About this title: The first years in the marriage of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. The newlywed couple stakes their claim on the South Dakota prairie, and although their life is difficult, it is also filled with love and happiness. Set from 1885-1889, this is the last book in the "Little House" series.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780064400312ISBN:006440031X
Description: Williams, Garth. Very Good. Tight Spine. Clean pages. Front cover creased lengthwise; surface dings & scratches. Pp. 57-8 dog-eared; last 3 pages are creased top corner. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Date Published: 1953
ISBN-13:9780064400312ISBN:006440031X
Description: Williams, Garth. Good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 134 p. Contains: Illustrations. Little House (Original Series Paperback). Audience: Children/juvenile. Lower right hand corner has a bend on the front cover. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Date Published: 1953
ISBN-13:9780064400312ISBN:006440031X
Description: Williams, Garth. Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 134 p. Contains: Illustrations. Little House (Original Series Paperback). Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Description: Fine. 0590488139 Excellent condition Soft cover book, clean pages, No creases to spine, this book is Near NEW! Shop & Save With US. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Date Published: 1953
ISBN-13:9780064400312ISBN:006440031X
Description: Williams, Garth. Fair. No dust jacket as issued. Ex-library. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 134 p. Contains: Illustrations. Little House (Original Series Paperback). Audience: Children/juvenile. Book is still good usable copy but shows considerable use wear read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Trophy Pr
Date Published: 1971
ISBN-13:9780064400312ISBN:006440031X
Description: Fair. No Jacket. Markings On First Page, First Page Coming Loose, Covers Soiled/Creased, Tear Along Spine, Spine Creased, Text Is Unmarked, Reading Copy. read more
Description: Williams, Garth. Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 134 p. Contains: Illustrations. Little House (Original Series Paperback). Audience: Children/juvenile. cb120. read more
"Emma, Max, and I just finished listening to ALL of the Little House books! We enjoyed them very, very much! Although this last one was hard to listen to --- I was SO frustrated on their behalf! Cherry Jones was excellent throughout the series --- I first heard her narration on Because of Winn Dixie, which was also well done! :-)"
"I don't really associate this book with the rest of the "Little House" series for several reasons. First of all, it was published without the consent of Laura Ingalls Wilder or her daughter (and editor) Rose Wilder Lane. Second, it was only found after Rose's death, and for whatever reason, it was never finished. And lastly, it seems to lack the innocence and charm of the other books (perhaps because it was written without the help of Rose, or that it was simply meant for a more mature audience).
Still, it's an interesting and heartbreaking account of the first four years of Laura's marriage to Almanzo Wilder."
"In the "Little House the Prairie" Series, Laura Ingalls Wilder shares the story of her life, beginning in her early childhood and continuing through the early years of her married life. In "The First Four Years", Laura tells of both the joys and harships during the early years of her and Almanzo's marriage."
"Discovered in 1971 and posthumously tacked onto the previous eight volumes of the 'Little House' series, it's obvious from the first pages that something's a little amiss here. The tone is different, harder, more grown-up, with many details that ended 'These Happy Golden Years' changed here, and not for the better. After going off to live 'the life of a farmer's wife' in the previous book, the same scene is revisited, with Laura telling Manly (she calls Almanzo by his nickname throughout the book) that he should work in a shop, and that she has no interest in being a farmer's wife. Jarring! But probably closer to the truth, too.
The lack of finesse added to other books by Laura's daughter Rose is noticeably absent here. Also, considering that the manuscript was found after her death, there's a good chance that it was unfinished, and might have been fleshed out at a later date.
It's interesting to see just how much hardship the couple endured in their four years of attempting to settle a land claim with the government. At the same time, the atrocities pile up so quickly, it's hard not to be come desensitized to them after a while. When the last ten pages is given over to 1) typhoon, 2) temporary blindless, 3) bankruptcy, 4) a fire that wipes out the family house and nearly kills Laura and Rose, it almost turns into some sort of black comedy, where the protagonist puts his foot in a bucket, falls off a cliff, and inadvertently starts World War III.
Of course, it wasn't a comedy, and as far as I know, these things actually happened, making it more depressing.
If you're following this saga 'all the way to the bitter end,' you'll probably want to read this. If you just want to enjoy the fairy-tale tone and ambiance of the previous books, I beg of you to stop with 'These Happy Golden Years' and protect your innocence. Since my girlfriend is writing a book about LIW, you can imagine that I'll riding this runaway train to the end of the line, but that doesn't mean you have to!"
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