Book Review – Page 14

Giants In The Earth by Ole Edvart Rolvaag (a Bookies Review and Oh you will love this!)

Published on October 15, 2013October 15, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

In the later 1800’s, Norwegian settlers took to the Great Plains to find for themselves a better life. Dreams of great farm lands and prosper propelled them forward and Per Hansa, was not an exception.

Per Hansa, his wife, Beret, and their two sons head out into the wide open space hoping to catch up with the group they had started out with and begin to build their dreams. While Per Hansa almost vibrates with his desire for something to call his own, Beret keeps quiet to her dreams of staying where they were with, with family and friends and all she ever knew of as home.

When they do meet up with the others and stake their land the whole family experiences first hand what it is like to start with nothing. A house built out of sod, and their cow living under this same sod roof. The planting of food to eat and to sell and the hope and prayer each season that the crops will prosper and drought, weather or plagues do not take what they have put blood, sweat and tears into.

The land is hard and the life style to match but Per Hansa thrives in the environment of working from before sun up to after sun down. As other settlers pass through and the native Americans come calling, Per Hansa comes across many situations he was not prepared for…. yet onward he goes, trusting in God and the land.

We read Giants In The Land for our classic read. Around page 11 I thought I was in trouble… when our author started explaining the sound of the grass I thought “oh oh…. I have over 500 pages of this?” Yet I settled into the book to get through it, and found that I was enjoying it in no time.

Per Hansa is a go getter. At times to the point of ripping your hair out, but it seems like everything he tries and touches turns out for the better. Beret, is another character all together. Left mainly to tend to the house and the children, the time alone only wears on her. Although their are other women near by, Beret is far too sheltered within herself to go out and make the relationships she needs to keep her going.

The real beauty in Giants In The Earth is that the land and the weather is just as much a character as Per Hansa, Beret and the other settlers. The land and weathers role is a bit one. It can give, and it can just as quickly take away. Everything in this environment depends on both.

I flew through this read. It was so far different from anything I had read and I could imagine what the times had to feel like, make it or break it, you had to keep moving forward day after day. It is a book that will remain on my shelf to be referred to again.

Bookies thoughts and fun:

We had a blast being able to have our review in an 1851 cabin that is on the property of one of our book club gals. (Thanks Brenda!). We dressed the time period and ate the food that they ate: lefsa, potatoes, cider, stew, goat cheese… It was a great time.

6 of us dressed up for the occasion. I am the 4th one in from the left. While we tried to remain straight faced, I kept smiling. The more I tried not to smile… the more I smiled.

The cabin. The base is original. Roof and upper floor have been added on.

What a great time! The Bookies over all rated it a high 3 (almost 4!) out of 5. Most of us enjoyed the time period and the idea of the early settlers. A few of us struggled getting into the book and found it too dry.

The Returned by Jason Mott (I felt much was left unsaid)

Published on October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

“I use Grammarly’s plagiarism checker because my super powered Blogerific Ninja Team Raphael and Biff, that scan the blogesphere for all things copied are not always as quick and efficient as I would like them to be. (Especially Biff, but do not say anything to him as he is HIGHLY sensitive.) 😛

Imagine… if someone you loved who has passed away – someone you had mourned for, grieved over and made deals with God about how much you miss them and only if they could return to you…

imagine…

if they did.

Harold and Louise Hardgrave had lived decades of this kind of loss and pain. In 1966, at the age of eight their only son Jacob had drowned at his own birthday party. As life tends to go on, even when we sludge through it… that is what the Hardgrave’s did… forming for themselves a life without Jacob and doing their best to move on.

And then one day, there he is. Jacob, at their door, looking just as he did at the age of 8.

And not just Jacob. All over the word that reports had been coming in for weeks that people who had passed on had suddenly arrived back at their homes, back in their loved ones lives… and no one can explain why. Is this the sign of the world coming to an end? Or the return of Christ? Or is it something darker…. something difficult to fathom when standing before you is the one that you have prayed for…. hoped for….

In a new and confused world, even Harold and Louise have trouble seeing eye to eye on how they feel about Jacob’s return. Louise is hook line and sinker ready to throw herself back into the role of nurturing mother and takes Jacob at face value. Harold however has reservations that this really is his son. He may look like him, walk like him, and talk like him… but he was there when his son had died. Life zapped away in a blink of an eye does nor return like that.

Does it?

Wow. Even before I started reading this book I had heard the scuttle around the edges of the internet of the mixed emotions this book was bringing out. That just made me more curious.

The Returned really is a fascinating topic for a book. As the book opened with Jacob at the door of his parents who have aged and stooped over the years yet here was their precious little boy looking as fresh and wonderful as he did before he left them I knew I wanted to know more.

The Return does very well at describing the emotions both accepting and abrasive as those who have passed on return to their homes and families rejoice. I even enjoyed the dynamics of what issues this would cause our world if this really did happen… for instance, The Returned had huge appetites. Always hungry they needed to be fed. And for that matter housed, and cared for. Suddenly as people keep returning, you can see where the once dead could soon out number the living. And, The Returned did not always turn up where their families were, some had no families… others had no desire to return to the family and friends they had so choose to go elsewhere…. etc…. fascinating stuff really.

What The Return (in my opinion) does not do well at, is coming full circle. The whole book I am waiting to see what is bringing the returned back from the graves. In the danger of causing a spoiler, but I feel a necessary one… it is never made clear, which to me made the book feel as though it was not fully thought out.

As readers, or at least I can speak for myself and say as a reader I want to read great books. Even when an idea, such as The Returned is a new topic (which I love it when that happens!), I still want to be intellectually stimulated and not just smile and read on for the sake of reading something that entertains my mind. I want to feel “WOW” when I come out of the last page. Unfortunately, as much as I can say I enjoyed the idea of The Returned and parts of the book, it did not have the full idea thought out therefore, leaving me wanting more.

My final thoughts, I did enjoy the book. I dont mean to come off as harsh in this review, just real. It is enjoyable and if thats what you are looking for, I would recommend it. If you like answers to questions that come up in your fictional reading however, you may feel a bit disappointed.

In other news, I heard that this book is being considered for TV. I would tune in to see what they do with it.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Published on September 16, 2013September 16, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

*pangram: a sentence or phrase that includes all the letters of the alphabet

Nollop is a happy happy place where folks go along their merry way, minding their own business and helping a neighbor as needed. Nollop, named for the very famous (and very fictional!) Nevin Nollop, the creator of the pangram sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” On fact the town loves Nevin so much, they have the alphabet hanging in large tiles with the alphabet on them that hangs form a memorial statue of the famed man and have hung their for hundreds (maybe more!) years.

When one day, the “Z” drops from the statue the Island’s council calls an emergency meeting. Surely this a sign from Nevin from beyond the grave! A message quickly goes out across the land that the use of the letter “Z” is now forbidden as of midnight. No longer may people discuss the buzzing of bees, the fixing of a zipper, or visiting a zoo. To speak words containing this now letter that shall not be named, or writing it down will result in a series of punishments including up to public flogging and even jail time.

And so, Nollop moves on, after all it is only a “Z”, and it is possible to have a pretty (almost!) normal life without that letter.

But then… soon after…. the “Q drops. And again the council meets, and again a letter goes out now removing this letter as well, after all, it must be what Nevin wants…. and so to the wayside goes the ability to say or write things like quick or quiver or make the noise of “Quack!”.

And so it goes… letters continue to fall and the world spreads tot he public that the use of these letters are now forbidden… as the books continues, written in letters, the letters become harder and harder to read…. when the letter “D” drops – you can no longer say you knocked on a door , but instead on a portal… and so on and so on…

What will become of the town as people slip up when greeting others or write a now forbidden letter into a sentence?

What will become of Ella, who lives on Nollop and wants nothing more than to see the written word and language returned so once again we can freely express ourselves?

I adored this brilliant book.

I heard about Ella Minnow Pea a couple of years ago while in New York for the Book Expo. I thought it sounded brilliant. While Ella Minnow Pea is not a banned book, it talks about the banning of books. As letters continue to be eliminated, the Library in Nollop is closed…. too many words and you know every one of those books has to be a violation.

Letters sent to one another are read by a selected person to check for the offending letters – but no wait, this is not an invasion of privacy as the person hired to do this does not speak any English, therefore has no idea as to what he is reading.

Ella Minnow Pea is a wonderful reflection of what happens when we enforce censorship. We take away people’s rights to use the tools we have been given to communicate, to choose what we say or write and when we say it. As the books goes on and the letters continue to be eliminated it becomes harder and harder to understand and that… is exactly the point.

Check out Ella Minnow Pea. It’s smart, it’s fun… and it really makes you think about how one small right taken away (like the use of “Z”) seems like no big deal…. and then… one day…. it is another small no big deal (“Q”) and then another… and another…

I chose to review Ella Minnow Pea for Banned Book Week because it fits right in with what happens when we ban or challenge books to be removed from shelves due to our personal preference for what we consider to be proper. Imagine… if everyone had their way on banning and challenging books… think of the great reads we would have NEVER been allowed to read….. The Bible, Hunger Games, Fahrenheit 451, Little House On The Prairie, Narnia, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, SPEAK, Charlotte’s Web, Alice In Wonderland, The Giver, Wuthering Heights, Kite Runner, Perks Of Being a Wallflower, The Chocolate War, Beloved, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Color Purple, The Bridge To Terabithia, Of Mice and Men, In True Blood, Song Of Solomon, Are You There God Its Me Margaret, Blubber, A Prayer For Owen Meany…

The Hunt By Andrew Fukoda

Published on September 15, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Before I knew it I was so caught up in the book it was like the pages were turning themselves.

`Sheila

Gene goes to high school like the other teenagers his age. He looks and acts just like the other students yet Gene is not like the other students.

Gene is human. Heper, as they are called. And they are hunted and rare,

It is unfortunate that he can not run as fast as his peers with their lightning quick moves. But on the upside he doesn’t have to avoid the sun and he doesn’t crave the taste of human blood.

He knows the rules to staying alive and not drawing attention to himself. Do not sweat. Do not smile or laugh or show and emotion for that matter. Do not blush or cough. And absolutely… under no circumstances do you fall in love. Life and death depend on how close he pays attention to these rules.

Then the Hunt is announced. A lucky few will be chosen by lottery to participate in the televised hunting and killing of a group of hepers. The odds are that he will not be chosen out of the hundreds, thousands even that are eligible – yet as the numbers are read ….

There is no way he will not be found our for who he is.

What are odds of survival?

And what is the greater cost?

I was so excited to read this book dubbed as part Twilight…. part Hunger Games. A YA read that consisted of a world of vampire like creatures that have replaced us in the schools and in the markets. They thirst for human blood. They hang from locks on their feet at night. They scratch their wrist to express emotion like humor or nervousness. Their teeth are pointy.

To be human (heper) is unheard of unless you are under captivity to be studied or be raised like cattle… fattening up for the slaughter… but as Gene can attest, being human/heper and living among the others is rare and dangerous… but so far possible.

I loved the flow of this book like Hunger Games into a world where survival is the goal and friend is pitted against friend. What I didn’t love was when it became a little too close to Hunger Games, for a while there “The Woman director shows up again in her frilly dress”…. and “Their can only be one survivor… one real champion” was a bit too cookie cutter copied for my liking.

HOWEVER…. as the book went on I was thrilled to see it take its own path and break out of that cookie cutter mold into a story that kept me reading and guessing and hoping and…. well… and ordering the next book, The Prey.

Did I love it? Pretty darn close. Overall it was an awesome read, one that filled me with those first thrills that Hunger Games did and those are rare finds.

The Hunt is way more Hunger Games than it is Twilight, and if you enjoyed Hunger Games, I think you will find this a nice fix.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Published on September 3, 2013September 3, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.”

William Kent Krueger

Like a soft whisper you barely hear, Ordinary Grace brings your senses to full attention – you are on alert for what will happen next and in the end, you were not even close to the truth but wow – what a fantastic journey!

Sheila DeChantal

New Bremen, Minnesota 1961. The Twins were a new team, ice cold frosty mugged root beer was the coveted drink of choice, and Hot Stuff comic books were the way to spend that change that was waiting in your jeans pocket. For thirteen year old Frank it started out as a summer of possibilities, but this summer had other plans, plans no one could have foreseen. The summer of 1961 in New Bremen Minnesota turned out to be the summer of death.

Frank, now 40, looks back at this summer of 61 with a sense of peace and awe at the grace of it all. In 1961 he lived with his Methodist Minister father of several churches in the area, his mother who never planned on being a ministers wife but that is what she was and while she liked to smoke cigarettes and hold her own identity she did her best as part of the choir at the churches, an older sister with talent that had her heading right towards the awaiting gates of Julliard and a tag along always under foot younger brother who while bothersome, was wise at the most perfect times. At the brink of manhood, Franks thirteenth year was one that changed his way of thinking for life.

Death comes in many forms: Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder. Thirteen year old Frank is about to experience all of the above.

William Kent Krueger the end of August 2013 at Wine and Words in Baxter Minnesota signing away.
What a great down to earth guy! Meet him if you get the opportunity.

Why did I want to read this book? William Kent Krueger is a Minnesota legend. He is that author who is writing books that generate followers of his writing yet I had never read him. I have over the past several years picked up his books here and there, tales of Minnesota’s North Shore and while I planned on reading him…. I just never got to it. Thanks to Wine and Words and Kent’s generous offer to be a part of our debut year, I knew I had to (and wanted to!) read him and Ordinary Grace was told to be a different kind of tale for Krueger. With all that said – I was in. 🙂

Ordinary Grace is the kind of book you do not want to put down. It flows with a pace you would expect for 1961, a small town pace that reminds you of summer heat and the days before the media outpouring at every way you turn and the days of course where you could pick up a soda with a straw at the local drug store and make it last for hours.

As I melted into the pages of Frank’s life and his family I had no trouble at all seeing through thirteen year old Frank’s eyes. William Kent Krueger drew a perfect picture of the life and times of Frank and his family, and I fell right into Bremen as though I were a resident.

Drawn in completely Ordinary Grace has the town characters who are indeed “characters”. Gus (to name one)is the buddy each of us has in our life that likes to love life a little bit on the edge, not always a rule follower which keeps things interesting when you are with them and usually has a heart of gold and would do anything for you. And Gus is only one of the great people you will meet within the pages.

In the end, Ordinary Grace took my breath away. I cruised through the final pages as in rapid succession the missing pieces of the summer of 61 were dropped into place. I closed the final page with a sense of bewilderment in the crazy and amazing grace of a young boy who in a summers worth of days grew to know more than he had ever wanted or thought he needed, yet molded him into the man he was to become.

I can not wait to dig into William Kent Krueger’s books again. Tamarack County awaits for me.

Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

Published on July 20, 2013July 20, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

Where Cee Cee Honeycutt was sweet, Looking For Me is a direct hit to the heart.

So accurately imbedded are these characters that you will not soon

forget them… nor will you want to.

~Sheila

Teddy Overman found from a young age that she had a passion for taking the old and abandoned treasures she found in furniture and making them unique and new. It was always exciting to find something broken down along side a garbage dumpster or in a ditch like a chair or end table and work her magic into restoring it to something to be loved again. Teddy’s mother felt differently and encouraged her daughter to take up other interests like typing so she could be a secretary with a steady pay check, but Teddy’s love or restoring did not waver.

Teddy’s brother Josh had a heart for animals. He would go out of his way to rescue the abandoned and the abused… in a way, the siblings had similar hearts. As Teddy felt she could see into the heart of a piece of furniture and see what is could be, Josh felt he could hear the animals and nature call to him. That call was so strong that one day he left his home… and never returned again. As time goes by and days pass into years the family has no choice but to think that Josh has surely died out in the elements.

As Teddy grows to be an adult she finds she can full fill her passion for working with furniture in a shop that has a delightful cast of characters that not only work along side her, but frequent the shop. Each one as unique and beautiful as the furniture she loves. When tragedy strikes and Teddy finds herself driving that familiar road back to her childhood home signs lead to the fact that Josh may be alive.

Trapped between her past and her future, Teddy must decide what is true and to be held on to, and what must be let go.

**Beth Hoffman and I in New York (Book Expo) 2011**

Holy cheese on a cracker. Or something like that. Looking For Me spoke to my heart in so many ways I do not even know where to begin. I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Beth Hoffman’s debut in Cee Cee Honeycutt, a sweet as sweet tea story that made me long to keep Cee Cee in my circle of fictitious friends. When Looking For Me was on its way into my hot little hands I am pretty sure I watched the mail box every day for a week.

Looking For Me was everything I had hoped it would be … every bit as strongly written as Cee Cee Honeycutt but also more. Looking For Me has a sharp edge to it, one that is tamed a bit by the southern feel and location of the book, but it is there all the same and it is a good thing. The book deals with family disappointments, loss, reaching for your dreams, taking the road less traveled, love, heartbreak, friendships, and letting go – in some cases; all of the above.

I laughed and cheered Teddy on – strong willed and self assured (even when she was faking it) I found a bit of me in her. I would also have to say I cried… at least twice while reading this book. There are subjects that always hit a bit close to home for me, and not in a bad way. I love a book that makes you feel.. that makes you want to pick it up again and again…

Looking For Me was that book. One of the most impactful books I have read this year. If you are looking for such a read to enjoy while spending time in the sun or curled up with a blanket in a cozy chair, please consider Looking For Me to be that book.

Restrike by Reba White William

Published on July 18, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Cousins from North Carolina, Coleman and Dinah know how to find trouble.

When the cousins move to New York to follow their love for art, Coleman finds herself in the position of editor of a sweet and popular arts magazine, while Dinah becomes owner of a Gallery in Greenwich Village. The jobs are of course exciting and cause the girls to feel on top of their game until trouble brews within the integrity of an employee at the magazine and due to a poor location, sales are floundering at the art gallery.

Enter Hayward Baine, a millionaire in the art field and possibly (hopefully) the answer to the cousins prayers. Yet once again trouble strikes as an art dealer turns up dead and Baine suddenly is posing questions as to him possible involvement…

Life…

is never dull.

Restrike was brought to my attention by its fun cover and quirky synopsis. Easily labeled a cozy mystery, Restrike poses an occasional “snort out loud” fun humor with an engagingly light story line. Being from a small town and having had the opportunity to see New York as well, the story was interesting to see this huge change in zip code play out.

Coleman and Dinah are fun characters and Restrike is their debut…. from what I hear, there is more to come and for that I am glad.

Restrike makes for a good summer read that is not overpowering, but light and enjoyable as a beach read or one to definitely toss in with the luggage for vacation. Versatile as it is – enjoy it curled up on a stormy night as well with a really good bowl of popcorn.

Thank you to TLC book tours who brought me to a world

that was fun to walk through with the cousins.

The Fate Of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb

Published on June 13, 2013June 13, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Grace Alban left the large mansion like home on Lake Superior in Duluth Minnesota 20 years ago and had not looked back. But when her mother suddenly dies leaving Grace the sole heir of the family property and a staff with some spooky insight into the last two decades, Grace reluctantly travels back to her childhood home this her teenage daughter.

Long buried family secrets, love letters, and a mysterious unpublished book by a famous author are just a few of the things Grace discovers shortly after her arrival. As Grace soon learns, a secret around a death that took place at the house during a party many years ago was about to be relieved by her mother to a reporter on the day that Grace’s mother had a heart attack and died. It was an event that no one in the family had discussed – ever.

What really was the story behind the girl in white dancing in the yard that people have claimed to have seen through the years? And what of the hidden tunnels within the walls that look as though they have been traveled recently…. why is someone trying so hard to frighten Grace and her daughter away?

The Bookies chose this book for two reasons. 1.Wendy Webb is an author that is going to be at our fall Wine and Words event in Brainerd MN. 2. The book is written around an actual mansion in Duluth called the Glensheen Mansion which does actually have a real murder story.

OOH right? 🙂

My thoughts: Honestly, The Fate Of Mercy Alban was better than I had anticipated. I read this one on the plane on my way to New York and found myself thoroughly engaged in the writing. The characters were nicely developed and I lived the thought of hidden tunnels in the walls (how very Nancy Drew!), and I wondered in the Glensheen Mansion which I have toured many times, did indeed have secret walls and tunnels.

Wendy Webb mixes a good old-fashioned mystery in with the paranormal which was surprising in content, and I liked that twist of expecting one thing out of a book and getting a little bonus! The book had me guessing on what happened to Mrs Alban, what had really happened to the famous author who had died on the property years ago, and who was the girl in white….

Did the butler do it?

You will have to just read this one to find out!

Bookies Thoughts

As this was our book club read for June 2013, the overall census was fairly high ratings. The Bookies really enjoyed the mystery around a place that we were all aware of. While we had some different thoughts on the ending (I was bummed – found it unnecessary) other really liked the way it ended.

As a result of this read, we are planning a Bookies road trip this late fall to the Glensheen Mansion, about half of us have toured it before – but we all would like to go through it again now, seeing it through the Alban families eyes and Wendy Webb’s too!

* note – the Alban family and the events in the book are fictitious as are the hidden tunnels in the home (at least according to Wendy Webb 😉 )

However Long The Night by Aimee Molloy

Published on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

In 1974, Molly Melching embarked on her adventure out of her comfortable surroundings in Illinois right into the heart of Africa. What was supposed to be a short term mission trip of 6 months turned into something much more.

Molly, coming from an American background found that the women of Africa did not have the rights that she was used tom in fact she found some of what was happening to the women to be shocking. (If you are not familiar with FGC, a practice in areas of Africa, look it up and get ready to cringe!)

Through Molly’s time in Africa, she helps to empower women to learn to take care of themselves, founding Tostan (,meaning “breakthrough” in the Wolof language) a foundation for human rights. This foundation led to the drastic reduction of FGC and child forced marriages.

However Long The Night is Molly’s story…

Breathtaking. Painful. Empowering. All of these words come to mind as I try to think of what to say about this amazing read. Always an advocate of strong independent women, I was fully engrossed in Molly’s mission. What Molly started in Africa was that human rights were for both men and women.

I found myself looking things up on-line to follow along even more deeply of who Molly is and what she has accomplished. I could not get enough.

However Long The Night reads like a page turning novel. Molly is doing the things I wish I would have been involved in when I was right out of school. Being a part of the peace corp is right up my alley! Molly’s story is one of the power of one person making a change in our world for the better. She is an example of how no problem is too big and how passion and determination can truly make a difference. A definite keeper for my book shelf.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for

the experience of Molly Melching

Authors website

Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim

Published on May 23, 2013May 23, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

Ahhhh Nellie Oleson, the villain of Little House On The Prairie before villains were cool.

~Sheila

Little House On The Prairie was a tv series that ran from 1974 – 1983. Alison Arngrim was called in to read for the part of Mary. Then she was called back to read for the part of Laura. Then finally she was called in to read for the part of Nellie Oleson, the arch-enemy of Laura Ingalls…

the rest is history.

So what was it like to play a villain type character in the 70’s? Alison Arngrin soon learned that is takes a thick skin. Fans of the show could not separate Alison from the Nellie role she played on tv. Yelled at, swore at, and even kicked to the ground in public.

From her heartbreaking home life as a child, to the ins and outs of the hit series, the cast the crew and all the serious as well as funny happenings in between… Alison shares an incredible story in Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch.

So here is my story. I grew up on Little House On The Prairie. I was younger than both Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim when the show aired in 1974 and I loved the episodes of family life in the Prairie. I had read and loved the series of books and when I seen that Melissa Gilbert had written a book called Prairie Tale I jumped at the chance to get it.

But wait…. this review is about Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch!

Oh yeah… that….

So here is what happened. I went on-line to purchase Prairie Life but on the same page I seen Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch and I snatched that one up instead.

What does that say about me? 😯

And here is what is true. Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch starts out as a hard (emotionally) read. Alison’s childhood was devastating. When I started the book I found myself thinking, “I thought this was supposed to be funny?” I will not go into detail about her childhood but I will say that it is amazing she came out the strong and emotionally secure person that she is.

After Alison’s background story, once she gets to the role of Nellie, the books tempo picks up quite a bit. Her amazing instant friendship with Melissa Gilbert, her odd non connecting with Melissa Anderson (who seemed to really connect with no one…) behind the scene happenings on the set, using her paycheck to buy her family’s food, the truth about Perceval her on-screen husband, and why she disappeared after the 7th season.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it over a weekend having trouble putting it down. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered season one of Little House On The Prairie today as I want to watch the episodes again, the ones that Alison shares what is happening in the scene, so I can laugh again and remember my own childhood of watching those on The Prairie.

Little House On The Prairie lovers – this book is for you. I am still gushing about this book a week later.

Fun fact – each of the main girls on LHOTP wrote a book… here they are: