UPLIFTING TALE OF SELF-DISCOVERY FROM THE BELOVED ACTRESS WHO EARNED A PERMANENT PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF MILLIONS WHEN SHE WAS JUST A CHILD

To fans of the hugely successful television series Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert grew up in a fantasy world with a larger-than-life father, friends and family she could count on, and plenty of animals to play with. Children across the country dreamed of the Ingalls’ idyllic life—and so did Melissa.

With candor and humor, the cherished actress traces her complicated journey from buck-toothed Laura "Halfpint" Ingalls to Hollywood starlet, wife, and mother. She partied with the Brat Pack, dated heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and bad boys like Billy Idol, and began a self-destructive pattern of addiction and codependence. She eventually realized that her career on television had earned her popularity, admiration, and love from everyone but herself.

Through hard work, tenacity, sobriety, and the blessings of a solid marriage, Melissa has accepted her many different identities and learned to laugh, cry, and forgive in new ways. Women everywhere may have idolized her charming life on Little House on the Prairie, but Melissa’s own unexpectedly honest, imperfect, and down-to-earth story is an inspiration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hold onto your sunbonnets... [Gilbert's] autobiography is no clean-cut family drama: It's chockablock with juicy tidbits."

—Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Melissa Gilbert starred as Laura Ingalls on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie. She has also starred in more than forty television movies and has served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. She currently serves as president of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition, where she works directly with chronically and terminally ill children to provide them with care and comfort. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Bruce Boxleitner, and her family. An entertaining, sometimes heartbreaking, but ultimately inspirational memoir by actress Melissa Gilbert 9

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; 1 Reprint edition (February 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416599177
• ISBN-13: 978-1416599173
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (234 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melissa Gilbert starred as Laura Ingalls on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie. Post-Little House, Gilbert appeared in numerous Lifetime movies and recently served as president of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Children's Hospice and and Palliative Care Coalition, where she works directly with chronically and terminally ill children to provide them with care and comfort. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Bruce Boxleitner.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 102 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Say it isn't so Half-Pint! June 21, 2009

By Sherlock Sherman

Format:Hardcover

Melissa Gilbert has as many flaws as the rest of us and if you don't mind having her burst that bubble you'll get a good chuckle as she shares anecdotes involving the unbelievable behavior of some of Hollywood's familiar faces.

Melissa keeps her bumps in the road interesting and never once appears to be reaching out for pity as a means of distracting us from the unpleasantness in her life.

I would have preferred to keep her up on a pedestal but despite the revelations regarding her less than perfect behavior, the book kept my attention and moved along at a good pace. I especially enjoyed the snippy tidbits regarding Kent McCord, Valerie Harper and Sally Kirkland. I'll never be able to think of them the same again. Someone should write a comedy about the SAG meetings!

Lets hope the publicity from the book will bring Melissa back to prime time, or at least another TV movie.

This was a good summer read; you won't regret the purchase.

54 of 61 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Rather Bored June 23, 2010

By Martha Washington

Format:Paperback

I just finished "Prairie Tale", but actually started feeling bored with Melissa's account of her life by halfway through the book. I enjoyed "Little House on the Prairie" as a television series, although I wasn't that impressed with Ms. Gilbert's acting as she grew older. I did see a few of the movies she made for television and was truly not impressed with her acting in those, nor her choices of movies. While I can understand and empathize with the difficult emotional journey of her life, I cannot relate to her egocentricity and found that that was what bored me. If she has done as much healing in her life as she claims, I doubt that she would find it appropriate nor acceptable to display how she has been victimized by named famous people. The name-dropping, the tales of others' attraction to her, and the ongoing blame became tedious early on. I detected an air of arrogance about her, in fact. She seemed to be caught up in a life of her own drama. I came away from the book thinking that her values didn't create a desire for me to get to know her better - or at all.

79 of 92 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down!!!! GREAT Memoir for ANYONE from the '70s June 15, 2009

By Blondzilla8 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

What can I say? I'm a SUCKER for dishy bios on the stars I grew up admiring and wanting to be. My boyfriend saw nothing but my face buried in this great book over one solid weekend.

Melissa Gilbert was one of the truly admirable teen idols back in the '70s and an extraordinarily talented actor to boot. Her story, much of what I already knew from keeping up with her Tiger Beat and People magazine interviews through the years, is incredible and this book just reminds us that what we may perceive as the audience members of someone else's supposed "perfect" life, may very well be quite the opposite.

Gilbert is honest, irreverent, hilariously funny, and even when she's "dropping names" it doesn't feel like anything except that she is grateful for knowing and working with the legends she refers to.

Michael Landon, Rob Lowe, Patty Duke.....all very important people to Melissa - the people who truly shaped her life respectively. And so many more......but it never feels pretentious or "I bet you wish you were me".....she is just 10000% REAL when revealing the ups and downs of her colorful life. And what a life. I am so glad she had the courage and moxy to put pen to paper and share it with the people who've followed her since she was the adorable little girl on "Little House."

I also hope that young, ambitious and up and coming actors read this book because Gilbert is also the picture of dedication and professionalism sans the ego that seems to follow this generation of performers.

Melissa Gilbert is an inspiration. Her life is a wonderful lesson in perseverance, loyalty, and not taking "no" for an answer when you know deep in your heart that there's a better one.

A must read!!!