I'm sad to be done with this beloved series. This last book really shows the reality of day to day living in these times. Ma was a hell of a woman.

I always debate if I should read this one because it’s so depressing and kills the vibe real hard. But These Happy Golden Years gives me major book hangover and I always crave MORE Laura. Why does life have to be so hard for them?

Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.

I suspect this is a lot closer to real life than the previous books, and that had she the motivation after Almanzo's death, Laura would have added a good bit more filler with more about the happy days rather than this rather emotionless retelling of those very hard years.

From my now-adult perspective, it's incredible to see what they went through, the hardships they endured and the work they had to do, all at the tender age of 19 (Laura). I wonder whether at 19 I would have had even half her maturity and strength of mind.

For those who haven't read it, this is not like the previous Little House books. It's from a handwritten, unfinished manuscript that was only found after Laura's death, and therefore didn't have the same editing and polishing. I'm not sure I'd read this to younger children, because Laura's life - though reasonably happy - is a lot harder. Some of the hardships include terrible morning sickness with her pregnancies, severe diphtheria and then a stroke for Almanzo, the death of her baby son and a house fire that means they lose almost everything.

In a way, it hurts me that I feel compelled to give it only 3 stars but this one was from a handwritten manuscript and definitely should have been revised and edited, like previous parts. (I know that it wasn't possible, it was found after Laura Ingalls Wilder death.)

Nonetheless, the stories were interesting (harsh and charming - like always) and I was happy to meet Laura and Almanzo again.

I will be rereading and will do a review then.

Jarring is the best word I can think of for this book, hardly the "happily ever after" you'd expect after reading These Happy Golden Years. It's pretty painful--a baby born maybe a bit too soon to unprepared parents, a traumatic, unconscious childbirth, postpartum alienation (where are Ma and her sisters who supposedly live just a few miles away?), financial ruin, another baby who nobody seems too excited about and then who dies before he even gets named, and it just gets worse from there. Since this book was never intended by Laura to be published, it is sobering to think that this was probably much closer to what life on the prairie was really like than any of Wilder's other Little House books.

Wow, the series ends with more boringness and - spoiler alert- complete desperation and failure. I know these books are mostly autobiographical but you know what would have been a better story? When the Native American man invited her to come be his “squaw” if she’d said, “Well, nothing could possibly be worse than this!” And taken off with him. Now that would have been an interesting adventure!

At least it was a mercifully short book.

A very fitting end to an enjoyable classic series, this book tells the story of Laura and Almanzo's first four years as a married couple. This includes their first house, child, plight, joys, and works all in one simple yet detailed, easy read.

This was the only Little House book published posthumously. Laura never got around to editing it, so it's only a collection of first attempts.

Almanzo is a really neat man in all the previous books but proves himself to be a financial failure just like Pa in this one. Super frustrating. They start off their marriage with a bounty and end up heavily in debt by year 2 + 3 + 4.

A depressing end to the saga.

Snap reread last night because Doc finished the series and wanted me to read this bc my particular copy "looked brand new" and I had to convince him the last time I read this was in gradeschool :D

I could certainly identify with Laura's frustration in this book, as every year SOMETHING happened to destroy the wheat crop. Like. PLANT SOMETHING ELSE. Jeesh. But they had Rose and there were plenty of animals and enough hay to sell to make ends meet I suppose. Meh. Big Woods will always be my favorite of this series, and I'm still looking forward to reading Prairie Fires eventually.

Tragic, but the resilience of the pioneers is inspiring.