Laura: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Can’t wait to read this. My mom said it was really good.

Getting beyond the hideous cover (clearly based on the TV series and having NO relation to the real people), this book is interesting in the way it's written and its content. It's not a scholarly piece of work, it's designed to inform and entertain. Zochart admits as much in the beginning where he explains why he leaves out footnotes. He does note that he did do extensive research for the book; he must have, but the lack of any documentation is somewhat disconcerting. There's plenty of background information on the time Laura was a young girl which is the period I've always been most interested in. Burr Oak and Walnut Grove is covered in detail filling in that time that Laura leaves out of her series and there's a lot less on LIW's later years and her relationship with Rose. It's written in a breezy, somewhat romanticized style meant to pull on your heartstrings. I really enjoy the more academic books on LIW, but if you're a hard core fan, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved at the very end of the book describing her last days, which were certainly embellished. I don't regret having this book as part of my collection. It gives another dimension to LIW that's just a little more fun and not as dry as the others out there - but take his information with a grain of salt! The photos are a great part of the book but I wish he had included more of them.

I read this back when it was first published and I was a kid. Back then, I took it as The True Story. I have learned enough by now to know that some of this book is also fiction. I had been looking for it for a while so when I found it, I grabbed it. Now I'll probably donate it to the library. It's worth one read and it's fun.

I Loved this Biography of LIW.

In our family when my youngest daughter was still at home, always enjoyed watching the series "Little House On the Prairie", so to read more about the author Laura Ingalls Wilder, was a very enjoyable read. Anyone whoever enjoyed watching the series, will surly enjoyed this book that is filled with history of the area's that she and her family resided at. I for one, highly recommend this books written by Donald Zochert

I love this book because it goes way beyond what we know from the Little House books. I always wondered what happened to them all after I finished reading the series. Quite informative. A must for any LIW fan! :)

I bought this in the 1990s and lost it when moving. I enjoyed it then and enjoyed it now. I like the way he draws you in, having researched throughly. He seems to have written what Ms. Wilder saw and felt.

I own the 7 individual books of Laura's life so when I saw this book in a book store I wanted it. The pictures are of the real people not drawings as in 7 books. It tells a whole lot more of people that we know through the tv shows and stories.

高校生くらいのころ、この本の邦訳 ローラ・インガルス・ワイルダーの生涯〈上〉 (1979年) そして ローラ・インガルス・ワイルダーの生涯〈下〉 (1979年) の二冊が発行され、夢中で図書館で読みました。数年前オークションでこの本を捜し求め、読み直したところ、テレビ版とは全く違うローラの姿、インガルス一家の姿、そして当時のアメリカが見えてきて購入したのが正解だと思い、今度は原書で読みたくて、お値段も手頃だったので購入しました。届いて最初の英文、不覚にも涙が流れてしまいました。Captar 1　The Big Woods　の出だしです。For Laura,this is where it all began-in the Big Woods of Wisconsin.・・・日本語訳をされたいけもとさえこさんの訳文を思い出し、わかりやすい英語と、それを読めた自分への感動かもしれません。恥ずかしながら私は英語を専門に学んだのですが、その割りに読むのは語彙が足りなく、大変読むのが苦手です。ですから、今まで購入した、Little House Seriesも、本棚に並べて置いてるだけ、と言うのがとても多いのですが、ドナルド・ゾカードさんの文体がぴたっと心に合ったのでしょう。この本は割りと辞書無しでも読めるところが多かったです。比較的簡単な英語で書かれている気がしました。恐らく日本語訳に寄るところも多いと思います。そっちが本当かな？（苦笑）英語版のペーパーバックはあっという間に高価になるので、この本も積読になっちゃうかな？と、購入をためらっていましたが、購入してよかったと思う一冊です。英語は駄目！と言う方には是非邦訳を読むことからお薦めします。　英語が得意な方は是非！このペーパーバックはマスマーケットと言う、アメリカでは一番安いペーパーバックの本だと知り、「変に安っぽいボロボロのペーパーバックの本が来ないかな？」とその点も躊躇しました。でも本自体はとても奇麗でした。今までの気になった点はスペリングの印刷が少し消えているところが少々と（推測して読める程度なので、私は読む分には気になりませんでした。）、残念ながら真ん中に入っているインガルス一家の写真の顔が、印刷のせいなのでしょうか？真っ白でほとんど識別できない状態でした。この点で、☆を１つだけ減らしました。 ローラ・インガルス・ワイルダーの生涯〈上〉 (1979年)ローラ・インガルス・ワイルダーの生涯〈下〉 (1979年)

I really enjoyed reading this biography of Laura's life and the many houses that she and her family lived in. The book made me feel that I wasin the houses living with her and her family, well illustrated and thephoto's were very good. I have only got into reading the little housebooks over one year but I really enjoy them.From a new found fan of Laura's.

I was really excited when i found this book.It did seem to take a while to come but well worth the wait if you are a prairie fan which i am.The book is interesting to know how the series started....love the old pictures.ill treasure this book...

There is very little in this biography that you won't find more enjoyably told by Ingalls herself. Read the books- they're surprisingly unsentimental, and hugely informative about the pioneer families of the 19th century. The rather sickly approach taken here is difficult to enjoy for long - a book written by an over-ardent fan, with little critical powers when it comes to his subject, preferring always to deify, rather than analyse. There are better biographies out there.

This book is slightly different than other Little House books. It is done from a research point of view and fills in a lot of the details that weren't obvious from the other books. Enjoyed reading it.