After enjoying Book Lovers, I should have known another Emily Henry book would be the chick flick rom com I was searching for. She has a way of writinAfter enjoying Book Lovers, I should have known another Emily Henry book would be the chick flick rom com I was searching for. She has a way of writing snappy dialogue and creating dynamic characters that make for a light, cute, engaging story. Just the kind of popcorn fluff I needed to cleanse the palate.
Warning for some explicit sexual content/references (though the vocabulary is relatively tame)....more
DNFed because the start was just too slow. I was in the mood for something faster and more peppy. In reading other reviews, I spotted this has a love DNFed because the start was just too slow. I was in the mood for something faster and more peppy. In reading other reviews, I spotted this has a love triangle, which is a trope I don’t enjoy. So I decided not to finish....more
Mostly useless. Basically, be a good person and don't give into temptation. Like Augustine of Hippo, he sorely needed to organize and edit his writingMostly useless. Basically, be a good person and don't give into temptation. Like Augustine of Hippo, he sorely needed to organize and edit his writing.
Once I got to the part about those annoying, pesky virgin women--who are so hard to maintain in their father's houses and keep out of the public eye, and who are worthless if they don't get married and have babies (Yes, it's in Book III.)--I mostly checked out....more
Journeying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
In a way, this one returns to the roots of the series: Disasters hapJourneying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
In a way, this one returns to the roots of the series: Disasters happen. It's a departure from the happy times of Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years. Instead, like in On the Banks of Plum Creek, this family lives on credit card debt for years, always hoping that the next crop will bring in more money than the year before. They keep sticking it out, and the good luck they bet on never seems to appear.
The foolish optimism, which started really annoying me in The Long Winter, continues here. Laura repeats the same trite colloquialisms that she grew up hearing from Ma. I blame Almanzo. Laura doesn't know any other way of life, but he should know better than to do this to his family.
The writing style for this one is different than earlier books, of course. Being her early notes, it's not as smooth or polished or fleshed out. But it didn't feel alarmingly different from earlier books, like I expected. It still feels like Laura's reflections. Despite Laura's holding a stiff upper lip, I'm glad to see some of the stark truth left in this one (Laura doesn't shy away from mentioning the death of her baby son, unlike her silence about the real-life baby brother who died years before). But at the same time, I don't know if I could stomach reading about any more disasters plaguing this family. I'm glad it's done.
Journeying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
The book speeds through roughly three years in De Smet, SD, as the IJourneying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
The book speeds through roughly three years in De Smet, SD, as the Ingalls finally prosper and put down roots. Almanzo continues to pursue Laura, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Laura still seems disinterested in him most of the time.
Yet it's bittersweet in some spots. Laura is grown up, and while she takes on responsibilities, she still sometimes aches for the enjoyments of childhood. There's a few paragraphs that reflect on events of the earlier books. The last few chapters feel cozy, as Laura sets up a new life for herself, almost like old times. This feels like a "Little House" book again, in contrast to Little Town on the Prairie. A fitting ending, I think.
I consider this the last of the series, though they posthumously published The First Four Years.
(view spoiler)[Truthfully, I was disappointed overall by the Laura/Almanzo romance. I know that the real Laura Ingalls Wilder must have changed, added, and left out many details in telling the story. So if you're going to make a fictionalized version, why not make it better? I don't understand why these two people like each other. They bond over... horses and singing? They seemingly have no conversations about... their lives, values, interests, desires, dreams... anything personal? I still feel that I know next to nothing about Almanzo.
In speaking about Almanzo, Laura once says to Mary: "I guess it's because we just seem to belong together." Really? That's your answer for why you're marrying him, Laura? You guess?
Also, Pa will foolishly spend $100 on an organ for Mary literally YEARS before she comes home for a summer break, but he won't spend $200 on farm machinery that will prevent him breaking his back? Laura's hard-earned teaching money deserved to go to something better. (hide spoiler)]...more
Journeying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
I was thrown off by the stark contrast between this and the last booJourneying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
I was thrown off by the stark contrast between this and the last book, The Long Winter. Just before this, the Ingalls nearly starved--they were freezing, thin, tired, isolated pioneers. Laura still felt (mostly) like a child. In this book they enjoy plenty to eat, lots of new clothes, and social lives with their neighbors.
(view spoiler)[The start of the book feels more grounded, with descriptions of family life on the homestead. But quickly the descriptions switch to Laura's school social life and clothes, along with wider community events. Laura becomes more focused on personal appearances and social dynamics. Ma and Pa and the siblings are shadows in the background. Laura changes from the outdoorsy tomboy with a passion for the prairie and animals, to the studious Victorian girl nervous about school recitations. I suppose now that Laura is truly an adult, and the family is no longer subsistence farming, the narrative will naturally change. But sadly, this one doesn't feel like a "Little House" book, to me.
There's many questions I never get answers to: How does this family afford Mary's expenses? What's Pa doing for work? What are they eating? How are they surviving? Why is Laura so uninterested in Almanzo?
Also, how had I never heard of the blackface minstrel scene before now...? (hide spoiler)]
Journeying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
I feared reading this book would be long, hard, drudgery. But insteaJourneying through a read (or reread) of all the Laura Little House books in 2025.
I feared reading this book would be long, hard, drudgery. But instead, it became a race to the end: How will the Ingalls survive until the train comes? Cap and Almanzo's rescue mission is the climax. (view spoiler)[Then we skip from the end of February to the end of April, in one sentence? But also, I can believe that Laura was so starved on brown bread for four months, that she couldn't remember the last of winter. (hide spoiler)]
Laura's voice continues to grow older here, as it has been maturing since By the Shores of Silver Lake. And for the first time we watch characters interact in scenes where Laura is not present. Some development for Almanzo as a character, but no real direct Laura/Almanzo interaction yet.
This line struck me: "Laura knew what [Pa] meant. She was old enough now to stand by him and Ma in hard times. She must not worry; she must be cheerful and help to keep up all their spirits." Ma and Pa's foolish optimism has now been passed down to the kids. All they ever say about near disasters is, "All's well that ends well." And here Laura says it too. As I continue to read this series, I don't know if I have a newfound respect for the courage of pioneers, or if I've simply grown more cynical, scoffing at these fools who keep putting themselves in these dangerous situations. One thing is true: this family just can't catch a break.
A fun, quick exploration of modern inventions that have drastically changed our modern way of living: glass, refrigeration, sound recording, public saA fun, quick exploration of modern inventions that have drastically changed our modern way of living: glass, refrigeration, sound recording, public sanitation, timekeeping, and electric light. Johnson always comes up with fascinating bits of historical trivia.
The author does a decent job of keeping the dialogue (mostly) snappy, the plot moving quickly, and the descriptions brief. The characters feel some emThe author does a decent job of keeping the dialogue (mostly) snappy, the plot moving quickly, and the descriptions brief. The characters feel some emotional weight and connection with each other. It held my attention enough to finish, but I'm not interested enough to pick up the sequel. I will probably forget most of it within a week.
Definitely for adults, not YA. Warning for some explicit sexual content....more