For those out there who feel that Laura's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, did most of the actual writing of the "Little House" books - well, you should read this book, which consists of letters written to her husband, Almanzo, while she was visiting San Francisco in 1915. Even though they were not written for publication, her descriptions of the events of the Pan-Pacific Expo, as well as San Francisco itself, are vivid, captivating, and colorful. You can also feel the great love and affection that existed between the couple, even though there are no letters from Almanzo himself. I also found this book interesting as I live in the San Francisco Bay Area myself, and am interested in its history.

Thank God this is still in print. Sure, lots of fans of the "Little House"
series will find this a charming alternative. But Laura Ingalls Wilder was
already an accomplished writer by this time, and her recorded impressions
during a family visit to her daughter and son-in-law during the 1915 Pan
Pacific International Exposition was a godsend for anyone who wants to know
of San Francisco history.

The city was devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire; the PPIE
was a chance for the city's residents to show how quickly they could
recover and rebuild, and they put their souls into it. The city fairly
sparkled for the Exposition's visitors that summer. Wilder's letters home
to her husband were an accurate and very personable observance of the city
as it was. She described the big events as well as the telling little
details that made San Francisco unique among American cities. The photos
accompanying her letters add to the authenticity.

This is book not just a "niche gem" for Wilder fans, but also for
those who love San Francisco, and those who live history. Her record of a
vacation to the coast may've seemed to her like trivial family
correspondence, but for this native son of Baghdad by the Bay, her letters
were a vivid portrait of a time that will not be seen again. This is one of
the top ten historical recollections of a major, turn of the century
American city.

This book is actually a series of letters that Laura wrote while visiting her daughter Rose. Rose Wilder Lane is a married journalist living in San Francisco. After years of begging her parents to visit her in this exciting, bustling city, Laura finally decides to go, but Almanzo must stay home and tend their farm at Rocky Ridge. These letters are sent to Almanzo, telling him of the World's Fair, riding the streetcars, and other exciting activities in the city. This book is really enlightening and educational. We get to see early San Francisco thru the eyes of our favorite pioneer. Children may not enjoy the letter form, but adults fans of the "Little House" series will enjoy connecting with Laura again.

It's 1894, and Rose Wilder, her mama, and her papa are packing up their covered wagon and leaving the prarie. Rose hates to say goodbye to say good-bye to Grandma and Grandpa, but she can't wait to start her new life in Missouri!

This book is great, not long enough but so much fun to read. I liked learning how Rose lived. I want to read the whole series now!

Its 1894, and Rose Wilder and her Papa and Mama move from the prairie to Missouri . They past a Dusty Trail and when they make camp Rose gathers fire wood. The next day they eat hardtacks and Rose travels with George and Paul on there wagon. Then they cross a river, go swiming, and meet Russians and help a lost dog but soon they come to Missouri.

I found this entire series of books to be disappointing. The writing was average but what really bothered me most is how the stories lacked the sweet innocence of the original series. On doing some research I discovered that parts of the books were based on Rose's diaries. Unfortunately, she was not a happy soul and these books suffer from her same pessimism. The listed author for this book (MacBride) died before the last few books were published. The books were still published under his name and HarperCollins claimed that he wrote the manuscript before dying yet one of the last books in this series contains several chapters (almost verbatim) from a story that Rose wrote herself for an adult audience. The story is totally out of character with the series. Rose and her friend sneak out for several nights to meet a traveling salesman. He eventually makes a pass at her...

This series is okay as light reading for adolescents but if you are looking for a piece of americana, and/or a wholesome book for your child or self this is not the best choice. It grossly fails to live up to the original series of books. The Caroline series is a better choice.

I love THE LAURA INGALLS YEARS and the ROSE YEARS. In the later ROSE books, Rose is a little more fiesty and romantical...it builds up as the series goes along, so this is more for pre-teens and teens later on. Otherwise it is very wholesome and fun; Rose is interesting, and has many ideas about the world! I have all the LAURA YEARS books except THE FIRST FOUR YEARS and all the ROSE books except ON THE BANKS OF THE BAYOU (my fave) and BACHELOR GIRL (haven't read that yet).
...

The girl was quite a firecracker. Again, just as charming as Little House, but the storytelling is a bit more complex and more reflective of who Rose was. This series truly equals the charm and storytelling of Laura's story. Kudos to those who thought to bring this series to print.

I liked this book, just not as much as the others. It's more for adults than children. There's a lot of death, destruction and disappointment in it, and the few happy times (such as the marriage itself and the birth of Rose) are kind of glossed over. I think Laura Ingalls Wilder did not edit this herself and it was published after her death, which may be why it isn't as good as the other ones.

"The First Four Years," by Laura Ingalls Wilder, tells the story of the early years of the marriage of Laura Ingalls and Manly Wilder. The introduction by Roger Lea MacBride notes that the text was discovered as a manuscript among the real-life Laura's papers, and was not published as a book until after the deaths of both Laura and her daughter Rose.

As the story opens in 1885, Laura agrees to marry Manly and help him try to make a living farming. Manly quotes the Irish saying, "Everything is evened up in the world. The rich have their ice in the summer but the poor get theirs in the winter"; this saying recurs throughout the story. The young family eventually grows with the birth of baby Rose.

"First Four" offers lots of details about farm economics and daily farm activities. The pioneering family faces much adversity: sickness, the harsh climate, and more. Wilder presents the often deadly dangers of pioneer life quite frankly; I don't believe that this is a sugar-coated portrayal.

There are some dark and troubling moments along the way, but ultimately I found this book to be joyful and hopeful. Wilder celebrates the courage and tenacity of the pioneer farm family.

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote from the heart and from her experiences of life on the prairie as a child. If it's been a long time since you've read a Laura Ingalls Wilder book, then I suggest you pick this one up and read the beautiful descriptions and let your mind paint the scenery with words.

Laura wrote what she saw and she described life so well you can nearly smell the farm air and help her with sewing her new black cashmere dress or feel the threat of the thunderstrom rolling in. Make no mistake, you are there with Laura.

The tone in this book is a bit different then some of her other books. Perhaps there is a reason why she never had this book printed. Interestingly enough, the draft of the book was found among her personal papers and was written on an orange colored school tablet. The family lawyer looked over her personal works and had the book published after her death. I for one am glad he did. This book tells of Laura's life as an adult and the birth of her daughter Rose, and the hardships and disappointments of farming and life in the mid to late 1880's.

It is a great book! A classic. It tells about life as it was with all of the bumps along the way. It is a must read for youngsters who like this historical time and want to know more about everyday life. It is a treasure if you are one of those that grew up on the "Little House" series and want to relive the series of books through your children or the neighbors children. Oh, what the heck, read it for yourself just one more time. You will not be disappointed.

Just when you thought you had read the entire LITTLE HOUSE series, you discover with delight that there are two more books, although not penned by Laura herself. These two Rocky Ridge sequels continue the saga of a grown up Laura Ingalls Wilder--this time focusing on her only duaghter, Rose. This 8-year-old charms us with gentle, homespun tales of their first year in the wilds of the Missouri Ozarks. We have long loved Laura as a spunky prairie girl, so we naturally continue to love her as a maternal figure, still struggling with the harsh realities of farm life.

Written by Laura's adopted grandson, LITTLE FARM can not quite capture the magic of Laura's style, for a biography can never be as vivid as actual memories. Fortunately the family resemblance remains. True, there is less excitement and action in this book, but then, one can not reinvent someone's real life merely to increase the dramatic content of a book. Perhaps the midwest was more tamed by 1895, when Rose won her special prize. We also wonder whose side MacBride champions, when we recall the bitter, posthumous feud between Rose and Laura (advocated by her literary admirers) over authorship of some of the books.

Still loyal LITTLE HOUSE fans will appreciate this latter-day glimpse into Laura's married life. We understand that this is Laura's last move--she yearns to put down roots somewhere, even far from De Smet, Nebraska. Her home at Rocky Ridge still exists and is open to the public as a museum and literary mecca. The simple story unfolds about a young girl meeting the challenges of life on a new farm and in a new, town school. The book appears thick, but it reads quickly. The family values and pioneer virtues are timeless. Read this book to learn why Rose's parents have two reasons to be proud of her. She herself has two reasons to be proud: our beloved Laura (Bess) and Almanzo (Manly), whose own childhood is preserved in my favorite LH book, FARMER BOY. This story will appeal to preteen girls and all LITTLE HOUSE fans. (Will MacBride continue the saga until Laura's death, thus forever dropping the curtain on the Wilders?)

This was another typical little house style book, but not as well written as the originals. Nothing really happened in the book. Even the things that did, like a fire in the cabin and a storm seemed to have no effect on the book. They spent more time talking about Rose looking out the window. It was alright though and people with obsession for Little house will like it.

This is a great story telling of the early struggles that Rose had to face with her family to build up the farm.Anyone who says this story is poorly written,or things like that are freaks!It's just a childrens book!!These people need a life!

This is an indirect copy of a fictional serial Rose wrote around 1918-1920: "Diverging Roads." It was republished by Roger Lea MacBride as "Rose Wilder Lane: Her Story," back in the 1970's. Unfortunately, it WASN'T her story: after giving the book that misleading title, MacBride explains in the introduction that many details were changed from Rose's real life. I compare this pitiful effort to William Holtz's staggering portrayal of Rose, and it is obvious which of these two men had more scholarly respect for Rose Wilder Lane. Even though I do not agree with many of Mr. Holtz's conclusions about Rose and her relationship with her mother, his work is fully researched, the information sound. The same cannot possibly be said about MacBride's attempts to pass off fiction as fact.

In the serial, here's what eventually happened to Helen (Rose's character): she doesn't marry, but joins forces with other women who are writers/journalists, and realizes that she wants a life of freedom and independence. That part was never published by MacBride, and I have often wondered why that was so. I personally don't understand why the "Rocky Ridge" series ended in such an adult fashion. MacBride could have concluded with Rose traveling to Kansas City to pursue a new career; Rose ended her book "Old Home Town" that way, with her character Ernestine (a young Rose in disguise) going off to business college to learn happily ever after. But no, it is much easier to copy Rose's original text than it is to come up with your own. Yes, I realize MacBride may have already passed on by the time this volume was approached, but anyone with background information on Rose and half an imagination could have finished the series with more success. Actually, that goes for the whole set of books, not just this one.

Although I was interested to read about this part of Rose's life, this volume wasn't as well written as the rest of the series (it was published after Roger Lea McBride's death and may not have been fully completed by him). It reads a little strangely (especially because it is written at an easy-read level but covers an adult period of her life) and sadly ends fairly abruptly, too, at a major turning point for Rose.

To read more about Rose's life, try "West from Home : Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco 1915," which tells you what Rose was doing nine years after the end of this book and how things turned out for her.

If anyone out there has hesitated to read the Rose Wilder Lane entries into the extended Little House family as they felt as I once did they would be pale copies of the original series, please don't hesitate any longer! This series has a voice of its own, and is very, very well written. I wish it was longer. I loved this last book. Rose is very different than Laura and in fact I think most women of her day. She is very strong willed and intelligent, and determined to make her own way in the world. I was especially struck by the descriptions of the early day of her life both in Kansas City and San Francisco---just how lonely and desolate life could be for a career girl starting out in those days, and how strong she was to persevere. Her growing awareness in this book that the life she always saw for herself---as a contented wife to Paul in a small world---is not really what she wants is very well done. The message sent to girls who might read this book is powerful. I also very much liked the way this series "grew up" like the original series. This last book is quite adult, though certainly not inappropriate for those who also read the early ones.