Caroline

Little House, Revisited

By: Sarah Miller

Narrated by: Elizabeth Marvel

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

In this novel authorized by the Little House estate, 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, 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 80 years, generations 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.

©2017 Sarah Miller and Little House Heritage Trust (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

slow at pounts but gives a different perspective.

someone reviewed it as as having graphic sex scenes. I had no experience like that. It is the story told by Carolines perspective. good. slow at times, but a good read.

It was ok

This book was not as fun as I remember “Little House on the Prairie” being.

fresh new eyes on a beautiful old story

If you loved Laura's point of view as a child you will definitely enjoy the same adventures from the older perspective of a young mother. The tone was perfect in that you could still enter the Little House's world so well known already, but in a way that was new, fresh and still brimming with wonder of what the next day's adventure might hold.
(I've already dug out my Little House books to re-read now because of this book 🥰)

Historical Fact...

One historical fact that you missed was that Independance MO. was found in 1827 and was a very large town. in 1870. It was where the Oregon Trail started.

Fanfic

This is a re-telling of Laura Ingalls Wilder's story through the eyes of her mother. The author acknowledges the brutal prejudice and injustice against the Native Americans without critiquing or problematizing it.

not great.

It was a bit over the top. So much flowery descriptive language. And it was one huge trauma after another. Had a hard time sticking to it.. Not sorry to see it end.

A fun, nostalgic read!

I really enjoyed reading this. I loved these books as a girl and now that I'm married with my own two girls I definitely relate more to Caroline than to Laura. It does get long-winded at times (how much description of someone's breathing can there be?!), but it's a fun read. It helped to picture the actors from the TV show, too!

A few quirks, but nice adult view of childhood fav

Story: This is a fresh, adult view of a childhood favorite. I liked most of the story. I found particularly odd the author's vivid detail and seeming fascination with breast feeding and breast milk in later chapters around the birth of Carrie. Every event leading back to that one aspect of Caroline's life seemed unnecessarily detailed and off-putting.

Otherwise, I enjoyed this version and found myself identifying with a different view of a familiar story.

Narrator: I agree with a previous reviewer that Charles's voice was too gravely. I read that review, then listened to the sample and thought, "that review seems a bit harsh", but as the story went on the voice became more exaggerated. So much that by the end of the story, Charles's always sounded unhappy and growling. The performance could have been top notch with that one change. All the other character voice interpretations were very good.

touching and deep.

after a lifetime of loving the little house books this was a real treat! it's very well read, even better then Cherry Jones.

Pulls you in

Great narration. Good story. Something about it left me unsettled, though. Can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it was how little Caroline actually said. I admire the fine details of mannerisms, language, and culture of the time/place.