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Prairie Fires

the American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Feb 27, 2018jazpur rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I have long admired much beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books.When a new book by Caroline Fraser was touted as being the 'definitive' biography, I had great expectations . Misplaced, unfortunately. Much more time should have been taken by the author to analyse, digest and consolidate her research. There is a great deal of information, at times, contradictory. The historical background is shaky.More judicious editing would have helped. When she explores the fraught relationship between Laura and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, the narrative bogs down.It becomes evident there is enough information about Rose and her career for a separate biography. Two books would have been better than one. Rose's influence on her mother's writing has long been speculated. In this biography her flamboyant overbearing character comes across strongly and makes the title misleading. There is an almost equal amount of information about Rose. The photographs are interesting and the text is supported by pages of verifying annotations. Worthy. Earnest. It is clear too that the Michael Langdon TV series has done much to add to the rosy haze that now surrounds the lives of the Ingalls and Wilder families and their neighbours; myths and legends which blur the hardships lived through by America's mid-western pioneers. Laura herself was selective. She did not want to write about the grim reality. Rather she wanted to encourage young readers.