"LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE"

The long winter is over. With spring come socials, parties, and "Literaries." There is also work to be done. Laura spends many hours each day sewing shirts to help send Mary to a college for the blind. But in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almanzo Wilder.

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This thread is for discussing "Little Town on the Prairie".

I love this book and I love how it shows Laura was the pursuer but being persued. Totally I love the stories of all the parties and the activities Laura does with all her friends and her day to day life.

my fave books out of all the little house ones! i love it! i love how she gets name cards and she gives one to Almonzo ect. and she makes Nellie sooo jealous my favorite part!
~*emilyanne*~

Embarrassed to admit I haven´t read this one yet... there´s actually a lot of them which I haven´t read yet because before I only wanted to read about Laura and Almanzo... maybe I´ll read this right after I finish Farmer Boy

its okay!

The interesting thing here is that Nellie Oleson seems NOT to be a rich girl, but a "pretending-to-be" rich girl. That's why she "forgets" her own name cards. I loved when Pa and Ma decided Laura must have her namecards, since all the fashionable people had them.

The book is very lively, with all these parties and social accounts...and Nellie Oleson! I loved the way she popped out in school and Laura recognized in her, the same girl from Plum Creek. I'm guessing if Michael Landon was not thinking at this scene when he tought to move the Olesons to Winoka, along with the Ingallses.

Eliza Jane is another interesting character in the book, but you could easily feel that Laura didn't like her. Of course, I wish I could have Eliza Jane's version of this story, but Laura makes her appair as unfair, and even nasty. The way she befriends Nellie Oleson is scandalous. Nellie was really, but really, "teacher's pet". I don't know exactly why, but these two became friends too easily. I suppose that in real life, Eliza Jane must have befriend Genny Masters or Stella Gilbert (I suppose it was Genny Masters), for Laura sounds very bitter to her former teacher when she writes these pages. She sounds in fact, too bitter for being depicting a made up event.

Vanesa. :think:

That's a good point, Vanesa. It would be interesting to have been able to have Eliza Jane's side of the story.

I wish that Michael Landon had included some of the wonderful community activities they had! The spelling bees (which the adults participated in, as well!) the parties, the school programs........ It would have been a lot of fun!

I LOVE THIS Book I just Love it

Vanesa wrote:

Eliza Jane is another interesting character in the book, but you could easily feel that Laura didn't like her.

Vanesa. :think:

I have always been so surprised that Laura
would have included that mean scene of Eliza's treatment of poor Carrie!
I mean, Eliza did become her sister in law!
You know how it is in families...
Could it be that all the rest of the Wilders
were dead and gone when she wrote the book?
If not, it seems like someone would have been really offended.
I haven't seen a birth AND death time- line for
Almanzo's side of the family- just Laura's....
When I visited De Smet (Little town on the Prairie)
I asked the tour guide if Laura and Eliza ever made up.
She said she didn't know but that Rose
did go to live with her at one point so you would think so...
Ha! Maybe Eliza gave Laura permission
to write about her meanness? Maybe she reformed?
Ah! Mysteries!

Well on a lighter side-
When Almanzo gives Laura the buggy ride,
I love how he tells Laura that his sister had "mentioned" her!
Yeah, I wonder WHAT Eliza Jane mentioned!

Holly

Ya know, Laura was such a tomboy but even as a much older woman, she seemed to like to dress up. Of course she does lament her corset though...

I wonder if she quit wearing her corset once she left home????

Holly, according to the family tree in the LH Treasury, the only Wilder that would've been alive (of Almanzo's siblings) would've been Almanzo.

When I first read the series I remember dreading having to read Little Town on the Prairie. ~laughs~ My mother had always told me that in the tv series the episodes where they went to the city were pretty dumb. So, I naturally assumed that Little Town on the Prairie would be dumb! ~laughs~ I still never remember this book as well as I remember the others.

I'm about a fourth of the way through.

I always feel sorry for Laura for having to go in and sew, but admire her pluck for doing it without complaining and being cheerful that she's able to contribute to Mary's college fund.

I really like the Fourth of July chapters. It makes me want to see it, especially the horse races. Because of Laura's tasting the lemonade, I always wanted to try some. When I finally got to try some I was pretty disappointed because I didn't like it!

Thanks, PD!

Yeah, Laura sure had pluck! It's amazing how disciplined those people were! Remember their reaction when little Grace complains by saying her feet were cold? "For shame, Grace!"
Boy would we be in trouble now days!

I love the horse race chapter! I'm certain that Almanzo was aware of Laura's admiration for his horses! She never really 'saw" him until later. She had her cap set for CAP!

I'm not too fond of lemonade either, PD, but I can imagine that it was quite a drink for Laura. They didn't have nice cold water to drink year round, no juice, or any other type of fun beverage. That lemonade must have been a real novelty. Remember how the Ingalls liked Ginger Water- with vinegar in it?! I've never had the nerve to try it!!

Last night I read the "Eliza" chapters... I agree that Laura seemed too bitter for it to be fabricated... I wonder though if Eliza really did come across as not always being nice.. or whatever! It's been about six years since I read the Rose series, but I recall Eliza being mentioned in the books and making her seem to be a bit pushy and pressuring.

Prairie Wind: I love how he tells Laura that his sister had "mentioned" her!
Yeah, I wonder WHAT Eliza Jane mentioned!
I was wondering that same thing last night! I wonder if Almanzo was somewhat intrigued by Eliza's school prediciments and it made him really want to meet Laura just to see what she was like...

I'd never seen much of the LH tv series when I was younger. I only really vaguely remembered a few bits and pieces of episodes. I was really excited when my mother broke down and bought the first four seasons. Then later she bought the fifth and sixth season together. I was so excited when in the on episode Bart? sings the poem that Laura wrote about Eliza Jane. I was kind of disappointed that Eliza Jane wasn't anything like she was in the books and I loved the part where the boys go through the town singing the poem, and then finally, the poem is yelled in one of the episodes!

Prairie Dweller wrote:

I wonder if Almanzo was somewhat intrigued by Eliza's school prediciments and it made him really want to meet Laura just to see what she was like...

!

I bet he did!

But weeeell, I have a theory... :shifty:

Remember the very first time that Laura saw Almanzo's horses and she loudly commented on them? I think Almanzo heard her and then that was the beginning of his intrigue... Almanzo loooved horses and any one else who also did was worth of his notice. Every occasion he saw Laura that after that, just added to her charm! But of course, anyone who could get the best of his bossy older sister must have had the kind of pluck he admired too!

I haven't gotten to the Rose book where Eliza comes back into the picture. It's next in line. I'll have to look and see if we have a "Rose book" thread here...

In the Rose Books Eliza Jane Does Come back she Goes to visit Laura and Alamanzo now she finds out Rose did't get a scholar ship now she pays for her School and then Rose moves in with Eliza Jane I was a Pretty Good Series

I knew Rose went to live with her. How did they get along?

They got along fine as i remember Rose Like Eliza Jane Eliza Jane and Rose always went to some kind of Concert hall or something and Give every person Poster i think it was something about to get more rights Rose met an older man there i think he was in his 40 and she went for rides with him Eliza Did't approve of that but that ended yet i have forgotten lots of it already but it sure is worth reading it i remeber that much

Thanks, Jaccob!

I'm really enjoying the rose books. I can hardly wait to read that one!

I just finished reading this one, and I really liked it! I liked how Laura was just beginning to meet Almanzo and how proud the Ingalls family was when Mary was able to go to college.

It makes me wish I could live in such a town! And I'm a country girl!

mm... I'd forgotten that Rose lived with Eliza, Jacob. I was thinking about earlier in the series though when the family visits Laura and Almanzo on their way down to Lousianna... I was thinking that Eliza was with her parents, but I can't remember!


I love the chapters about the recitals and spelldowns and all. I'd love to see those!


It's interesting... I just finished reading "These Happy Golden Years" and at the end Eliza is mentioned, but she doesn't seem quite the same as she's portrayed in "Little Town". Maybe it's just my imagination though... It's kind of hard to explain...

Prairie Dweller wrote:

mm... I'd forgotten that Rose lived with Eliza, Jacob. I was thinking about earlier in the series though when the family visits Laura and Almanzo on their way down to Lousianna... I was thinking that Eliza was with her parents, but I can't remember!


I love the chapters about the recitals and spelldowns and all. I'd love to see those!


It's interesting... I just finished reading "These Happy Golden Years" and at the end Eliza is mentioned, but she doesn't seem quite the same as she's portrayed in "Little Town". Maybe it's just my imagination though... It's kind of hard to explain...

Hi, PD,

I love those same chapters! Can you imagine a whole town having a spelldown these days?

Since I'm working my way through the Rose series, I can say that, No Eliza wasn't with her mom and dad when they visited Laura and Almanzo in Missouri.

I thought Eliza sounded the same in THGY because she was going to "take charge" of Laura and Almanzo's wedding! Sounds typical of older sisters!

Okay, thanks! I knew that Almanzo's parents visited, but I couldn't remember if Eliza did too. I'm a lot closer to being able to rereading the series! I started "First Four Years" last night.