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Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Riverhead Hardcover (2011), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 352 pages
Description
In this funny and thoughtful guide to a romanticized version of the American expansion west, children's book editor and memoirist McClure (I'm Not the New Me) attempts to recapture her childhood vision of "Laura World" (i.e., the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books about an 1880s pioneer family).
User reviews
LibraryThing member LauraBrook
My oh my my my, how I loved this book. I've wanted to write a book for a long time, and have often thought that this was going to be the book I'd write. No matter how much I might try though, I don't think I could have ever done as outstanding of a job as Ms. McClure. I've thought about what I was
Growing up, I so identified with Laura (I live in Wisconsin! We have a house in the woods! My name is Laura too!) and I thought that I was the only one that loved the Ingalls family and reading about their adventures through all of those books. It's sort of surprising to me that there is a whole little universe of Laura's out there, all feeling the exact same way I did about the exact same things. (The TV show that is so often talked about was before my time, so until the past couple of weeks I'd never seen a single episode and it seemed almost blasphemous that the characters that were a part of me were somehow living these parallel lives! How dare they!) Taking this trip of a lifetime to visit all of the Ingalls homesites is still a dream of mine - until it's the right time for me to do so, I'll happily live vicariously through this book. Wendy McClure has a very readable way of writing, and felt like I was reading my best friends journal. She's funny, touching, honest, sentimental, sometimes all in the same small paragraph. She has a new fan in me that's for sure.
One thing that was shocking to me was how much of these books I had forgotten about. (I also realized that I never read all of the books!) I have a full set of the yellow-covered books, just like the copies I had growing up, waiting for me to pick them up tomorrow from my favorite used book store. If you're a fan of the series, or enjoy travel lit, or semi-snarky memoirs, or are a fan of revisiting your childhood, I think you'd really like this book. Five stars, and I think it could be my favorite book of the year!
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going to say for a week now, and it seems like I'd most likely blab endlessly for page after page about lots of little details. Instead, I'll spare you all. Growing up, I so identified with Laura (I live in Wisconsin! We have a house in the woods! My name is Laura too!) and I thought that I was the only one that loved the Ingalls family and reading about their adventures through all of those books. It's sort of surprising to me that there is a whole little universe of Laura's out there, all feeling the exact same way I did about the exact same things. (The TV show that is so often talked about was before my time, so until the past couple of weeks I'd never seen a single episode and it seemed almost blasphemous that the characters that were a part of me were somehow living these parallel lives! How dare they!) Taking this trip of a lifetime to visit all of the Ingalls homesites is still a dream of mine - until it's the right time for me to do so, I'll happily live vicariously through this book. Wendy McClure has a very readable way of writing, and felt like I was reading my best friends journal. She's funny, touching, honest, sentimental, sometimes all in the same small paragraph. She has a new fan in me that's for sure.
One thing that was shocking to me was how much of these books I had forgotten about. (I also realized that I never read all of the books!) I have a full set of the yellow-covered books, just like the copies I had growing up, waiting for me to pick them up tomorrow from my favorite used book store. If you're a fan of the series, or enjoy travel lit, or semi-snarky memoirs, or are a fan of revisiting your childhood, I think you'd really like this book. Five stars, and I think it could be my favorite book of the year!
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LibraryThing member BookAngel_a
Wendy McClure was obsessed with the Little House books as a child. She read and re-read the entire series, and had much of it memorized. Many years later, as an adult, she stumbles upon the set of books again. She reads them again and decides to learn as much as possible about the real life of
She travels to all of the historic Ingalls Wilder sites – each of their known home sites and museums across the country. She also attempts to “rough it”, staying in a covered wagon overnight (in a hailstorm!) and learns how to churn her own butter. She even persuades her boyfriend to read the books and brings him along on her adventures. As she travels, she also reads all the books she can about the real life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family, sharing her learning with the reader.
I loved the Little House books when I was a child, and I enjoyed learning more about the real woman behind the books. I had heard that the books were fictionalized, but I never realized how much was changed and omitted in the books and the TV series, until now. I loved Wendy’s personality – she’s funny and real and her voice is strong in this book. She learned a few things about herself on this Little House journey, but refreshingly, she didn’t overshare. She made sure that this book wasn’t all about her – it’s about Laura Ingalls Wilder and family. Readers will appreciate that.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loved Little House books while growing up, or to anyone who enjoys reconnecting with books they loved as a child.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder.She travels to all of the historic Ingalls Wilder sites – each of their known home sites and museums across the country. She also attempts to “rough it”, staying in a covered wagon overnight (in a hailstorm!) and learns how to churn her own butter. She even persuades her boyfriend to read the books and brings him along on her adventures. As she travels, she also reads all the books she can about the real life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family, sharing her learning with the reader.
I loved the Little House books when I was a child, and I enjoyed learning more about the real woman behind the books. I had heard that the books were fictionalized, but I never realized how much was changed and omitted in the books and the TV series, until now. I loved Wendy’s personality – she’s funny and real and her voice is strong in this book. She learned a few things about herself on this Little House journey, but refreshingly, she didn’t overshare. She made sure that this book wasn’t all about her – it’s about Laura Ingalls Wilder and family. Readers will appreciate that.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loved Little House books while growing up, or to anyone who enjoys reconnecting with books they loved as a child.
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LibraryThing member verka6811
LuxuryReading.com Review - The Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder have ignited sparks of imagination in young readers for generations. Wendy McClure was one such child, smitten with Wilder’s depictions of life on the prairie. As an adult, her interest in the series
McClure delves deeply into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, recounting endless facts and figures about the author and her family. In her memoir/research piece, The Wilder Life, McClure searches for real life connections to Laura, carefully picking out the gems of truth, and separating them from the fictional embellishments of Laura’s life story as depicted in her books. She tries to see the world as Laura saw it, experimenting with period recipes and even trying her hand at churning butter, in addition to traveling around the country in search of tangible bits of “Laura World.”
In her travels, McClure sometimes gets into humorous situations, is sometimes frustrated with her lack of connection to Wilder, and is sometimes simply transfixed and charmed by what she finds. Her descriptions of the various sites, as well as the people she meets along the way, are personal and very real. She is a likeable and engaging narrator.
As much as I enjoyed the author’s voice and found her story intriguing, I was often lost in a maze of dates, locations, and minute facts. A simple time line at some point in the book would have been immensely helpful. I couldn’t quite figure out McClure’s method of organization, as she jumped from one part of Wilder’s story to another, and then back again. While I think this book is a must-read for an avid Little House on the Prairie fan, I found myself wishing The Wilder Life was more streamlined and easier to follow.
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was renewed when she came across an old copy of one of the books in a box earmarked for her parents’ garage sale. Months later she began re-reading the series and embarked on a plan to visit the real-life Little House on the Prairie historical sites.McClure delves deeply into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, recounting endless facts and figures about the author and her family. In her memoir/research piece, The Wilder Life, McClure searches for real life connections to Laura, carefully picking out the gems of truth, and separating them from the fictional embellishments of Laura’s life story as depicted in her books. She tries to see the world as Laura saw it, experimenting with period recipes and even trying her hand at churning butter, in addition to traveling around the country in search of tangible bits of “Laura World.”
In her travels, McClure sometimes gets into humorous situations, is sometimes frustrated with her lack of connection to Wilder, and is sometimes simply transfixed and charmed by what she finds. Her descriptions of the various sites, as well as the people she meets along the way, are personal and very real. She is a likeable and engaging narrator.
As much as I enjoyed the author’s voice and found her story intriguing, I was often lost in a maze of dates, locations, and minute facts. A simple time line at some point in the book would have been immensely helpful. I couldn’t quite figure out McClure’s method of organization, as she jumped from one part of Wilder’s story to another, and then back again. While I think this book is a must-read for an avid Little House on the Prairie fan, I found myself wishing The Wilder Life was more streamlined and easier to follow.
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LibraryThing member saffron12
I am nearly finished reading the e-book of Wendy McClure's The Wilder Life. Overall, I have highly enjoyed it, although I don't quite share the same wanting "to introduce Laura" to my life, as Ms. McClure does. I always wanted a time machine so that I could go back in time to Laura's time period as
I must admit that I was offended when she felt the Pepin Cemetary was creepy. I grew up next door to a beautiful little cemetary that was a perfectly lovely place to play, and when I am buried far into the future, I hope that people will walking over my grave, and dance, and sing, and find it an interesting place to experience. So, I have issues with that section. Also, I wasn't sure what to do with the author's reluctance to dress in period costume. I have. My mom made me a dress and sunbonnet finally when I was in my 20s (as a librarian, I also managed to work it into a couple of programs). It is a green calico flowery print.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the author's adventures and overall, the way this book is written. She mentions several of the titles of the literature about LIW, and I have read all of them over the years. So I am aware of all the issues, literally criticisms, etc. So, even though I highly recommend this book, at the same time, if you have actually read everything else possible to read over the last 20+ years, you could be bored at times. Other times, I find myself agreeing on some statement the author has made. (I need to find some examples.
I have personally tried to make vanity cakes, like the author, except I think I altered the ingredients a bit and mine tasted pretty good. This was about 10 years ago.
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opposed to her coming into the future. Also, Ms. McClure didn't know how it all "ended" in real life until relatively recently. I read all of the LH books up through The FIrst Four Years and beyond to On the Way Home and West From Home all before the age of 10. . . and never really lost my obsession. I have not been to all of the Ingalls' home sites, but to part of them. I was especially interested in her impressions on the ones I have been to. I do enjoy the discussions on the differences between real life and the wildly divergent tv series! The author said that she had trouble watching the series because it didn't match the "Laura Land" in her head. You see, for me, that has never been an issue. This is because I have two separate Laura Lands in my head, and they are completely separate! I suppose not all people can separate them that way.I must admit that I was offended when she felt the Pepin Cemetary was creepy. I grew up next door to a beautiful little cemetary that was a perfectly lovely place to play, and when I am buried far into the future, I hope that people will walking over my grave, and dance, and sing, and find it an interesting place to experience. So, I have issues with that section. Also, I wasn't sure what to do with the author's reluctance to dress in period costume. I have. My mom made me a dress and sunbonnet finally when I was in my 20s (as a librarian, I also managed to work it into a couple of programs). It is a green calico flowery print.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the author's adventures and overall, the way this book is written. She mentions several of the titles of the literature about LIW, and I have read all of them over the years. So I am aware of all the issues, literally criticisms, etc. So, even though I highly recommend this book, at the same time, if you have actually read everything else possible to read over the last 20+ years, you could be bored at times. Other times, I find myself agreeing on some statement the author has made. (I need to find some examples.
I have personally tried to make vanity cakes, like the author, except I think I altered the ingredients a bit and mine tasted pretty good. This was about 10 years ago.
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LibraryThing member rhussey174
I very much enjoyed Wendy McClure’s book The Wilder Life, which tells the story of McClure’s return to her childhood obsession with the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, the Little House on the Prairie series. I have no idea what someone who wasn’t obsessed with the series would think of the book,
My experiences were similar to McClure’s — she read and reread the books and thought of Laura as a friend. Now, as an adult, she comes across her childhood copies of the novels and becomes fascinated by them all over again. The fascination quickly turns to obsession as she decides she wants to try some of the things described in the novels, such as churning butter, folding hay into sticks to burn, and making candy out of molasses and snow. She also decides she wants to visit the Ingalls and Wilder homesteads, which, since she lives in Chicago, isn’t too, too hard to do.
Read the rest of the review at Of Books and Bicycles.
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but I was obsessed as a child, and so her story sounded very familiar to me. I read and reread all the books, imagining what it would have been like to be Laura and live in her time and also what it would be like to introduce Laura to late twentieth-century life. I don’t remember when I started reading these books and when I stopped (I haven’t reread them as an adult), but I know I reread them over the course of many years. I watched the television series too, but it was always clear to me that it was only very loosely based on the novels. There was no danger I was going to get them mixed up, as many people do.My experiences were similar to McClure’s — she read and reread the books and thought of Laura as a friend. Now, as an adult, she comes across her childhood copies of the novels and becomes fascinated by them all over again. The fascination quickly turns to obsession as she decides she wants to try some of the things described in the novels, such as churning butter, folding hay into sticks to burn, and making candy out of molasses and snow. She also decides she wants to visit the Ingalls and Wilder homesteads, which, since she lives in Chicago, isn’t too, too hard to do.
Read the rest of the review at Of Books and Bicycles.
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LibraryThing member jjaylynny
Surprisingly poignant, not surprisingly fun to read and hilarious. From one Little House nerd to a million, a love letter to Laura Ingalls Wilder, her known and unknown lives, sadnesses and legions of loving, weird and earnest fans.
LibraryThing member camelama
A wonderful, fabulous, fantastic book. Wendy McClure inhabited the world of the Little House books in the same way I did, when she was growing up. Frequently I would say out loud "YES!" or "Me too!" or "I agree!" while reading. She clarified quite a few things about the series that had been bugging
This is not a strictly scholarly work, by the way. She does do quite a bit of research but the book is about her physical and mental journies and what she learns along the way - about Laura, Rose, herself.
If you liked the Little House on the Prairie books, you should give this a try. I loved this book! I can't stop thinking about it. It will stay with me for a very long time.
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me (books, timing, characters, storylines, etc). I'm glad she did all the research so I didn't have to!This is not a strictly scholarly work, by the way. She does do quite a bit of research but the book is about her physical and mental journies and what she learns along the way - about Laura, Rose, herself.
If you liked the Little House on the Prairie books, you should give this a try. I loved this book! I can't stop thinking about it. It will stay with me for a very long time.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
I was one of those little girls who wanted to step into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder. One of my last Halloween costumes was as a pioneer girl, complete with sunbonnet. I didn't have the long hair, so I couldn't complete the outfit with pigtail braids, but I had a shawl and everything. Of
The Wilder Life is Ms. McClure's acceptance and fulfillment of her own Laura obsession. She talks frequently about her need to find Laura World. Her visits to the various homesites are thrilling and make me want to take a similar trip one day. Yet, what is truly fascinating is her uncovering of the factual versus fictional elements of these novels. I never considered the fact that they are on the fiction shelves in the library for a reason. Like, Ms. McClure, this discovery left me a bit shaken, much to my chagrin.
Ms. McClure's writing is engaging and thoroughly enjoyable. She lets the reader inside her head and inside her life as she made this journey. Her frankness and humor makes her an author the reader can easily see becoming a close friend. This conversational tone lends itself well to the material, as it really is all about her journey of self-discovery, what was driving her need to find Laura World and what she uncovered along the way.
Never preachy and definitely not boring, Ms. McClure shares what makes Laura so fascinating to her and sheds light on why others have been so intrigued by her. Whether one is a fan from the novels or from the TV show, The Wilder Life has something for anyone who has wanted to see a sod dugout, ride in a covered wagon, or make vanity cakes just because they want to know what it was like for Laura.
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course, wearing a sunbonnet at night probably wasn't the safest idea, but I was adamant. I also have the Laura Ingalls Wilder cookbook and have made quite a few things from its pages. Thanks to Ms. McClure, I know I was not alone in my obsession.The Wilder Life is Ms. McClure's acceptance and fulfillment of her own Laura obsession. She talks frequently about her need to find Laura World. Her visits to the various homesites are thrilling and make me want to take a similar trip one day. Yet, what is truly fascinating is her uncovering of the factual versus fictional elements of these novels. I never considered the fact that they are on the fiction shelves in the library for a reason. Like, Ms. McClure, this discovery left me a bit shaken, much to my chagrin.
Ms. McClure's writing is engaging and thoroughly enjoyable. She lets the reader inside her head and inside her life as she made this journey. Her frankness and humor makes her an author the reader can easily see becoming a close friend. This conversational tone lends itself well to the material, as it really is all about her journey of self-discovery, what was driving her need to find Laura World and what she uncovered along the way.
Never preachy and definitely not boring, Ms. McClure shares what makes Laura so fascinating to her and sheds light on why others have been so intrigued by her. Whether one is a fan from the novels or from the TV show, The Wilder Life has something for anyone who has wanted to see a sod dugout, ride in a covered wagon, or make vanity cakes just because they want to know what it was like for Laura.
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LibraryThing member LaurenMJenkins
This won't be for everyone, but it was like crack to a "Little House" nerd like myself, or anyone else who dressed as Laura Ingalls Wilder for Halloween as a child. I enjoyed it very much.
LibraryThing member PensiveCat
For all the Little House fans out there, particularly the book fans: haven't you always wanted to either be Laura or be her friend? Wendy McClure does this in her own way, with a very supportive partner and a sense of humor. I'm glad she did this, because now instead of hitting all these spots in
Now I've started the Little House books all over again, armed with all the inside information about the size of the big woods, who Nellie Oleson was comprised of, churning butter the ebay way, and the wonderful world of survivalism. The jury's still out on how I feel about Rose Wlder Lane...
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Kansas, Minnesota, etc. I can do it vicariously through her. Now I've started the Little House books all over again, armed with all the inside information about the size of the big woods, who Nellie Oleson was comprised of, churning butter the ebay way, and the wonderful world of survivalism. The jury's still out on how I feel about Rose Wlder Lane...
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
First Line: I was born in 1867 in a log cabin in Wisconsin and maybe you were, too.
Thus begins Wendy McClure's memoir of her attempt to relive her obsession with a series of children's books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a child, she loved the Little House books and dreamed of showing Laura
McClure has a witty turn of phrase, as when describing Laura's arch enemy Nellie Oleson (who was actually a composite of three people) as "some kind of blond Frankenstein assembled from assorted bitch parts," and her list of things she learned from buying a dash churn on eBay is laugh-out-loud funny. She didn't stop with learning how to churn butter; she also bought an antique coffee grinder, ground seed wheat, and made bread just like Laura and her family did in The Long Winter. Throughout it all, she had the support of her husband, Chris, and that makes him a pretty special guy.
It's not necessary to be a Little House fan to enjoy this book, which is by turns thoughtful and funny. The book has a lot to say about how we react to momentous events in our lives as well as the power of obsession. However, as an older fan who read all the Little House books in hardcover and imagined herself in Laura's world, I think The Wilder Life will have special meaning for fans. As I turned the pages of McClure's books, I found myself remembering my own Little House days and what an impact those books had on my own life.
Thus begins Wendy McClure's memoir of her attempt to relive her obsession with a series of children's books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a child, she loved the Little House books and dreamed of showing Laura
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the modern world. As an adult, she begins researching online, obtaining books written about the author and her family, and making pilgrimages to many of the Little House sites. Having missed the television series starring Michael Landon as a child, she watches all the episodes and finds other films based on the much-loved books.McClure has a witty turn of phrase, as when describing Laura's arch enemy Nellie Oleson (who was actually a composite of three people) as "some kind of blond Frankenstein assembled from assorted bitch parts," and her list of things she learned from buying a dash churn on eBay is laugh-out-loud funny. She didn't stop with learning how to churn butter; she also bought an antique coffee grinder, ground seed wheat, and made bread just like Laura and her family did in The Long Winter. Throughout it all, she had the support of her husband, Chris, and that makes him a pretty special guy.
It's not necessary to be a Little House fan to enjoy this book, which is by turns thoughtful and funny. The book has a lot to say about how we react to momentous events in our lives as well as the power of obsession. However, as an older fan who read all the Little House books in hardcover and imagined herself in Laura's world, I think The Wilder Life will have special meaning for fans. As I turned the pages of McClure's books, I found myself remembering my own Little House days and what an impact those books had on my own life.
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LibraryThing member aimless22
Wendy McClure shares her "Laura World" with her readers. Admission of her obsession leads to an investigation of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder.
She begins a "quest for all the obscure Laura-related reading [she] could find" (170). A cookbook. A few biographies. Laura's daughter's writings. She
Learning to make "long winter bread" and to churn butter are just the first things Ms. McClure experiences. Her travels to Little House historic sites and museums are well documented in this book.
From the oddities of the End-Timers encountered at a farm that welcomed people wanting to experience a simpler life to the awe of standing at the edge of the prairie at the Ingallls Homestead, Ms. McClure shares her innermost thoughts about her connection to Laura, both the real Laura and the fictional one.
The author and her husband enjoy the adventure she takes them on. Their humor shines through the writing.
The fact that she was unaware of the TV show based on the books: WKRP in Cincinnati was on at the same time and "Holy Howard Hessman, that show was funny." (9)
About her search for a dash churn: "Do not simulate holding the dash in your hands and pumping it up and down . . ." (57)
About Nellie Oleson's birth from multiple acquaintances: "some kind of blond Frankenstein assembled from assorted bitch parts." (91)
When Chris realizes there was an episode of the TV series he'd never seen: "WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?" (228)
Passing references to things as varied as Shawn Cassidy, pretending to have long hair using skirts (or towels in my case), the aforementioned WKRP, not wanting children and Breaking Dawn endeared me to the author. We have a lot in common.
Ms. McClure's epiphany came naturally yet surprised me as a reader. Farmer Boy was Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Laura World." (308) This gave some closure to the author and her obsession.
I was intrigued by this book's description because I also grew up with the Little House books and the TV show. It feels a little immature to read or watch now, but Ms. McClure has given me the desire to read those books again and to revisit my memories of the stories I loved as a girl. My mother was disappointed that I was not more "girly" as a girl, but she did give me the gift of reading books with strong female characters, including Laura Ingalls.
Thank you to Wendy McClure and Mom.
She begins a "quest for all the obscure Laura-related reading [she] could find" (170). A cookbook. A few biographies. Laura's daughter's writings. She
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awakens a desire to revisit her memories of the feelings she had when she read the books as a girl.Learning to make "long winter bread" and to churn butter are just the first things Ms. McClure experiences. Her travels to Little House historic sites and museums are well documented in this book.
From the oddities of the End-Timers encountered at a farm that welcomed people wanting to experience a simpler life to the awe of standing at the edge of the prairie at the Ingallls Homestead, Ms. McClure shares her innermost thoughts about her connection to Laura, both the real Laura and the fictional one.
The author and her husband enjoy the adventure she takes them on. Their humor shines through the writing.
The fact that she was unaware of the TV show based on the books: WKRP in Cincinnati was on at the same time and "Holy Howard Hessman, that show was funny." (9)
About her search for a dash churn: "Do not simulate holding the dash in your hands and pumping it up and down . . ." (57)
About Nellie Oleson's birth from multiple acquaintances: "some kind of blond Frankenstein assembled from assorted bitch parts." (91)
When Chris realizes there was an episode of the TV series he'd never seen: "WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?" (228)
Passing references to things as varied as Shawn Cassidy, pretending to have long hair using skirts (or towels in my case), the aforementioned WKRP, not wanting children and Breaking Dawn endeared me to the author. We have a lot in common.
Ms. McClure's epiphany came naturally yet surprised me as a reader. Farmer Boy was Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Laura World." (308) This gave some closure to the author and her obsession.
I was intrigued by this book's description because I also grew up with the Little House books and the TV show. It feels a little immature to read or watch now, but Ms. McClure has given me the desire to read those books again and to revisit my memories of the stories I loved as a girl. My mother was disappointed that I was not more "girly" as a girl, but she did give me the gift of reading books with strong female characters, including Laura Ingalls.
Thank you to Wendy McClure and Mom.
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LibraryThing member Twink
Subtitled: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie.
When I saw The Wilder Life, I just knew I had to read it. I used to bicycle down to the Byron Library once a week and pester Miss Spicer for her next book recommendation. I had finished all of The Borrowers (I really wanted
McClure's parents are moving, so Wendy comes over to help with their garage sale. She comes upon her childhood copy of Little House in the Big Woods. Rereading it brings it all back...
"...I wanted to live in one room with my whole family and have a pathetic corncob doll all my own. I wanted to wear a calico sunbonnet - or rather, I wanted to not wear a calico sunbonnet, the way Laura did, letting it hang down her back by its ties. I wanted to do chores because of those books. Carry water, churn butter, make headcheese. I wanted dead rabbits brought home for supper. I wanted to go out into the backyard and just, I don't know, grab stuff off trees, or uproot things from the ground, and bring it all inside in a basket and have my parents say "My land! What a harvest!"
And so begins the exploration of all things Laura - Laura world as she comes to call it. McClure tries all the things she wanted to do - churning butter, making by pouring syrup in the snow, reproducing recipes and more. She tracks down everything ever written about the Ingalls/Wilders, in print, on the Internet and finally in person.
McClure (often with her boyfriend Chris) retraces the journeys of the Ingalls family, visits the homesteads and museums and meets others who love Laura as much as she does. (and some who are downright obsessive) It was fascinating to learn more about the 'real' Laura and the life and inspiration behind the books.
Wendy McClure is an excellent writer. Her introspective search for Laura is told with charm and much humour. I found myself laughing out loud many times. I too found myself wondering what is is that attracted us as children to the books and stayed with us as adults.
"I considered this as I stared up at the ceiling of our tent. Who knew how many times those books made me idly wish for a now other than the one I was in, that the world would somehow crack open and reveal a simpler life?"
You don't need to be a Laura fan to enjoy The Wilder Life, but you'll definitely close the last page as a Wendy McClure fan. A memoir that kept me engaged from first page to last.
When I saw The Wilder Life, I just knew I had to read it. I used to bicycle down to the Byron Library once a week and pester Miss Spicer for her next book recommendation. I had finished all of The Borrowers (I really wanted
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to live in their little mouse world) when she recommended Little House in the Big Woods. Well, I fell in love with this series and the whole kit and caboodle. I wanted to be Laura Ingalls. So did Wendy McClure.McClure's parents are moving, so Wendy comes over to help with their garage sale. She comes upon her childhood copy of Little House in the Big Woods. Rereading it brings it all back...
"...I wanted to live in one room with my whole family and have a pathetic corncob doll all my own. I wanted to wear a calico sunbonnet - or rather, I wanted to not wear a calico sunbonnet, the way Laura did, letting it hang down her back by its ties. I wanted to do chores because of those books. Carry water, churn butter, make headcheese. I wanted dead rabbits brought home for supper. I wanted to go out into the backyard and just, I don't know, grab stuff off trees, or uproot things from the ground, and bring it all inside in a basket and have my parents say "My land! What a harvest!"
And so begins the exploration of all things Laura - Laura world as she comes to call it. McClure tries all the things she wanted to do - churning butter, making by pouring syrup in the snow, reproducing recipes and more. She tracks down everything ever written about the Ingalls/Wilders, in print, on the Internet and finally in person.
McClure (often with her boyfriend Chris) retraces the journeys of the Ingalls family, visits the homesteads and museums and meets others who love Laura as much as she does. (and some who are downright obsessive) It was fascinating to learn more about the 'real' Laura and the life and inspiration behind the books.
Wendy McClure is an excellent writer. Her introspective search for Laura is told with charm and much humour. I found myself laughing out loud many times. I too found myself wondering what is is that attracted us as children to the books and stayed with us as adults.
"I considered this as I stared up at the ceiling of our tent. Who knew how many times those books made me idly wish for a now other than the one I was in, that the world would somehow crack open and reveal a simpler life?"
You don't need to be a Laura fan to enjoy The Wilder Life, but you'll definitely close the last page as a Wendy McClure fan. A memoir that kept me engaged from first page to last.
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LibraryThing member knitgeisha
I loved the Little House books as a child so when I read the synopsis of this book I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, I just didn't like it at all. I had a hard time connecting with the author and the story seemed to jump around with no rhyme or reason.
LibraryThing member asomers
Everyone has one of those friends that tells the best stories. They add just the right amount of details to make pique your interest but not enough to bore you. They add just the right amount of humor to make you laugh without being silly. At parties, they are the one that everyone gravitates to
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becuase you know they are going to entatain you. Reading Ms. Mclure's work is just like sitting down to listen to that friend. She has an easy comfortable style that invites you to sit for a while and enjoy her story and I did! Show Less
LibraryThing member SpongeBobFishpants
I adored the "Little House" books growing up. I thought, perhaps foolishly, that I enjoyed them for the same reasons everyone else did, the descriptions of self-sufficient wilderness life... the attic stocked with squashes and apples, butter churning, the pig slaughter, maple sugar candying, etc.
One other note. From the synopsis I expected a funnier book, more wisecracking and spectacularly funny mishaps. And to be fair there were many funny moments. But if I had to assign an overriding emotion to this book it would be a sense of wistfulness.
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For me the characters were secondary, a vehicle to get me to the next fascinating "frontier how-to". In fact, for the most part Mary, Carrie and Grace just got in the way of my preferred storyline. Perhaps it should have been a clue that I was the only girl in the 4th grade who wanted to be the mysteriously never mentioned 4th son in The Swiss Family Robinson". As it turns out, other little girls didn't share my same point of view. I never wanted to BE Laura and it never even occurred to me to imagine introducing her to my world, there certainly wasn't any fun to be had there. So in that respect I felt somewhat disconnected from the author's attempt to recapture her Little House experience. That being said however, I could relate to her ultimate disappointment in the last books. Never having read past "Little Town On The Prairie: when I was a child I was shocked when reading further as an adult. That Laura exhibited a degree of racism, the loss of a child, diptheria... these were NOT issues I was prepared to confront in the lifetime of a beloved set of books. My disillusionment lasted for years. One other note. From the synopsis I expected a funnier book, more wisecracking and spectacularly funny mishaps. And to be fair there were many funny moments. But if I had to assign an overriding emotion to this book it would be a sense of wistfulness.
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LibraryThing member gwendolyndawson
As a young girl, I read all the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and romanticized the life of their pioneer-girl heroine (also named Laura). So, I can completely understand McClure’s desire to recreate a bit of the Little House romance in her own life. In this charming memoir, McClure
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tells about visiting Ingalls family sites and recreating prairie experiences (like churning her own butter). Ultimately, McClure realizes the foolishness of her quest and also discovers its catalyst—the recent death of her mother. I enjoyed McClure’s funny and poignant journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member AlfonsoXelSabio
Although I've gone on to do a lot more reading, I've always carried a little of Laura with me, in ways I never considered before I read The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure.
The book is a memoir of McClure's rediscovery of the series as an adult after a personal tragedy. She gets obsessed with trying to
Topics addressed include:
• The hybrid nature of the books. Are they fiction? Are they autobiography? How can we reconcile the Laura we know from the books with the mysterious Laura who experienced all that and so much more?
• The people who know the books only through the TV series and how their expectations from the historical sites differ. Is the world of the TV series less valid than that of the books?
• The prototypes for ways of being feminine presented in the books. These are especially important to consider, as they influence girls at a formative moment in their development. Do you sympathize with Mary? With Nellie Oleson? Is Laura a "tomboy"? (I completely agree with McClure when she decides that Laura is not a tomboy, just a girl whose femininity encompasses an explorer's spirit and some rugged chores. We girls can do anything, like Laura!)
• The complicated political issues at stake in the West at the time, which is mostly played out when we discover that the Ingalls were one of many squatters on land that was clearly meant for Native Americans and only opened to homesteaders a few years after the Ingallses left.
• The views of Native Americans, which, whether positive or negative, are incomplete in the books, mainly because they're told from a child's perspective, and that child was never to experience Native American culture firsthand, even as an adult.
• The wide-ranging interpretations people put on the books, often to serve their own world views. The prevailing one is that the Ingalls' life was a "simple" one of self-sufficiency. As the homesteading issue shows, times were never "simpler," at least not in the last two millennia, and as McClure points out, the Ingalls relied on technology, like trains and conveniences like stores whenever they were available. Especially entertaining is the story about the serial killers who operated near the Little House on the Prairie -- were they more innocent times?
• The hotly contested role of Rose Wilder Lane in the creation of the books, and in her life in general.
• The way Farmer Boy fits or doesn't fit into the series.
• The way the series peters out, so disappointing for young readers, and so much more understandable for adults. By visiting some of Laura's home sites that don't appear in the children's series, McClure comes to a better understanding of where the story really goes.
• That incredible sense of identification readers seem to come away with so often. Is the reader actually Laura? Who is Laura, anyway?
Possibly the best feature of the Little House series is Laura Ingalls Wilder's talent for observation accompanied by wonder. McClure learned from the best. Her writing transmits a similar finely-observed reality colored with wonder and more often than not, joy. The book jacket claims that it's "hilarious," but my laughter was more about recognition: whenever she has a Laura geek moment or discusses the way the books impacted her as a child, I think, yes, I had exactly the same reaction myself. Of course, McClure is also a writer and an editor who studied in Iowa City, so we have more than one common frame of reference. But the beautiful writing and great research, executed under the aegis of unflagging enthusiasm, will pull you along, too.
And hooray for McClure's partner, Chris, who read the books for her sake, and had the good sense to wake up in the middle of a potentially deadly hail and thunderstorm in DeSmet, only to show concern for the crops. (Would the Ingalls ever see a wheat crop that didn't fail?)
I just happened to have "rediscovered" the Little House books at the end of 2010, when my mother mailed them to me in an effort to clear out the house. I hadn't even thought of looking at what Laura stuff there might be on the internet, and because this book includes so much information in such a fun way, now I never have to. The Wilder Life couldn't have come at a better time for me, and I think it's also appropriate for Americans in general as we face ever-worsening economic hardships. The Wilder Life reminds us all that normal people, like the Ingalls -- like us -- can make it work under the worst conditions.
jessicaknauss.blogspot.com
The book is a memoir of McClure's rediscovery of the series as an adult after a personal tragedy. She gets obsessed with trying to
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somehow recapture that long-ago life in some way, any way she can. In the process she goes on an epic journey, always learning and developing insights along the way. No crazy idea, whether it's churning her own butter or camping on a farm in Illinois, fails to spark some kind of connection with the ever-expanding and lost world Laura writes about so lovingly. McClure masterfully sorts out her personal reactions to the book and compares "fact" with "fiction" to allow the reader to come to his/her own conclusions.Topics addressed include:
• The hybrid nature of the books. Are they fiction? Are they autobiography? How can we reconcile the Laura we know from the books with the mysterious Laura who experienced all that and so much more?
• The people who know the books only through the TV series and how their expectations from the historical sites differ. Is the world of the TV series less valid than that of the books?
• The prototypes for ways of being feminine presented in the books. These are especially important to consider, as they influence girls at a formative moment in their development. Do you sympathize with Mary? With Nellie Oleson? Is Laura a "tomboy"? (I completely agree with McClure when she decides that Laura is not a tomboy, just a girl whose femininity encompasses an explorer's spirit and some rugged chores. We girls can do anything, like Laura!)
• The complicated political issues at stake in the West at the time, which is mostly played out when we discover that the Ingalls were one of many squatters on land that was clearly meant for Native Americans and only opened to homesteaders a few years after the Ingallses left.
• The views of Native Americans, which, whether positive or negative, are incomplete in the books, mainly because they're told from a child's perspective, and that child was never to experience Native American culture firsthand, even as an adult.
• The wide-ranging interpretations people put on the books, often to serve their own world views. The prevailing one is that the Ingalls' life was a "simple" one of self-sufficiency. As the homesteading issue shows, times were never "simpler," at least not in the last two millennia, and as McClure points out, the Ingalls relied on technology, like trains and conveniences like stores whenever they were available. Especially entertaining is the story about the serial killers who operated near the Little House on the Prairie -- were they more innocent times?
• The hotly contested role of Rose Wilder Lane in the creation of the books, and in her life in general.
• The way Farmer Boy fits or doesn't fit into the series.
• The way the series peters out, so disappointing for young readers, and so much more understandable for adults. By visiting some of Laura's home sites that don't appear in the children's series, McClure comes to a better understanding of where the story really goes.
• That incredible sense of identification readers seem to come away with so often. Is the reader actually Laura? Who is Laura, anyway?
Possibly the best feature of the Little House series is Laura Ingalls Wilder's talent for observation accompanied by wonder. McClure learned from the best. Her writing transmits a similar finely-observed reality colored with wonder and more often than not, joy. The book jacket claims that it's "hilarious," but my laughter was more about recognition: whenever she has a Laura geek moment or discusses the way the books impacted her as a child, I think, yes, I had exactly the same reaction myself. Of course, McClure is also a writer and an editor who studied in Iowa City, so we have more than one common frame of reference. But the beautiful writing and great research, executed under the aegis of unflagging enthusiasm, will pull you along, too.
And hooray for McClure's partner, Chris, who read the books for her sake, and had the good sense to wake up in the middle of a potentially deadly hail and thunderstorm in DeSmet, only to show concern for the crops. (Would the Ingalls ever see a wheat crop that didn't fail?)
I just happened to have "rediscovered" the Little House books at the end of 2010, when my mother mailed them to me in an effort to clear out the house. I hadn't even thought of looking at what Laura stuff there might be on the internet, and because this book includes so much information in such a fun way, now I never have to. The Wilder Life couldn't have come at a better time for me, and I think it's also appropriate for Americans in general as we face ever-worsening economic hardships. The Wilder Life reminds us all that normal people, like the Ingalls -- like us -- can make it work under the worst conditions.
jessicaknauss.blogspot.com
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LibraryThing member ethel55
I enjoyed McClure's journey into the sometimes obscure realms of various Laura worlds. McClure runs across her childhood copy of Little House in the Big Woods while helping her parents clean house as they head to the Southwest for retirement. Forays into butter churning, vanity cakes and an old
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fashioned coffee grinder are about all the pioneering tasks McClure takes on. Instead, she reads a lot, connects with other fans and scholars online and decides to travel to the big and small houses in Laura's life. Much of this book seemed to be about the journey, and that made it special. I liked that her other half, Chris, was so encouraging and even read all the books too. Whether you fall into the book camp or the tv show camp, this book will appeal to both sides. One caveat--it's too bad an editor somewhere didn't rein in McClure's use of creepy. I think that will date this book faster than an off hand remark about the IMDB. Show Less
LibraryThing member camembert
The author Wendy McClure rediscovers the little house of the prairie series as her parents are moving and her mother's health is failing. I rediscovered the series myself last summer, so when I heard about Wendy McClure's novel The Wilder Years I had to read it. The Wilder Years chronicles the
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authors new(old) obsession with the books with a series of trips and adventures. Wendy is a enjoyable writer and it was fun to read about making butter and her travels to the old sod house et all, although sometimes there seems to be a melancholic tone to these trips. There are a few points where the writer flailed around a bit i.e. the chapters on Rose Wilder and Nellie Olson but the chapter on the "end times" more than made up for it. This book is worth reading if you are already a fan of the little house on the prairie books. Show Less
LibraryThing member shalulah
This was a perfectly delightful read! I read it over a plane trip & I could not put it down. Having loved the Little House books myself, Wendy McClure's search for "Laura World" rang true to my ears. Plus, she really knows her stuff! I was charmed by her experiments (like the butter churn) & her
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travels to various sites, & impressed by her meticulous research. I enjoyed Wendy McClure's writing & I may be looking up her other book. The Wilder Life definitely rekindled my interest in all things Laura Ingalls Wilder & reminded me why I enjoyed the books in the first place. I do wish there had been a little more detail about what happened to Laura's sisters, & how Wendy McClure felt about related series that have come out recently ("Little House in Brookfield: The Caroline Years", etc.), but that would just be icing on the cake. I highly recommend The Wilder Life to Little House fans, who I think will find it informative & fun. I did! Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
Wendy McClure loves Little House on the Prairie. And I mean loves. And don’t misunderstand me. It’s not Little House on the Prairie the tv series. She loves Little House on the Prairie the book series.
Apparently she is not alone. There is a whole world out there of people who delight in all
Along the way, McClure examines why Little House is so important to her. Her thoughts about the whys and experiences in the hows make for a very good story.
Apparently she is not alone. There is a whole world out there of people who delight in all
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things Little House. So McClure sets off on a quest to experience the full Wilder Life, visiting homesites of Little House major and minor characters, cooking food from the Little House books, even attempting to churn butter.Along the way, McClure examines why Little House is so important to her. Her thoughts about the whys and experiences in the hows make for a very good story.
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LibraryThing member mrsjason
I have been waiting for this book for a LONG time. Not actually this particular book (though as you will soon tell I am so glad that I did) but I mean the concept of the book in general. I have been a Little House fan since I was 8 years old and I have been waiting to see if there was someone else
McClure goes on a journey to visit all the historical, cultural and entertainment sites tied to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House legacy. She brings her boyfriend along for the ride and the two of them infuse their enthusiasm and snarky (yet respectful) humor through their adventures across the prairie. It's almost like a travelogue in a covered wagon. I also really liked how McClure talks about the research she did, the books she read, archives she visited, people she contacted in order to fully understand the whole phenomenon and the true history behind it.
I'm not a fan of the TV show like I am the books. I tried to get into the TV show but the differences was too much to keep me watching for very long. I am so glad that she agreed that Michael Landon is not at all how one pictures Pa. I mean he has no beard! Who shaves daily and that clean close on the prairie in the 1800s?! Another section that made me grin was the section on the American Girl dolls. I was/am a big fan of the books growing up and I really wanted to get one of those dolls for my own. McClure notes the similarities and differences between AG and LH and it's really interesting what she comes up with.
I got incredibly giddy when McClure brought up the Little House Cookbook by Barbara Walker. That is one of my absolute favorite cookbooks of all time to read (especially while I'm eating) but I didn't know anyone else that knew about it. So imagine my geekiness when it's mentioned in the book AND McClure tries to make vanity cakes! Plus she brings up the fact that food is a HUGE HUGE factor of the Little House books. I loved how after taking the tour of the Farmer Boy house, they mention how it wasn't really complete because you don't get any food (or see the doughnut jar) which is pretty much what that book consists of.
The only thing for me that I found lacking is that McClure, though while mentioning other spinoffs, did not mention the children's books based on the lives of Rose, Caroline, Charlotte (Laura's grandmother) or Martha (Laura's great-grandmother). I can see her overlooking the books about Caroline, Charlotte or Martha but the books on Rose were very popular and I myself enjoyed them very much. Now that I think about it, maybe a tiny brief passing reference is made to them, but I would have liked a little more mention. This is particularly of interest because when she visits the museum in Mansfield and people didn't really visit the Rose side because she wasn't popular as her parents. From reading The Rose Years books, I would have been very interested to learn more about her and I'm sure there were plenty young girls in my generation who read those books and felt the same way.
That being said, I absolutely adored this memoir. McClure has written on a subject very near and dear to my heart and explored it in ways that I wish that I could. There are things I discovered about Laura Ingalls Wilder that I never knew before and now wish to explore on my own. She went to places that I will probably never get to go and saw them through a mindset similar to my own. There's so much in this book that it's hard to describe every single detail that I enjoyed because that's practically the whole book. This is another one of my favorite memoirs of 2011 and it's really a great book for all Little House fans everywhere. If you have ever pretended to be Half-Pint, this book is for you. VERY HIGHLY recommended.
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in this world who shared some of the obsession that I had with those books. I have found that person in Wendy McClure. Within the first 5 pages of this book, I was pretty much reading my childhood and howling with laughter. There's so much in this book that I enjoyed, I can only mention highlights.McClure goes on a journey to visit all the historical, cultural and entertainment sites tied to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House legacy. She brings her boyfriend along for the ride and the two of them infuse their enthusiasm and snarky (yet respectful) humor through their adventures across the prairie. It's almost like a travelogue in a covered wagon. I also really liked how McClure talks about the research she did, the books she read, archives she visited, people she contacted in order to fully understand the whole phenomenon and the true history behind it.
I'm not a fan of the TV show like I am the books. I tried to get into the TV show but the differences was too much to keep me watching for very long. I am so glad that she agreed that Michael Landon is not at all how one pictures Pa. I mean he has no beard! Who shaves daily and that clean close on the prairie in the 1800s?! Another section that made me grin was the section on the American Girl dolls. I was/am a big fan of the books growing up and I really wanted to get one of those dolls for my own. McClure notes the similarities and differences between AG and LH and it's really interesting what she comes up with.
I got incredibly giddy when McClure brought up the Little House Cookbook by Barbara Walker. That is one of my absolute favorite cookbooks of all time to read (especially while I'm eating) but I didn't know anyone else that knew about it. So imagine my geekiness when it's mentioned in the book AND McClure tries to make vanity cakes! Plus she brings up the fact that food is a HUGE HUGE factor of the Little House books. I loved how after taking the tour of the Farmer Boy house, they mention how it wasn't really complete because you don't get any food (or see the doughnut jar) which is pretty much what that book consists of.
The only thing for me that I found lacking is that McClure, though while mentioning other spinoffs, did not mention the children's books based on the lives of Rose, Caroline, Charlotte (Laura's grandmother) or Martha (Laura's great-grandmother). I can see her overlooking the books about Caroline, Charlotte or Martha but the books on Rose were very popular and I myself enjoyed them very much. Now that I think about it, maybe a tiny brief passing reference is made to them, but I would have liked a little more mention. This is particularly of interest because when she visits the museum in Mansfield and people didn't really visit the Rose side because she wasn't popular as her parents. From reading The Rose Years books, I would have been very interested to learn more about her and I'm sure there were plenty young girls in my generation who read those books and felt the same way.
That being said, I absolutely adored this memoir. McClure has written on a subject very near and dear to my heart and explored it in ways that I wish that I could. There are things I discovered about Laura Ingalls Wilder that I never knew before and now wish to explore on my own. She went to places that I will probably never get to go and saw them through a mindset similar to my own. There's so much in this book that it's hard to describe every single detail that I enjoyed because that's practically the whole book. This is another one of my favorite memoirs of 2011 and it's really a great book for all Little House fans everywhere. If you have ever pretended to be Half-Pint, this book is for you. VERY HIGHLY recommended.
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LibraryThing member SquirrelHead
It felt more like reading a blog about Laura Ingalls and the Little House journey rather than a non-fiction book you could get your teeth into. Does that make any sense? I just didn’t get into this book as I hoped. The writing was stream of consciousness and jumped around on subjects. Also, the
For a positive comment I will say I love the idea of Wendy making a trip to explore the Little House culture, walking around the land where the real Laura lived.
Couldn't recommend it...even to a Little House fan.
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author is rather dismissive of the television series and that seems to bleed over in her opinion of the show’s fans. I had hoped for more detail on the food she prepared and more description. For a positive comment I will say I love the idea of Wendy making a trip to explore the Little House culture, walking around the land where the real Laura lived.
Couldn't recommend it...even to a Little House fan.
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LibraryThing member amanderson
A curious book, not quite what I had expected. The author, a thirty-something, was a true fan as a child of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, The Little House on the Prairie series. She has what I found to be a humorous, wry, enthusiastic, engaging style of writing. After her mom passes away, she
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takes on a sort of quest to trace Wilder's life, as written about both in the novels and Wilder's memoirs, and in biographies of her. McClure immerses herself in all things Laura, and she and her charming and supportive husband Chris travel around to visit the former and many homesteads where Wilder lived. She discovers a whole world of Laura enthusiasts of different stripes, including fans of the tv show, and muses about the appeal of the Laura books to different people. Some are homesteaders of the apocalypse-is-coming types, some are homeschooling back-to-the-landers, some are just taking family trips on the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Highway and stopping at the historic places to enjoy the Laura-themed town pageants, pioneer and literary museums. Finally, in the poignant last chapter, the author ties the irresolute ends of her wistful journey together again when she reflects on her mother's childhood and her own.I was thinking it would be more along the lines of the author trying her hand at living like Laura did, and while she does try a few things, like butterchurning, there aren't really any detais. This is a literary journey with reflections on pioneer history and some quite interesting details about the Wilders family and Laura's intrepid, Libertarian daughter Rose. I recall reading the books, but I was never an enthusiast (fantasy and horse stores were my bag), and while I enjoyed the book I would imagine a real Laura fan would enjoy it much more. Show Less
Awards
Great Lakes Great Reads Award (Nonfiction — 2011-03 — 2011)
Original publication date
2011
Physical description
352 p.; 5.77 inches
ISBN
1594487804 / 9781594487804
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