Melissa's Autobiography

I agree and I think that's where some of my disappointment comes from when I read her book, that even though I know it's not realistic, I pictured her living this fairy tale type of life and everyone on Little House being perfect. There were some things I already knew, but when I read the deeper stories behind it and realized things weren't what I assumed, it's hard to know life wasn't nearly as perfect as I thought...If that makes any sense. :) I knew she and MSA weren't close and that she was adopted, but I was a little sad to know she doesn't have much contact with Jonathan, her brother. (Willie)

bethandmanly wrote:

sweetheart wrote:

ManlyFan wrote:

I can't remember, but I think there is roughly 8-9 years between them. So I'm sure if she was around 16 when those scenes were taking place, the thought of having to kiss and be in love with somone someone who was 23 or 24 would have seemed daunting.

ohok!..Yeah i can understand that too!..That is a big age differences...But she did do a good job with them kind of sences at her age!!!

That is a big difference, especially when she wasn't dating when Dean first came on the set. There were only three years between my son's father and me and the difference seemed enormous at times. I was still in high school while he was working. He drove, I didn't. He had dated before, I hadn't. I couldn't imagine kissing a 24-year-old guy when I was sixteen. Of course, for Dean I might have made an exception.

sweetheart wrote:

Iam still reading mine!...I think it's a pretty good book so far!......one thing i was supprrised at was she said she and melissa sue were not very close!I also thought they were or would of been!..I think it's really sweet and nice how all the ppl on the lhotp set were so close to eacher!!!!

I had heard this before, so it doesn't surprise me. In MG's interview with the final three movies she said that she saw MSA as the typical older sister so it never seemed like they were very chummy. I think it is even harder when MG and the others were so close, yet MSA seemed almost like an outsider. It's too bad because you really want to have this idea that everything was always perfect on the set even when you know that's impossible.

I see what your saying and i agree1& That's very true!!!I did't know MSA left the show i always thought she was just wriiten off of the show!......I wished she was in the last movie it would of been nice to see here there!..I guess u could say i was kind of very supprised with some of the stuff i was reading!.....

ManlyFan wrote:

I agree and I think that's where some of my disappointment comes from when I read her book, that even though I know it's not realistic, I pictured her living this fairy tale type of life and everyone on Little House being perfect. There were some things I already knew, but when I read the deeper stories behind it and realized things weren't what I assumed, it's hard to know life wasn't nearly as perfect as I thought...If that makes any sense. :) I knew she and MSA weren't close and that she was adopted, but I was a little sad to know she doesn't have much contact with Jonathan, her brother. (Willie)

I did't know before that Jonathan was her adopted brother!..That's sad that they don't see eacher much anymore!!...Yeah i was always thinging things on the set was perfucted to and that everybody was so close has ever!!!...

I was woundering!..If he felt mybe a little werid doing them kissing sences with MG seeing how he was 24 and she was 16!if that makes sence!

sweetheart wrote:

I was woundering!..If he felt mybe a little werid doing them kissing sences with MG seeing how he was 24 and she was 16!if that makes sence!

It does make sense, and since she wasn't even dating when Dean started on the show it probably made it even harder. If she had some experience dating she might not have been as intimidated by him; but she was so young.

bethandmanly wrote:

sweetheart wrote:

I was woundering!..If he felt mybe a little werid doing them kissing sences with MG seeing how he was 24 and she was 16!if that makes sence!

It does make sense, and since she wasn't even dating when Dean started on the show it probably made it even harder. If she had some experience dating she might not have been as intimidated by him; but she was so young.

yup!,Very true again!...I really can understand MG For feeling how she did at the time!..I would of felt the very same why!


Am almost finshed with the book

I gotta say that both Melissa & Dean did well with this kiss... even though it might have felt weird... in the tv series, it looked romantic and just right

Carol wrote:

I gotta say that both Melissa & Dean did well with this kiss... even though it might have felt weird... in the tv series, it looked romantic and just right

:agree:

I have finished this book in just 4 days. I am glad I bought it and really glad she wrote it. I think for her this book probably was something SHE needed to be able to see her accomplishments. She was brave to tell all she did tell, but with being a celebrity things always have a way of leaking. I'm just glad she got to tell things her way.
Her losses have been huge, but now I think she can see her strength. I will never be one to enjoy reading something with tarnished language, so I guess that is one thing that bothered me. Despite that it was a page turner. If nothing else but to see a better day for her with each chapter.
I think of it all the last chapter was wonderful. She quoted LIW and talked of going through one of the homesites museums. Just before that chapter I thought of how much Melissa gave us by showing us a face to Laura, and how she hadn't gotten to experience Laura's magic as we had. It saddened me.
BUT then reading that she got to touch Laura's nightgown, I think she finally did. SHe knew it was a link to Laura, and I'm glad that Melissa got to really feel that connection.
My hope is that Melissa is content, happy and loved in her life as it is now. She like Laura gave us her gift and I'm thankful to her for that.

I'm in the process of reading the book right now....I bought it when it first came out but was wrapped up in another book at the time. I'll admit it---I skipped to the chapter that spoke of her experience when they hired Dean! I had to know, LOL! But so far, like many of you have said, this is very well written ,and like you said Gin, a 'quick read'. She is an excellent writer!!

Are you finished yet Amy huh, huh? lol

Gin wrote:

I will never be one to enjoy reading something with tarnished language, so I guess that is one thing that bothered me. Despite that it was a page turner. If nothing else but to see a better day for her with each chapter.

This is what has stoppd me from making time to read the rest of it. I skipped to the Dean chapter and was a bit disappointed. That she thought he looked lik a "doofus" with that hat didn't bother me,--I never liked the first hat either--even though I'm not sure I could be brave enough to share stuff about my co-workers and friends, but the nasty language she used in the book and that she uses on Twitter is such a turn-off for me. I don't expect her to be a saint, and in a contest, my pirate talk might make her seem like more of a saint, :shy: but I don't think it's necessary in a biography.

Stephen King's memoir "On Writing" has the same issue. It was so littered with the "F-word" that I found it distracting.

I must be getting old or something.

I'm still reading Gin! I'm getting there....I'll let you know when I'm done! I just read a part where she talks about Michael sitting behind her in the theater viewing "the Miracle Worker" for the first time. After the last scene, she turned around to look at him, and he had tears rolling down his face. He held her in his arms and just kept saying "Oh my God. Oh my God", and she said it was the first time she rendered him speechless and it made her feel so good. That part really moved me...they sure did have something special.

Hello everyone

I got mine a couple days ago. I already finished it. The part about LHOTP was rather interesting, there were a lot things I didn't know about. I find it sad, that she hasn't a good relationship with her brother. It looks like his life around her wasn't that easy.

From the rest of the book, there were parts, I didn't need to know. But I still think it was an interesting read. Thanks to the book, I realized that between Melissa and Laura is quite a difference.

I thought it was a very honest account of Melissa's life through good times and bad, exactly what an autobiography should be. It let us all know her life wasn't the bed of roses we probably all thought it might have been and, like the rest of us, her family has it's problems too.

High Five, Christina. I just hope Melissa don't get burned out after her musical experience. Putting on show after show can be tough. My only experience was doing musicals in my HS choir. I'm sure it helps that in her heart she wants to see LH continue in any way it can.
I can not wait to see her in April '10!

FINALLY! The book is ready for me to pick up at the Library!

I'll be reading this soon!

Mine is still in that pile of books that is threatening to take over my office. Summer time is coming though, so by the time we drive to NC I should have books by both Melissas and Alison's to take with me.

I'm still reading the book... I'm more than halfway done. It has been an interesting read so far! I'm in the part when things ended with Rob Lowe.

There was one thing that I read that made me say: 'Yes!!!!' out loud and felt happy as if it had happened to me LOL

It is a part where she's hanging out with some people from the brat pack and they are at this club or restaurant. Melissa goes on to say how one of them was gloating about being in movies and saying how TV was not so good. Then there was a couple of girls (fans), that kept looking in their direction. When the girls started going over to their table, Rob was getting ready to sign whatever the girls brought (like he must have done millions of times)... but to her surprise they didn't even look in Robs direction too much and instead talked to Melissa. The girls said, "You're Laura from Little House right?" and the girls were all excited. After they left... Melissa turned to the guy who was saying the movie business is where it's at... and Melissa said, "Now THAT is the power of television"

Ha! LOL

AMEN, Carol. Its a wonderful thing when one can say they were watched EVERY week AND loved! Rob, messed up a good thing.

ManlyFan wrote:

I was a little sad to know she doesn't have much contact with Jonathan, her brother. (Willie)

I felt bad about that, too. I had a feeling that we wouldn't get much info on him, anyway, because from what I gathered over the years, he was just living his life now. Since he wasn't involved in show business anymore, I figured he wanted his life to be private. Still, though, I was fully expecting to read a little more about him. I didn't expect her to say that she has barely any contact with him nowadays, though. Of course, who knows? Who knows what happened in their family? Who knows what may have even happened between Jonathan and his mother? I figure that is what it might involve. And if it is, well, it is his choice to live his life like that.

Gin wrote:

I think of it all the last chapter was wonderful. She quoted LIW and talked of going through one of the homesites museums. Just before that chapter I thought of how much Melissa gave us by showing us a face to Laura, and how she hadn't gotten to experience Laura's magic as we had. It saddened me.
BUT then reading that she got to touch Laura's nightgown, I think she finally did. SHe knew it was a link to Laura, and I'm glad that Melissa got to really feel that connection.

I really liked that part to her book. I think out of all of it, that was the best part. A small part but the best part. I think it was a very good way to end it.

Carol wrote:

There was one thing that I read that made me say: 'Yes!!!!' out loud and felt happy as if it had happened to me LOL

It is a part where she's hanging out with some people from the brat pack and they are at this club or restaurant. Melissa goes on to say how one of them was gloating about being in movies and saying how TV was not so good. Then there was a couple of girls (fans), that kept looking in their direction. When the girls started going over to their table, Rob was getting ready to sign whatever the girls brought (like he must have done millions of times)... but to her surprise they didn't even look in Robs direction too much and instead talked to Melissa. The girls said, "You're Laura from Little House right?" and the girls were all excited. After they left... Melissa turned to the guy who was saying the movie business is where it's at... and Melissa said, "Now THAT is the power of television"

Ha! LOL

I loved that part, too, though!


I liked this book better than I thought I would. I don't really know what I was expecting but it ended up better than I had anticipated. I thought it was a really fast read. I finished it about 2 months ago. And I think it took me 5 days, at the most, to read it (I have become a slow reader these past few days - so 5 days is incredible for me to achieve! ). It is most definitely a tell-all, which is OK. If a person really feels like they want to get everything out in the open, I don't care. I never expected to read that her life was perfect. I kind of think she wouldn't have written the book if it had been. I knew some things happened in her life and there were other things that I didn't know about. I thought it was an interesting read. And I would probably recommend it to anyone who as any genuine interest in LH and Melissa Gilbert.

bethandmanly wrote:

Gin wrote:

I will never be one to enjoy reading something with tarnished language, so I guess that is one thing that bothered me. Despite that it was a page turner. If nothing else but to see a better day for her with each chapter.

This is what has stopped me from but the nasty language she used in the book and that she uses on Twitter is such a turn-off for me. I don't expect her to be a saint, and in a contest, my pirate talk might make her seem like more of a saint, :shy: but I don't think it's necessary in a biography.

Stephen King's memoir "On Writing" has the same issue. It was so littered with the "F-word" that I found it distracting.

I must be getting old or something.

Well, I couldn't agree with you more. And it's not that I'm a prude either---I mean, I love the Sopranos for crying out loud---trust me, I can handle language. But there was simply no use for all of it in her book. It startled me just a little in the beginning, but I was not terribly offended or anything. Then by mid-way through until the end, she was dropping everything everywhere and 'distracting and disappointing' are the two words I can think of to best describe my feeling on that. It was all simply unnecessary.

Carol wrote:

I'm still reading the book... I'm more than halfway done. It has been an interesting read so far! I'm in the part when things ended with Rob Lowe.

There was one thing that I read that made me say: 'Yes!!!!' out loud and felt happy as if it had happened to me LOL

It is a part where she's hanging out with some people from the brat pack and they are at this club or restaurant. Melissa goes on to say how one of them was gloating about being in movies and saying how TV was not so good. Then there was a couple of girls (fans), that kept looking in their direction. When the girls started going over to their table, Rob was getting ready to sign whatever the girls brought (like he must have done millions of times)... but to her surprise they didn't even look in Robs direction too much and instead talked to Melissa. The girls said, "You're Laura from Little House right?" and the girls were all excited. After they left... Melissa turned to the guy who was saying the movie business is where it's at... and Melissa said, "Now THAT is the power of television"

Ha! LOL

I really love that part too! Hilarious!!


Here is a review I found online, from just another LH fan....I basically agree with everything this woman wrote, so I'll share it here. Honestly, I am not so sure I'm 'glad' I read this book. I did find it to be a page-turner for the most part, but my opinion of Melissa has been tarnished for good. It's not that I don't understand her, or that I think she should be 'perfect' or anything like that. I don't even know how to explain it, all I can say is that I was left feeling disappointed.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-Melissa-Gilberts-Memoir-Should-Have-Been-Called-The-Woeful-Tale-of-a-Codependent-Television-Star


Also, I wish she would have elaborated on some other relationships in the show she may have formed, like with Matthew L. or Pat? And there was hardly anything about Victor French or Karen Grassle either....I mean, like it or lump it, she has to know that most of the people picking this book up are fans of the show, and we mostly would like to hear about the show/cast itself. And, I would think that she would have included at least something redeeming about Melissa Sue and Dean Butler. All she said is that she and Dean are friends today, but gosh, the way she wrote about both him and Melissa Sue, you would have thought they were just absolutely awful to her, and I honestly have a hard time believing that. I DID however, LOVE what she shared about the Final Farewell. That was so moving that I CRIED. It was the best part of the entire book, and for that reason alone, I am glad I picked it up. If any of you who haven't read it and are out at a Barnes & Noble or someplace and want to read that part, it's at the tail end of chapter 13.