Wendy has a crazy obsession with Little on the Prairie series. Not the television show, but the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and edited by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. While cleaning out her mother's things after her mother passes away, she finds a copy of a book in the series. She decides to go on a quest to find out as much as she can about the way Laura lived. She buys an old churn and learns to make butter. She researches the real story behind all the moves the Ingalls made. Dragging along her awfully good-natured and possibly enabling boyfriend, she visits Laura's hometowns. She is always in search of "the Laura experience."
Several times while I reading this book, I said, out loud, "this woman is nuts." If you can relate to someone being completely obsessed with a book, then maybe you would have more empathy for her. Overall, it is well written and entertaining, but the subject isn't interesting enough to me to save it. I did enjoy the weekend she and Michael spent with the End Timers at a farm a couple hours outside of Chicago. Her conclusion about why she felt it necessary to do all these things was satisfying. This was my book club's selection for March.
ohhhhhh, Susan Those are fighting words. My mom, another "crazy woman" walked across Kansas in a covered wagon to "be more like Laura". She and I enjoyed "The Wilder Life" and the author Wendy is really fun to listen to. Her love of Little House on the Prairie is so infectious. :) BTW: I bet you can guess how I got my first name now.
ReplyDeleteCrazy? Crazy? Who you say crazy? I've been on Laura Ingalls Wilder vacations (er pilgrimages) Wendy seems like a really fun person and I wish I had thought of that writing idea first. Now there is actually another author who has done the same thing in writing a tribute book and trying to emulate Laura Ingalls.
ReplyDelete(Note: I did not actually "walk across Kansas" although that is on my list.) I did get to do a one-day wagon train in the Bridger National forest which was awesome.
Sorry Darol. Actually, I wrote that review before my book club met and I was afraid that I was being harsh. But, they pretty much had the same view. I think I gave it one of the highest ratings of the group. But, whatever floats your boat. Just don't make me walked across Kansas...it's bad enough to drive across it!
ReplyDeleteAnd Laura, my childhood friend who told me I "had to read these books" also had a sister named Laura for the same reason. Even though I had read the books as a child, I enjoyed the tv show as an adult. That may had something to do with my love of "Little Joe." Hey, guess what my oldest son's name is?!? :)