Title: Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Author: Caroline Fraser
First published November 14, 2017
641 pages, Kindle Edition
Rating: 3.93
Overview
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires offers a never-before-seen glimpse into the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the beloved pioneer girl from the ‘Little House’ books. Using a wealth of unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and public records, Fraser expertly pieces together Wilder’s life story, revealing the true struggles and triumphs behind the iconic tales of frontier life.
Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America, from the Homestead Act to the Great Depression, Wilder’s life was marked by hardship, perseverance, and ultimately, success. Fraser explores the untold story of Wilder’s adulthood, revealing how she and her husband crisscrossed the country to make ends meet, before finding fame and fortune through her children’s books.
Through Prairie Fires, readers will gain a newfound appreciation for Wilder’s remarkable life and legacy.
About the Author
Meet Caroline Fraser, a Seattle native with a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Harvard University. She’s a former member of The New Yorker’s editorial team and has authored two nonfiction books published by Henry Holt’s Metropolitan Books: God’s Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church and Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution.
Caroline’s writing has been featured in several publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic Monthly, Outside Magazine, and The London Review of Books. Her talent has been recognized with a PEN Award for Best Young Writer and the Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writer’s Residency, a PEN Northwest award.
Caroline calls Santa Fe, New Mexico home, where she lives with her husband, Hal Espen.
Editoral Review
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser is a meticulously researched and vividly rendered biography of one of America’s most beloved authors. Fraser, a biographer and historian, won the Pulitzer Prize for her previous work, God’s Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church.
In Prairie Fires, she delves into the life and legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the pioneer girl who wrote the Little House on the Prairie books. Fraser’s book is a combination of biography, literary criticism, and social history.
She traces Wilder’s life from her birth in 1867 in Pepin, Wisconsin, to her death in 1957 in Mansfield, Missouri. Along the way, she examines the ways in which Wilder’s life was shaped by the pioneering spirit of westward expansion, the Homestead Act, and the Industrial Revolution.
She also unpacks the ways in which Wilder’s books reflect the contradictions and complexities of American society at the turn of the twentieth century. The book is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different facet of Wilder’s life and work.
Part one, “The Last Wild Land,” covers her childhood and young adulthood as a pioneer girl on the frontier. Part two, “The Long Winter,” covers her years as a farmer’s wife and a young mother.
Part three, “The Eyes of the Future,” covers her later years as a successful author and public figure. Throughout the book, Fraser uses letters, diaries, and other primary sources to paint a rich and nuanced portrait of Wilder and her world.
One of the strengths of Prairie Fires is Fraser’s gift for descriptive prose. She writes in a vivid and evocative style that brings Wilder’s world to life.
Her descriptions of the prairie landscape, the stark winters, and the bustling towns and cities are all executed with precision and care. Fraser is also adept at character study, and her insights into Wilder’s personality and motivations are illuminating.
Another strength of the book is its scope. Fraser places Wilder’s life and work within the context of American history, politics, and culture.
She discusses the impact of the Civil War, the rise of industrialization, and the changing roles of women and minorities in society. Fraser also provides a detailed analysis of the Little House books themselves, examining the ways in which they reflect Wilder’s own experiences and the larger cultural trends of the time.
One potential weakness of the book is its length. At over 600 pages, it can feel at times like a slog.
However, the wealth of detail and insight that Fraser provides justifies the length. Another potential weakness is the level of detail.
Fraser leaves no stone unturned, and some readers may find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. Overall, Prairie Fires is a stunning achievement.
Fraser has created a compelling and insightful portrait of one of America’s most enduring literary figures. Whether you are a fan of the Little House books or a student of American history and culture, this book is a must-read.
Highly recommended. Rating: 9/10
