Think about Pa. He could never stay in one place for long. (The stops in Wisconsin, Plum Creek, Silver Lake, and Kansas, detailed in the famous books, only represent about half the places where the Ingalls family lived.) Usually men who have difficulty putting down roots have a reason for that. And one of the reasons Pa moved so often was that he was usually one step ahead of debt problems. When Caroline finally said "Enough! she truly had had enough, and refused to follow Pa's wandering foot anywhere else.
That's just one example of the information in this well-researched biography by Caroline Fraser, winner of a 2018 Pulitzer Prize, information given here.
Since many reviews giving details are available about this book, I will only give my reaction as a reader: I loved reading it. I loved learning more about my favorite childhood author and her life, finding out many new details not available in the other books about Wilder. And though the book is realistic, not glossing over the grittier details, at the same time it does not dash the reader's views of the Little House books entirely.
As one who greatly appreciates a well-researched and well-presented biography, I highly recommend Prairie Fires to anyone who enjoys reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder.
2 comments:
I have this book slated to read for the next Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge in February. I realized recently that I have never read a biography of her whole life.
Barbara—I think you will enjoy this. It’s not a fast read, but it is also not a difficult read.
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