Customer Reviews

New Dawn On Rocky Ridge (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Little House the Rose Years (Prebound))

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to say that this book was the best book of the whole Little House series. I have read every single book in the series and this one has been the best one yet. Macbride lets you in on the years of Rose's life when she is growing up in the most important years of her life. Falling in love and getting ready to move away for the first time. He also takes you to the time where Laura's father 'Pa' passes away, and he gives you Laura's perspective of when she takes the train back to her home town for the first time since she left her family years before. He also takes you to the moment of 'Pa's' death and saying good-bye to him. Since I have read the entire series of the Little House books, it was refreshing to see Laura's point of view for a couple of chapters and the heartbreak she felt before and after his death. I have to say that I was in tears for two chapters strait. It took me back to the warmth of the house when Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace lived there. And the pain they felt when Pa dies. I recommend that if you read these books, read them in sequence, so you can get the full effect of time and technology and how it progresses with time. I highly reccomend this book to all readers of the 'Little House' series.

This series just gets better and better and this one did not disappoint. Rose discovers herself in love with childhood friend Paul (they were real people who lived at the time), finds out how mean-spirited small town life can be at times, and in a brilliant step back into Laura's shoes, we see her travel back to the Little Town on the Prairie to be there for Pa's last breath. I defy you to read this section without a handkerchief. I found this book fascinating because it shows how life was a century ago, the beginnings of our modern way of life during a technological revolution much like the one changing our lives today. Instead of the Internet, it was the telegraph. I highly recommend it for adults as well as young adults.

I own and have read every single Rose Years books and out of all of them this was my favorite! It's about a young girl who is full of dreams and ambitions. I think it's the best book and that everybody dhould be able to read it!

THis book shows a major turning point for Rose and Laura and the west. Along with the progression of technology, Rose is becoming a young lady and is in transition. MacBride clearly illustrates Laura's feelings about the old west and how she feels about the changing times. I was almost wailing as I read about Pa breathing his last dying breaths. It is interesting to note that his last words--"Look, Caroline, how Laura's eyes are shining."--were also the closing words he uses and the last words in the book On The Banks of Plum Creek, when Laura is a little girl. Interesting and heart wrenching. Pa worked hard all his life on the wild prairie. He founded the town of DeSmet. He was a soldier of the soil as well as a carpenter. It was so inspiring the way MacBride wrote about Laura and Pa. There are a lot of interesting things happening in this story, too. I wanted to cry through Laura's whole visit to the Dakotas. It is not only sad about Pa dying, but also sad to learn that Laura's school chum, Cap Garland, had also died years before.

Rose learns who her real friends are as well as who her pretend friends are, too, and she learns that just because the town girls are rich doesn't mean that they are happy or have a happy family. She learns, as Laura did when she was young, that she is fortunate to have a happy family.

The thing I don't like about this book is that Rose seems so flippant and she does not seem to be at all upset about Pa's dying. At least the book doesn't say much on Rose's thoughts about it or Almanzo's, either, for that matter. Also in her recollections of him in another book, she barely remembers him. This disturbs me! Laura was so close to him how could Rose not be? Pa was such a loving, jovial man, how could he NOT have a relationship with Rose as well?!? Everybody loved Pa! When Laura and Manley were ill, Rose lived with her grandparents, Ma & Pa Ingalls, how could she not have a relationship with them?!? It is sad...I don't care for Rose as much as I do Laura.

I also didn't like Rose's attitude towards education; it was very arrogant. Just because she was ahead of her class in their lessons, she acts conceited like she thinks she is too good for them.

Otherwise, it is very interesting reading about her adventures with the traveling salesman and also Miss Sarah's fling with the gambling man. I could hardly put the book down. I think I read it in less than 24 hours!

I have been reading this book with interest. Before I talk about Pa Ingalls and his mortal illness I will talk about how sad it was that Laura, Manly and Rose did not visit Pa and Ma Ingalls etc. more often. Sadly, every time they may have thought they could start saving for the trip there would be some crisis. Laura did say that every cent they earned would have to go towards the mortgage so a trip was out of the question until Pa was at death's door. Laura even considered scolding Rose for writing to her Aunt Mary too often - spending too much money on stamps - thankfully she did not so at least there was some communication between the two families in the pre-telephone era. No wonder Rose wanted to do something better with her life such as continue her education. Up until the age of 13 which she was at the start of the book she was largely shielded from the hardships her parents had to face and looked upon everything as an adventure. However she does turn 13 in this book and suddenly she is expected to behave like a young lady and take on adult concerns. On the way to see her parents Laura admits her guilt at giving Rose far too many chores and gives some indication that she would have liked to have more than one surviving child who would have helped take some of the stress and burden off Rose but that cruel fate (I strongly suspect, in the form of Almanzo's partial paralysis after contracting diptheria) had somehow decided otherwise.

Anyhow, when Laura arrives in De Smet she is confronted by her father who is bedridden and short of breath and has just been given a dose of morphine. This could indicate that although his Death Certificate read Heart Disease I think the lead up to it was either Lung Cancer or Emphysema: Here are the symptoms of the illness:-

Emphysema Symptoms

Shortness of breath is the most common symptom of emphysema. Cough, sometimes caused by the production of mucus, and wheezing may also be symptoms of emphysema. You may notice that your tolerance for exercise decreases over time. Emphysema usually develops slowly. You may not have any acute episodes of shortness of breath. Slow deterioration is the rule, and it may go unnoticed. This is especially the case if you are a smoker or have other medical problems that limit your ability to exercise.

One of the hallmark signs of emphysema is "purse-lipped breathing." The person with emphysema is struggling to exhale completely, with airways that close when the chest wall collapses during expiration. They purse the lips, leaving only a small opening. Then, when they exhale, the lips block the flow of air, increasing pressure in the collapsed airways, and opening them, allowing the person to fully exhale.

People with emphysema may develop a "barrel chest," where the distance from the chest to the back, which is normally less than the distance side to side, becomes more pronounced. This is a direct result of air becoming trapped behind obstructed airways.

I think all this very much applied to Charles Ingalls. Firstly he smoked a pipe, secondly his carpentry work may have led him to inhale small wood particles and that may have affected his lungs.

Pa's death was very moving especially his last words "Caroline - look how Laura's eyes are shining". They were no doubt shining all right, poor Laura was battling to hold back the tears. It really did indicate just how close Pa and Laura were and I wonder whether Pa would have held on for 5 weeks if Laura had not been there to comfort him.

Anyhow, on a happier note things do look up for Rose when Aunt Eliza Jane becomes her Fairy Godmother as far as her education is concerned. I am about to read On the Banks of the Bayou, which from the reviews seems very interesting!

All in all a very good book.

jstevens1

Continues the story of Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls' daughter, at the turn of the century. Interestingto hear what all the 'new' inventions were at the time and to see what Laura was like as an adult. Rose, however, sounded as if she could be quite a brat!

This is a really great book. It talks about Almonzo and Laura Wilder's only daughter, Rose, who is 13 at the turn of the 19th century!

Very exciting, happy, full of joy and sorrow book! If you don't love it, you should get your head examined!

Great book for Rose fans. This is a great book about growing up and the struggles with wanting to break out of your small town. Hard work, teen love, hopes, dreams--it has it all. Read the Rose books in order though!

The book was well presented, informative and provided great insights into late 19th century and early 20th century Mid West America through the eyes of a young woman growing in a fastly changing age. It contained humour, fact and reminiscences that kept the story alive and interesting, for both older and younger readers. Although Rose was the focus of the book, her mother and father played a large role, which continued the story of Laura and Almanzo beyond On The Way Home, including her return to De Smet.

Special thanks to Roger Lea McBride and family for the "trip" to DeSmet and giving us Laura's voice once more, even though it was heartbreaking for all involved. Equally impressive was Rose's saga while living in town. The girl was quite a firecracker. Again, just as charming as Little House, but the storytelling is a bit more complex and more reflective of who Rose was. This series truly equals the charm and storytelling of Laura's story. Kudos to those who thought to bring this series to print.