In this novel authorized by Little House Heritage Trust, Sarah Miller vividly recreates the beauty, hardship, and joys of the frontier in a dazzling work of historical fiction, a captivating story that illuminates one courageous, resilient, and loving pioneer woman as never before–Caroline Ingalls, “Ma” in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books.In the frigid days of February, 1870, … 1870, Caroline Ingalls and her family leave the familiar comforts of the Big Woods of Wisconsin and the warm bosom of her family, for a new life in Kansas Indian Territory. Packing what they can carry in their wagon, Caroline, her husband Charles, and their little girls, Mary and Laura, head west to settle in a beautiful, unpredictable land full of promise and peril.
The pioneer life is a hard one, especially for a pregnant woman with no friends or kin to turn to for comfort or help. The burden of work must be shouldered alone, sickness tended without the aid of doctors, and babies birthed without the accustomed hands of mothers or sisters. But Caroline’s new world is also full of tender joys. In adapting to this strange new place and transforming a rough log house built by Charles’ hands into a home, Caroline must draw on untapped wells of strength she does not know she possesses.
For more than eighty years, generations of readers have been enchanted by the adventures of the American frontier’s most famous child, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in the Little House books. Now, that familiar story is retold in this captivating tale of family, fidelity, hardship, love, and survival that vividly reimagines our past.
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I was a big Little House fan and was a little worried I wouldn’t like this but I was really happy I bought it. The author did a great job on the emotional challenges of the women going West and sharing more of the Ingalls story.
This is the wonderful reimagining of the book “Little House on the Prairie” from Laura Ingalls’ mother’s point of view. This is an adult version of the classic children’s story. Caroline, the matriarch of the Ingalls clan holds together her family as they move from Wisconsin to the “Indian Territory” of Kansas in 1870. During that trip, Caroline is pregnant with baby Carrie, her soon to be namesake. New land is opening up to settlers and Caroline’s husband Charles wants to be one of the early arrivals to get his pick of prime land. His dream is to own a large farm that would one day thrive, making a wonderful home for his family. The trip is rough, especially for a pregnant woman and is not without it’s complications. More issues arise once the family stakes their claim, including visits from Indians, prairie fires, and malaria. It is a tough first year, but together with his wife Caroline, Charles and the family make the best of every situation they encounter.
I think that Caroline should be read along with or just after reading the original story. It really adds to the whole experience of this read. This book is definitely Caroline’s story and it’s definitely an adult retelling of the story. The classic book by Laura shows Caroline as a strong woman who is this perfect pillar of the family. This account shows the more human side of “Ma” as she deals with frustrations, fears, and concerns for her family. To her girls, and even to Charles, she still comes off as the strong, wise woman we meet in the original book, but Miller’s account lets us see behind that proverbial curtain, giving the reader an understanding of how tough it was to hold together a family out on the prairie in Kansas. It was a trip she dreaded taking, but once they left Wisconsin, she was all in and resigned to making the best of this new life and adventure that “Pa” was taking them on.
This book has minor deviations here and there from the original story to be more historically accurate. The Little House collection that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote is mostly a work of fiction. It is Laura’s retelling of some of the stories of her life growing up in the late 19th century, but as with many adults, childish memories can be a bit muddled. Sarah Miller did her homework to verify the timeline and locations of the Ingalls family between 1870 and 1873-ish. So there are a few deviations and additions but I do not think it takes away from the story at all. If anything, it strengthens the story. Most of the quotes and conversations in this book are straight from the original, which made it very fun to see these “recollections” told from both Laura and Caroline’s point of view, if you read the original with this book. I was a fan of the classic books growing up and I am a fan of Miller’s revisited story.
Our daughters were in elementary school when the Little House series ran on TV. We watched it every week and I fell in love with the characters, especially Mary and Laura Ingalls. The story, CAROLINE, is written from Ma Ingall’s perspective and the deep love between her and Charles. Reading it took me back to the TV series and all the wonderful characters and it gave me a deeper understanding of the complexity of Caroline and Charles and the time they lived in. I was deeply moved by the story and hated to see it end.
Once again, I was reminded that previous reviews need to be taken with several grains of salt and not allowed to sway whether or not I give a book a chance if I find myself particularly drawn to it. More than one reviewer expressed frustration that the text was difficult to read and didn’t make sense despite several attempts at rereading passages, but I did not find this to be the case at all for me. My single “didn’t care for” (found below) was also mentioned by multiple reviewers and I found that, to some degree, I concur. Either way, I am glad that I read the book for myself and came to my own conclusions, which is a valuable lesson I need retaught from time to time, it would appear.
What I liked about “Caroline: Little House, Revisited”:
A treasured favorite retold from a new angle – I know the “Little House” series inside out. I found fresh enjoyment in having “Little House on the Prairie” told through an adult perspective , fleshing out the very familiar child-Laura’s memory. Events followed Laura’s well-worn path in my mind, although (as the author points out in her note at the end), they are told along the historically validated timeline and not the one Laura Ingalls Wilder improvised for the sake of continuity in her children’s series. This made “Caroline” both comfortable and refreshing, as in most cases, I was able to play the child’s vision of events off this new adult’s view.
I found Caroline’s voice believable – Because the original telling of the Ingalls’ time in Kansas was through the innocent understanding of a child, there were so many events that could take on a new character when told through the experience of an adult. I did not think Caroline’s telling of the events ever strayed so far from Laura’s memory that I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I also thought that, given what Laura felt and saw in Ma, this characterization of Caroline could fit alongside it. Ma would have hidden many of her fears or inner struggles from view of her small daughters. And despite Laura thinking Ma was never anything but calm and perfect and lovely, Caroline could not possibly have lived up to this in reality. She had fears and misconceptions and prejudices and frustrations and any number of other faults, whether or not they were obvious to a child, and none of them were out of character for her time, and some of them for *any* time, if we’re honest. I mean, I feel fear (often unfounded and misplaced) at unknown circumstances that I don’t understand or frustration when I must do something that goes against my gut. Caroline lived in a time when many feared and mistrusted Native Americans because they didn’t have the knowledge we do now. She was also human and not immune to being annoyed with her spouse or irritated by her offspring. No matter how Laura illustrated her through a small child’s eyes, the real Caroline would have been somewhat different in her own actions and thoughts, which may have been imperceptible or unexpressed to Laura. The bottom line, for me, is that Laura’s interpretation of Caroline would have been more one-dimensional, and I don’t think Caroline felt superior to her family, but rather tried to be the person her daughter ultimately saw on the outside regardless of what she felt on the inside. Don’t we all try to be better than our thoughts might indicate if they betrayed us by becoming visible to those around us?
What I didn’t care for:
One aspect of a particular theme throughout the book – I found it initially disconcerting to be privy to Caroline’s more mature thoughts, especially in regard to Charles, but throughout the majority of the book, they were neither inappropriate for a married woman nor out of place in a book intended for an adult audience. I loved that Caroline adored her husband and felt mature, private things for him. Since we spent a lot of time inside Caroline’s head in this novel, I quickly reframed my reactions by remembering Caroline’s thoughts were her own and (as I belabored above), Laura would have been innocent to what Caroline thought and did on many occasions, most especially in her interactions as a wife and not a mother. However, while this was handled more reverently through the first 90% of the book, the final few chapters became a bit more explicit than I would have preferred, given the context, almost to the point of preoccupation with Charles and Caroline’s marital bed. I could see what the author was going for, but it moved past intimacy into being…hmmm…more descriptive than it needed to be, I felt. More bluntly put: I didn’t require a couple of sex scenes in the book to drive home that Charles and Caroline loved and desired one another. I felt this was better-communicated throughout the book, with the revealing of Caroline’s warm thoughts toward Charles, her blushes at his attentions, and subtle references rather than the detailed encounters toward the end which just came across to me as unnecessary and jarring to the point of feeling crass and voyeuristic.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, to the point that I am willing to overlook my singular disappointment and not allow it to remove a star in the rating. I loved being able to revisit a favorite book through different eyes and see the events as an adult might see them. I would love the opportunity to travel through the entire series this way, actually. To experience these events I recall so well after taking numerous trips through the series’ pages, but with the veil of innocence dropped to the hardships and uncertainties and heartbreaks from which a child would be shielded as much as possible.
Wonderful to see this story from the mother’s perspective
This was one of the Little House books told from Ma’s perspective as opposed to Laura’s. Interesting perspective shift, but I could have done without one or two of the more intimate scenes between Ma and Pa.
Left me wanting more.
As a huge fan of The Little House series, and anything written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, I absolutely LOVED this book!!! It was truly interesting to hear the same stories that were written by Laura Ingalls – but this time they were told from the her mother’s (Caroline) perspective. Great book – I loved it to the end – and wish that this book didn’t end…Loved it!
For lovers of the little house series, it’s a interesting fresh perspective
I really appreciated reading this book. For one, there were SOOOOO many, many quotables I marked along the way, the whole book through, of excellent phrases and descriptions. I have a Keepers book that I will write them in, so I will get to spend even more time with this book before I have to return it to the library. It was lovely getting to know Ma as her own person. Her inner struggles and feelings and thoughts definitely made her more real, and as she would say, selfish, but really, wow, she stinking tries hard, always, and is totally hard on herself. She is deep, and I think quite wonderful. Here are just a very few of the first quotables I will be “keeping” in my book:
– The West was a song Charles wanted a hand in composing.
– Staying would only make for a year shadowed with lasts–one vast goodbye shattered over innumerable small moments.
– Her news had dyed the fabric of the coming year twice as brightly for Charles.
– …then sat back down on her heels to watch for the moment she delighted in, when their faces seemed almost to shimmer as their minds began to stir. And then the way the girls looked first at each other, as though the sight of the other was what made the world real to them.
And had I not been a mamma, birthed babies, nursed them, several parts of this book would’ve been TMI, and even when she and Pa have their own moments, yeah, that would’ve been TMI, too. But I am who I am and so it was all just true and real and love and reality. And you get really happy for Caroline when she has her own little realizations and moments, because a lot of them…you can relate to yourself. This book just isn’t afraid to explain them, and so gently and poetically too. Good job, Sarah Miller! Thanks for helping me get to know Ma.
I cannot even begin to describe how impressed I am with this author’s ability to so thoroughly research every nuance of this book. Gob-smacked by how much research went into telling such an authentic and absolutely mesmerizing biography. (Have to also admit that though I loved the movie based off the young daughter’s memories… as is pointed out in the research done in writing this novel, the child re-wrote the family’s story. But daughters do so love their fathers.) This novel tells the real truth about one of the strongest female character of the times. Astoundingly brave and courageous – Caroline. Reminded me so much of the strength of my grandmother who lived from 1896 until 1992. Extraordinary women who are stronger than modern women could ever imagine, nor achieve. Thank you to the author for such a wonderful, amazing book of Caroline Ingalls. Just beautiful.
I loved the TV serious “Little House on the Prairie “ but it’s not from Caroline’s perspective, which this book is. The women of that time period didn’t have easy lives. But Caroline was brave, not a complainer, supportive wife and devoted mother and so was very inspirational to read her story.
So interesting to read about the “Little House” adventures from Caroline.
I enjoyed this book. I thought, however, it would give more of an insight to Caroline before she became Mrs. Charles Ingles. It touched on her childhood here an there.
This book was so much more than I expected. The writer does a wonderful job of bringing Caroline’s perspective and character to life. I am going to read more by this author.
Loved this book. Didn’t want to put it down. I thought she did a great job. I wish there was a continuation or a book 2. I was sad to see the book end.
This is Little House on the prairie from Ma’s point of view. It didn’t enlighten me as to Caroline Ingallas at all
As a fan of the ‘Little House “books, I enjoyed reading this
If you like the Little House series, you will like this book!
I grew up on Laura Ingalls Wilder, who didn’t? So getting a chance to peek into “Ma’s” head was something I could not pass up! Outside of it rambling off of the rails every now and then this was a fantastic novel!! The strength that these women had to have back then was mind blowing. It just made me love this family and all of the old books all over again. Caroline was a real woman. Bravo!