Reviews for Laura Ingalls Wilder

The average rating for Laura Ingalls Wilder based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-01-26 00:00:00 Svein Olnes Well, those who are familiar with my reviews are likely well cognizant of the fact that I do not all that often grant five star ratings (and yes indeed, that I actually also and equally tend to be even more potentially critical with regard to non fiction, with regard to literary criticism, as my reading eyes usually do end up finding possible academic shortcomings and/or authorial musings at which I take umbrage and with which I do not agree). However and very much joyfully, appreciatively, Pamela Smith Hill’s 2007 Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life is definitely a glowing and shining exception here, has been from beginning to end both an educational and enlightening total and absolute reading delight. For yes indeed, Pamela Smith Hill’s text most definitely (and of course in my opinion) is the most balanced secondary piece of writing on Laura Ingalls Wilder I personally have read to date, featuring not only a detailed analysis and portrait of Laura’s life (from birth to death) but also an appreciated dissection of how Laura Ingalls Wilder becomes a writer, why her Little House on the Prairie series is to be considered first and foremost as autobiographical fiction and of course also Laura Ingalls Wilder’s both personal and professional relationship with her daughter Rose Wilder Lane (with the author, with Pamela Hill Smith clearly textually demonstrating in Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life the often strained and fraught wit negativity ties between Laura and Rose but also pointing out that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s writing and daughter Rose Wilder Lane’s editing is what really does make the Little House on the Prairie series such an enduring and still today much beloved children’s literature classic). Meticulously researched (with extensive notes, a detailed bibliography and a handy index), I have indeed and definitely found Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life delightfully readable, enjoyable and as such a wonderfully engaging and enlightening reading experience. And as already mentioned above, a full and shining five stars for Pamela Smith Hill’s presented text, for an educational and always interesting non fiction gemstone that is both well written and superbly researched and also does not shy away from mentioning that there also exist a number of controversies about Laura Ingalls Wilder (but that thankfully, Hill also does not overly focus on this but generally keeps to her thesis statement, to her purpose in Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life, namely presenting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and the development of her literary skills, depicting how she became such a famous and much beloved author).

Review # 2 was written on 2007-11-21 00:00:00 Thomas Hower I can hardly say enough good things about this book. It's exactly the sort of Laura Ingalls Wilder biography I've been wishing for: straightforward non-fiction (footnotes and everything!) with a steady focus on Laura, giving equal weight to the true details of her life and to her writing. As an author of children's historical fiction herself, Pamela Smith Hill gives ample insight into the craft of Wilder's writing, drawing attention to a great many elements of the structure and theme of the Little House books that I'd never put together myself. Based on those observations, Hill presents a compelling case that despite being steeped in historical and autobiographical details, Wilder's books are indeed fiction -- a personal history consciously trimmed and molded to fit the form and countours of the novel. Hill also tackles the fascinating editorial partnership between Laura Ingalls Wilder and daughter Rose Wilder Lane, pointing out with concrete examples how the combination of each woman's natural strengths and gifts contributed to the overall shape and tone of Wilder's novels. Thankfully, Hill manages to keep Rose's dynamic and voilatile personality from overpowering the second half of the book, all the while giving an uncluttered assessment of Rose's role in bringing the Little House stories to print. I have no complaints about this book. Not a single one.