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Title: The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams ISBN: 0-06-440031-X Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 14 October, 1953 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (22 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A change of pace from the 8 previous "Little house" books -
Comment: For those of you used to the sentimental (but still lovely) "Little House" books, from "Little House in the Big Woods" to "These Happy, Golden Years," you will find "The First Four Years" to have quite a different feel and tone. Whereas Laura wrote the first 8 books with major input from her journalist daughter Rose Wilder Lane, Laura wrote "The First Three Years and a Year of Grace" as a personal journal of sorts, separate from her major works which were written and published from 1932-1946. "The First Four Years" is more somber, a little heavier, and weighed with Laura and Manley's disapppointment over personal tradgedies such as losing every crop for 4 years due to drought or hail, losing their home to a fire, going into heavy debt, contracting a major illness that left Manley with a stroke and a disability, and finally losing a child just a few days old. This book was published in the 1970s, after the death of both Laura and Rose. A must-read for "Little House" fans, with the understanding that The Wilders had a hard life that Laura did not want to address much in her books. - Lori M. Sampso
Rating: 2
Summary: Perhaps one to skip
Comment:
This is a must for Laura diehards only. At any rate, perhaps those reading the stories to children younger than 8 or so should have second thoughts.
The book picks up just before the ending of "These Happy Golden Years," and describes Laura Ingalls' first four years married to her husband of over 60 years, Almanzo Wilder, who she here calls "Manly."
This is the only one of the original series which was not published during her lifetime, and not edited (some say co-written or ghost written) by her daughter Rose Wilder Lane, herself a best-selling author, and it shows.
The writing was not as bad as I was led to believe without Rose's hand, as the book was based on a diary Laura kept during her first married years. A close friend of Rose's, Roger Lea McBride, received this diary and saw to its publication after Rose's death. The book seems more like a story outline than a diary as such, and perhaps Laura intended it as a base for Rose to embellish, but this never happened.
I read this book in order with the others in the series with my 8-year-old daughter (we took an entire school year of evenings to finish). My daughter was annoyed by the fact that the descriptions of the events before Laura and Almanzo's wedding are not exactly like those in the earlier book, and she quickly picked up on the fact the book doesn't have the richness of description so important to enjoyment of the earlier works, especially for young girls.
Laura and Almanzo had a rough time of it those first four years, but this book does not have the tone of hopefulness and progress that illuminated the earlier works--in fact, Laura reveals a great deal of anger and bitterness that exists, but is veiled, in the Rose-edited stories.
Despite the tribulations, there are good times, too, and the young couple's pleasure with their daughter Rose shines through. Nevertheless, the hardships of the prairie became so oppressive that, by the end of the 3rd year, I almost dreaded reading the 4th, so I jokingly tried to end the series by saying "and then a giant grasshopper ate the entire crop and the house! The end!" My daughter didn't buy that, though, and the actual end was, if anything, less cheerful.
I consoled my daughter by pointing out that Laura, Almanzo and Rose all lived long full lives afterward, and it wasn't all so hard. But if I had had the choice, I would've just skipped this one.
Rating: 5
Summary: The First Four Years - painting life with words
Comment: Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote from the heart and from her experiences of life on the prairie as a child. If it's been a long time since you've read a Laura Ingalls Wilder book, then I suggest you pick this one up and read the beautiful descriptions and let your mind paint the scenery with words.
Laura wrote what she saw and she described life so well you can nearly smell the farm air and help her with sewing her new black cashmere dress or feel the threat of the thunderstrom rolling in. Make no mistake, you are there with Laura.
The tone in this book is a bit different then some of her other books. Perhaps there is a reason why she never had this book printed. Interestingly enough, the draft of the book was found among her personal papers and was written on an orange colored school tablet. The family lawyer looked over her personal works and had the book published after her death. I for one am glad he did. This book tells of Laura's life as an adult and the birth of her daughter Rose, and the hardships and disappointments of farming and life in the mid to late 1880's.
It is a great book! A classic. It tells about life as it was with all of the bumps along the way. It is a must read for youngsters who like this historical time and want to know more about everyday life. It is a treasure if you are one of those that grew up on the "Little House" series and want to relive the series of books through your children or the neighbors children. Oh, what the heck, read it for yourself just one more time. You will not be disappointed.
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Title: Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams ISBN: 0060264500 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 14 October, 1953 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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Title: The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams ISBN: 0064400069 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 14 October, 1953 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams ISBN: 0060264160 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 14 October, 1953 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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Title: Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams ISBN: 0064400034 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 14 October, 1953 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams ISBN: 0060264705 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 14 October, 1953 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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