The Charlotte Years

I would start with the Anderson book. Personally I am very interested in the ture life of the real Ingalls and Wilder families and William Anderson's books are very informative.
Then you could go and read the novels that give the same history in story form.
I have all of those books, they arre all great. Happy Reading!!!

For some reason, that series does not interest me.

LIWnut wrote:

I would start with the Anderson book. Personally I am very interested in the true life of the real Ingalls and Wilder families and William Anderson's books are very informative.
Then you could go and read the novels that give the same history in story form.
I have all of those books, they arre all great. Happy Reading!!!

See? I told you Marilyn is an expert. I agree about the William Anderson books, too. They're excellent!

Well, yes. Marilyn gave you the right advice. It is better for you to read Anderson books and booklets first and only after them, the fiction works about the Ingalls and the Wilders.
I must confess that I've read all of these or almost all. I loved both, fictional and historic works. Generally I would order five or six Ingalls books every three months (when the change favorized me, now I can't), so my collection is pretty complete.

I enjoyed Martha's, Charlotte's and Caroline's Years (I don't have the complete collection of the last two of them, but well... ) for different reasons that I likes Lauras books. These are not only interesting for it mentions Laura's female relatives, but also for you can learn how people lived in XVIII Century in Scotland, at the very beginning of XIX Century near Boston (right after American Independence) and in the 1840's when Westward movement just started. I love these books for even if I knwo they are not accurate about Ingalls family they are a good material for an historian like me, who is focused in cultural and social history.

My own recommandation is that you read these before any other book related to the Ingallses (all of them by William T. Anderson)

-"The Story of the Ingalls" (Before and after the Little House Books)
-"The Story of the Wilders" (Almanzo and family)
-"Laura Wilder of Mansfield" (The Ozark years)
-"Laura's Rose" (Rose Wilder Lane's story)
-"Wilder in the West" (Eliza Jane's story)
-"The Horn Book's Laura Ingalls Wilder (Reprint of 1943 and 1953 Wilder issues)
-"Laura Ingalls Wilder: the Iowa Story" (Account of the Ingalls' Years at Burr Oak)
-"The Walnut Grove Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder"
-"A Little House Sampler" Stories, essays and articles by Laura Ingalls and Rose Wilder Lane, settings by Anderson)
-"A Little House Reader" (same than above. I didn't read it, tough)
-"Laura Ingalls Wilder Country" by Anderson and kelly (Large 117 pages of color and black and white pictorial with background commentary)
-"Laura Ingalls Wilder- A biography (240 pages)


And also, if you like:

-"Laura" (Life f Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Donald Zochert) EXCELLENT
-"Westville Florida Years of Laura Ingalls Wilder", by Alene Warnock
-"Spring Valley-The LIW connection" (The year after the "First Four Years), by Mary Jo Dathe.


There are some other good titles about the food they ate and the music they sang. If you want them, I can give you the info.

And then, yes...Read all the other "Little House" years. I loved them all, for sure, and I'm sure you'll love them too.

Vanesa.

I never have read any of the books about anybody but Laura, and of 'corse Almanzo. Our libary has some of them, but not all, and I didn't want to get started on something and not be able to finish. I'm still collecting the Laura Books, but maybe after I'm done, I'll start on the others! :bookworm:

The books that I own are all listed in the thread called Little House Library. I am waiting for another book coming in the mail soon. I do have a few others that I must include in that list soon.

You are a good reader, really!

Vanesa.

ChristinaAL wrote:

I've read the 2 Anderson books, the first of the Charlotte Years (Little House By Boston Bay), and I'm almost halfway through "On Tide Mill Lane". How I love all these books! I think I'm going to be very sad when I read all the series and know that there aren't any more! LOL. For those of you who've read the Charlotte Years (and even the Martha Years), do you want to discuss them with me?

In particular, I found Martha to be a lively, firey character - much like Laura herself. It seemed to me that when some of the girls - like Caroline - were young, she was lively as well but grew up to be a little more stern and ladylike (as we see Caroline in Laura's own books). But Martha seemed different - I don't want to give away spoilers, but she speaks her mind and dances and plays with the children. She seems very carefree and fun. Does anyone else think so as well?

Oh, yes...Me. I think exactly the same. It hapens that in XVIII Century people was much less "stern" than they were in XIX's one. Social manners were merry in XVIII Century, but later, people become more stern what we calls "Victorian Era", began. If you watchs the movie "Amadeus" and after it "Jane Eyre" or "Oliver Twist", you'll see the difference.

Vanesa.

I've pulled out the Caroline years and am halfway through Little House in Brookfield. I just love little Caroline, she is sooo sweet. And yes, Martha seems to be spunky like Laura. It's been a few years since I have read these books and so I am enjoying them all over again.