"THE FIRST FOUR YEARS"

Carol · Subject: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:02 pm

"THE FIRST FOUR YEARS"

Laura and Almanzo Wilder have just been married! Their life on a small prairie homestead begins with high hopes. But each year seems to bring unexpected disasters -- storms, sickness, fire, and unpaid debts. These first four years call for courage, strength, and a great deal of determination. Always, though, there is love, especially for the newest member of the family -- baby Rose.

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This thread is for discussing "The First Four Years".

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ChristinaAL · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:29 am

I love reading about Laura and Almanzo's early married life. It seems to pick up where "These Happy Golden Years" leaves off - it even overlaps a bit in some cases, but I like it. The one chapter about how Laura cooked dinner for the men and forgot to put the sugar in the pie was sweet I thought - Laura was so embaressed and the one man - I forget who - just said, "I like it; this way I can put as much sugar as I'd like" or something to make her feel better.

It's also very dark in contrast to her other books. It seems like one bad thing after another keeps happening to the poor newlywed couple! I feel terrible for them by the end. I wish Laura had written at least one more, maybe about their journey to Missouri or something, so we knew they were okay. But I guess that's what we can get from "The Rose Years", even though they're not the same as Laura's own words.

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Take me back to Walnut Grove, I became Albert Ingalls there

Carol · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:21 pm

I have not read this book but am planning to :study:

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ChristinaAL · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:27 pm

Oops, sorry Carol! I hope I didn't ruin it with any spoilers... LOL

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Take me back to Walnut Grove, I became Albert Ingalls there

Carol · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:58 pm

No way Christina... as soon as you started mentioning a little bit about it, I skipped your post! Laughing

I just did a spoiler paragraph, If you want to see, just click the spoiler line section, and my writing appears :CoolSign:

Spoiler:
	BTW, if you put a spoiler next time, this forum has a code for it. Just type what you want to say, highlight the spoiler part and click on the spoiler button, like I just did w/ this paragraph

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Misti · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:39 pm

That is so cool, Carol! This forum has some neat things on it.

I did notice that The FFYs seemed to be in a different style of writing than the other books. Also, when they are discussing the marriage, it seems to be two different stories between THGY and The FFY.

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"I would fight for you - I'd lie for you - walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you..."

ChristinaAL · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:09 pm

Carol wrote:

No way Christina... as soon as you started mentioning a little bit about it, I skipped your post! Laughing

I just did a spoiler paragraph, If you want to see, just click the spoiler line section, and my writing appears :CoolSign:

Spoiler:
	BTW, if you put a spoiler next time, this forum has a code for it. Just type what you want to say, highlight the spoiler part and click on the spoiler button, like I just did w/ this paragraph

Cool! I never knew that before.

Spoiler:
But now I do!

Thanks, Carol! :cpatch:

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Take me back to Walnut Grove, I became Albert Ingalls there

LIWnut · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:25 pm

The first time I read The First Four Years I didn't like it. I had just finished reading the entire series and this book was just written so differently that I just didn't like it. I learned later that this book was published after Laura's death. It was found in Laura's posessions and it was probably never edited. That is why it read so different than her other books. With that in mind, it didn't seem as bad.:study:

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fredsredhead66 · New Pioneer Number of posts: 13

I am not crazy about this one, especially the part where Mr. and Mrs. Boast try to take Rose! It's like reading about a different family entierly. It's a shame it's not like the others.

LindsayCrouseFan · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Mon Aug 27, 2007 3:45 pm

This was a great book. When it ended, I wanted more, for sure.

Vanesa · Walnut Grove Resident Number of posts: 1181

fredsredhead66 wrote:

I am not crazy about this one, especially the part where Mr. and Mrs. Boast try to take Rose! It's like reading about a different family entierly. It's a shame it's not like the others.

Well, Laura died before she could edite this book. She would edite all the other ones. There is a very common opinion about this affair: she must have written it ,slightly after Almanzo's death and then, she was so depressed that never care for it any more. The manuscript was found by Rose herself much later her mother was dead and she didn't want to publish it. Maybe for she was so different from the rest of the set. The book was published (I think) in 1974, even after Rose's death.

The book IS different from the others, for it IS really referring to another family. The other eight books were related to the Ingallses, "TFFY" is about the Wilders. Remember that Laura married almanzo and went away on her own.

As for the fact of the Boast trying to get Rose...this was VERY common. Believe me. Did you remember when Laura must experience something similar when her family was living in Iowa? Of course, Caroline smiled to the lady who wanted Laura and said she couldn't possibily live without her daughter. My own great-grandma when travelling from Spain to Argentina, was asked by another family as their daughter. She was only two and they were delighted with her golden curls and blue eyes and smiles. But her mother wouldn't let her go. She was HER daughter and not anyone else's.

Vanesa.

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MichaelLandonFan · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:46 pm

I loved this book

Prairie Wind · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:53 am

I wish Laura could have edited this book.
I'm sure it would have been happier if she would have.
There were some fun parts- such as Roses' antics,
Laura playing in the snow and the horse back riding...

I agree about the part with the Boasts!
They were such a fun couple in the other books!
Laura probably would have left that part out in the final manuscript!

Holly

Prairie Dweller · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:59 am

I'll comment more when I finish rereading the book, but I have one question... Does anyone know if Laura planned to write more books after The First Four Years?

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Prairie Wind · Subject: Re: "THE FIRST FOUR YEARS" Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:24 am

My understanding was that Laura said she was finished and that no one even knew about the First Four Years until they found it in her belongings after her death.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

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