The Long Winter: Little House, Book 6

This book is a replacement for a copy I've had for decades. It finally fell apart. I initially worried that it might have been shortened or illustrations might have been left out, but it turned out to be the same as the old version, except for the cover. The words and illustrations are the same. When I read these books as a young person, I was learning about the way of life of homesteaders in the late 1800s. As an older person, I've looked at them more in terms of the historical context. The Homestead Act, the Pacific Railroad Act, and the Dakota Wars all impacted the Ingalls family. Through the account in the book we get an "up-close-and-personal" view. Years ago I didn't really understand how deeply the Ingalls family were suffering from malnutrition during that winter and how at risk their lives really were. I'm currently using the series to teach American history to teenagers in Uganda, who have never experienced snow or even freezing temperatures. When we reach this book, I'm sure it will have a big impact.

Have never read this series before...I became interested in this book after I read about the "childrens blizzard" of 1888. Same type of snowstorms/ freezing temperatures, food shortages...awful!! We are blessed to not have to go thru one. I cant imagine!! Ingalls is a great writer!!

Reading this series of books as a child brought much joy. Reading them annually brings peace and returns that joy, along with the admiration of the hard lives well lived that they represent. Life is hard and cruel at times for all fortunate enough to live it. The toughness and satisfaction of hard work, respect and love of family, duty and honor of the lives shared in these books demonstrate well that riches are not needed to live a rich full life.Rather, optimism, grace, and the firm foundation of faith these books give shows the true beauty of lives truly well lived. I deeply appreciate seeing the good and the bad, with the gifts that come through both.

I will tell you a not-so-secret secret. The DeSmet books are my favorite Little House books. I have been entranced by and emotionally invested in the books from the trip to DeSmet by railroad in"By the Shores of Silver Lake" straight through Laura receiving her own Little House in "These Happy Golden Years". But even among the four perfect novels, two stand out. One of them is "Happy Golden Years" because who can resist the courting and marriage of Laura and Almonzo? (I mean, omg, he drives through blizzards to take her home every weekend when she was teaching school and miserable). The other is "The Long Winter". And no I won't pick between them. You can't make me.But lets talk about "The Long Winter". This is the saddest, scariest of the books. The blizzards that hit DeSmet lasted for most of a year. The trains couldn't get through and that meant supplies were scarce for a long time. And then they were gone altogether. The book focuses on the survival of the Ingalls family in particular and the whole town in general. Laura is growing up and she takes an active part in helping the family survive. She churns the coffee mill (in turns with the others in the family) to make bread. She learns to twist hay for heat which helps Pa more than the book really stresses, but the man was never resting just to keep the room warm. By the way...that hay? They wouldn't have had nearly as much if Laura hadn't helped her Pa for the first time with they haystacks before the blizzards hit.But what really saves them when their spirits are failing and Pa can't even play the fiddle anymore because his fingers are swollen and frozen? Each other. They read stories and entertain the younger girls. They make presents for Christmas found with things in their own home. They sing songs. They dance to keep warm. This family is what we all want our families to be. When I was a girl and found out that the real Laura left DeSmet to move to Mansfield MO, it broke my heart. I couldn't believe that she could leave her Ma, Pa, and sisters no matter what. But what i kept coming back to were all those scenes in The Long Winter where the only thing that mattered was trying to keep cheerful and positive for each other.

Many lessons can be learned, I love this book so much I read it every winter! It’s a great book to curl up nice and cozy next to a fire, and read when it is a snowy day outside.

I grew up on the Little House books and still like to go back and reread them occasionally, for their wisdom, their entertainment value and for their glimpses of a long gone lifestyle. I picked up a couple of them in audiobook form and decided to listen to one the other day. Over all, the books hold up well in audio format. Some events take on a different color or emphasis when you listen to them, as opposed to reading the words on a page. Almanzo and Cap's journey to find the wheat was especially exciting from that standpoint. These would be wonderful family listening while on a road trip or at bedtime. My only objection was with the reader. She's okay when she's just reading the book, but when she tries to "sing" (and there is a surprising amount of music in the Little House books), especially when she's singing as "Pa", it's almost unbearable. She has perhaps the most unmelodic voice I've ever heard. I found myself turning down the volume until the song was over. Otherwise, I highly recommend the audio version of these books.

My first time reading one of your books. I enjoyed it throughly. I have never experienced 40 below weather. What an ordeal. Thank you for writing such wholesome stories.

Calidad precio buena y buen reparto

Love this book, pepar quality is ok, all time favourite 👍

Essa autora é maravilhosa!

I read this series first to my daughters when they were in primary school. The lockdown found me re-reading all kinds of books. Laura Ingalls Wilder writes well and the series is well worth a second read.

ごめん、邪道な目的で買った俺。　このシリーズ大好きで、シリーズのあらゆる出版社版、関連本、ほぼ全て買い尽くし、もう買う物がなくなった・・・・。だから、ついに原書、しかもハードカバーの豪華本に手を出した俺・・・・。　ごめん、読んでない。多分、訳すことのできるレベルの英語だってことは、一目見てわかった。高校卒業レベルの英語で充分。もしかしたら中学レベルの英語でも、文脈だけなら何とかなるかもしれない（仮定法の部分は無理だけど・・・）。でも、多分、読む日は１０年以内にはやってこない。だって訳すだけの根気も時間もないから・・・。当然、本棚に並んでいるだけとなるであろう・・・。　でも、それでも満足。だって、最初からインテリアとして買ったんだも～ん。原書、しかもハードカバーの豪華本が９冊並んでるだけで壮観。インテリア性は高い。　そもそも日本語翻訳版は、前半と後半で出版社も、本のデザイン、大きさも全く違う（旧訳は翻訳文まで別物だった・・・）ので、ズラ～とシリーズ全９冊が並んでいるという、よく考えたら当たり前の光景を実現することさえ不可能・・・。これってシリーズのファンにとっては凄いストレス。もし、日本語版が福音館版のハードカバー豪華本で９冊とも刊行されていたら、多分、買うことはなかったな・・・・。邪道な購入目的だけど、俺と同じ思いで買った人、けっこうたくさんいるんじゃないかな～。