14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An inspiring life, well lived, March 23, 2006
This review is from: A Wilder in the West: The Story of Eliza Jane Wilder (Paperback)
This is a short biography of Eliza Jane Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder's sister-in-law. And what a life it was. Together with the biographical information, the author also reprints EJ's own short autobiographical affidavit in which she details her triumphs and losses as a homesteader in the Dakota Territory. It makes for heartbreaking reading. Her health broke down many times, but she always preservered. Although she was not ultimately strong enough in health to keep her homestead claim, she was able to last the 5-year period necessary to acheive ownership of her property. Her life thereafter did not lose color or interest. She was a true pioneer in many areas: her choice of work, her lifestyle, her marriages, giving birth late in life. She lived to the age of 80 and her memory has been treasured by her grandchildren and extended family.
The book itself is a softcover, almost-pamphlet/booklet issued by the site that maintains the Ingalls family DeSmet homestead, but DON'T let that put you off. It's good quality, printed with a glossy cover & the printing is fine. The author is a historian of the Ingalls/Wilder family and obviously has a great deal of respect and admiration for the families. A well-written history of EJ's life, with photographs of her I'd never seen -- what a pretty woman, which you would never know from the terrible TV series or from Laura's books.
I think what I appreciated most about this little biography is that it saves EJ's well-lived life from oblivion, and corrects a great wrong done to her by her famous sister-in-law's portrayal.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful True Story of Eliza Jane Wilder, July 29, 2008
This review is from: A Wilder in the West: The Story of Eliza Jane Wilder (Paperback)
This is a wonderful book about a strong pioneer women. She was also the school teacher and eventual sister in law to writer Laura Ingalls Wilder.
These are Eliza Jane's own words edited by historian of the Ingalls/ Wilders family William Anderson. When you miss out on this book, you are truly missing something.Eliza Jane was truly a liberated woman before women even thought of it. She also greatly influenced Laura's daughter Rose Wilder Lane. Rose lived with her through the last 2 years of high school since she could graduate to the 12th grade in Louisiana where Eliza lived. Very very different from any misconceptions you may have of her.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Wilder in the West, April 8, 2011
This review is from: A Wilder in the West: The Story of Eliza Jane Wilder (Paperback)
If you are interested in more info that the Little House Books give regarding Almanzo's sister Eliza Jane, you will find this book very interesting. It even has, written in her own words, the struggle she went through trying to make it as a single woman in the West. I also liked it because it goes beyond her life in the west and tells what happened to her afterward. If you are a Little House fan, you need this book.
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