Little House (9 Books, Boxed Set)

Book Description

The set includes:Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.

Little House in the Big Woods

Wolves and panthers and bears roam the deep Wisconsin woods in the late 1870's. In those same woods, Laura lives with Pa and Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Baby Carrie, in a snug little house built of logs. Pa hunts and traps. Ma makes her own cheese and butter. All night long, the wind howls lonesomely, but Pa plays the fiddle and sings, keeping the family safe and cozy.

Little House on the Prairie

Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas, and there, finally, Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.

Farmer Boy

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to supper most days -- no matter what the weather. There is still time for fun, though, especially with the horses, which Almanzo loves more than anything.

On the Banks of Plum Creek

Laura's family's first home in Minnesota is made of sod, but Pa builds a clean new house made of sawed lumber beside Plum Creek. The money for materials will come from their first wheat crop. Then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Soon millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm. In a week's time, there is no wheat crop left at all.

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Pa Ingalls heads west to the unsettled wilderness of the Dakota Territory. When Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace join him, they become the first settlers in the town of De Smet. And Pa begins work on the first building in what will soon be a brand-new town on the shores of Silver Lake.

The Long Winter

The first terrible storm comes to the barren prairie in October. Then it snows almost without stopping until April. Snow has reached the rooftops, and no trains can get through with food or coal. The people of De Smet are starving, including Laura's family, who wonder how they're going to make it through this terrible winter. It is young Almanzo Wilder who finally understands what needs to be done. He must save the town, even if it means risking his own life.

Little Town on the Prairie

The long winter is over. With spring come socials, parties, and "Literaries." There is also work to be done. Laura spends many hours each day sewing shirts to help send Mary to a college for the blind. But in the evenings, Laura makes time for a new caller, Almanzo Wilder.

These Happy Golden Years

Laura is teaching school, and it's terrifying! Most of the students are taller than she is, and she must sleep away from home for the first time. Laura is miserable, but the money is needed to keep Mary in a college for the blind. And every Friday -- no matter what the weather -- Almanzo Wilder arrives to take Laura home to her family for the weekend. Laura and Almanzo are courting, and even though she's not yet sixteen, she knows that this is a time for new beginnings.

The First Four Years

Laura and Almanzo Wilder have just been married! Their life on a small prairie homestead begins with high hopes. But each year seems to bring unexpected disasters -- storms, sickness, fire, and unpaid debts. These first four years call for courage, strength, and a great deal of determination. Always, though, there is love, especially for the newest member of the family -- baby Rose.

Customer Reviews:

finally a boxset.......2007-09-26

these are my all time childhood favourite books abnd am excited to see them all in a boxset,one MAJOR gripe...I am sure that 'Farmer Boy' (which is about a young Almonzo Wilder' was the 7th book not the 2nd as advertised in this set?....am I wrong??

My just turned 7 year old first grader is reading "The First Four Years".......2007-09-25

My daughter turned 7 years old on the 10th of September. It is September 25th now, 15 days into her 7th year. She is reading "The First Four Years". Her grandmother bought the whole Little House set for her as a birthday present and hopes my daughter will read every book in the set.

My daughter is a first grader schooled at home through the public school system. A little different from regular home school because she follows the same curriculum as the regular public school children in our state and takes all the same SAT, FCAT and Dibel tests as the regular public school kids but is being taught by the public school system at home through a public virtual academy called FLVA.

She loves to read and she enjoys reading this book.

Childhood Memories.......2007-07-21

These books come in a lovely box set, with such cute covers. They are the perfect size font for younger children to read or parents to read as bedtime stories. My children are thoroughly enjoying me read them to them each night. I highly recommend them. My mother read them to me as a child too.

A walk through time.......2007-07-11

If you want to set back and relax, these are the books to read. Life was so simple, and so very hard, all at the same time. You yearn for yesterday & are greatful for the luxuries of today. Truely a wonderful read.

Very enjoyable reading!.......2007-07-09

I read the first book when I was a little girl over 15 years ago, and now that I can buy my own set of these books, I am reading her stories of her growing up years, and I still feel very moved by the hardships endured in when people had a harder but more adventurous life. I love this set of books, and look forward to be able to read them to my own children to show them this different world and how fortunate we are today.

Mountain Man: A Novel of Male and Female in the Early American West

Average customer rating:

An all time favorite
A RENAISSANCE MAN IN THE AMERICAN WEST
THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL
interesting but has flaws
Poetry and Beauty

Mountain Man: A Novel of Male and Female in the Early American West
Vardis Fisher
Manufacturer: University of Idaho Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0893012513
Release Date: 2000-12-01

Book Description

Tailored after the actual "Crow Killer" John Johnson, Sam Minard is a mountain man who seeks the freedom that the Rocky Mountains offers trappers. After his beloved Indian wife is murdered, Sam Minard becomes obsessed with vengeance, and his fortunes become intertwined with those of Kate Bowden, a widow who faces madness. This remarkable frontier fiction captures that brief season when the romantic myth of the far West became a fact.

Customer Reviews:

An all time favorite.......2007-03-27

I didn't read this book until after I had seen 'Jeremiah Johnson', and was pleased that the movie and book were so different. I enjoyed the movie very much, but with Fisher's story I felt as though I had put on my huntin' clothes, laced up my boots, grabbed my Hawken Rifle, and joined in on the adventure. Coming from a family of outdoorsmen, some of us certainly fantasized about leaving it all behind from time to time, and making our way in the remote wilderness. In fact my two brothers moved to the Pacific Northwest after college and still spend much of their free time wandering the Cascades. Anyone who loves the wild west will find this one to be a real gem, and simply by reading it, will be richly rewarded. It is a diamond in the rough, but not one to be missed, and has inspired much of my own writing. This one comes highly recommended.

James Hart Isley
Author of The Bear Hunter

A RENAISSANCE MAN IN THE AMERICAN WEST.......2004-02-14

MOUNTAIN MAN continues to be a classic in American Western literature. The major foundation for the movie, Jeremiah Johnson, MOUNTAIN MAN tells the story of Samuel John Minard, a mountain man known for his physical prowess and for his quick and educated intellect. A renaissance man who has chosen the life of the great American West.

In his adventures Sam meets up with Indians of various tribes, other mountain men and a crazy pilgrim woman. HIs marriage to an Indian maiden leads him into a one-man war with sweeping consequences for himself and for his enemies.

MOUNTAIN MAN, as is the case with most books upon which movies are based, considerably outshines JEREMIAH JOHNSON in its story and characterizations. But, hey, I love the movie as well. I guess that says a lot about what I think of the book.

THE HORSEMAN

THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL.......2003-08-25

Mountain Man

Interestingly Larry McMurtry has written three books of late that invite the reader back to the time of the Mountain Men. I've read all of them and while I love McMurtry's writing and the stories presented in Boone's Lick and in volumes 1 and 2 of the new Berry bender series, there is nothing like going back to the source for the real experience.

I first read Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher as a teenager. I read it in conjunction with the release of Jeremiah Johnson upon which the book is loosely based. At that time I was captured by this genre and have made a regular reading of Mountain Man a part of my program.

While I can enthusiastically recommend the newer editions to the Mountain Man genre, I would encourage interested parties in taking a look at Mountain Man first. While you're at it, rent or buy Jeremiah Johnson starring Robert Redford. The experience will be one that you don't regret.

interesting but has flaws.......2003-06-22

Quite interesting book, whose literary value I won't judge, but it has every rumor about Indians and every lie about Supermountainmen incorporated into it. I read it because of the movie, and the movie was better. If you ask me, Thorp's "Crow Killer" is more concise and more realistic. But if you are a West fan, guess you will want to read Fischer too.

Poetry and Beauty.......2003-05-22

This was the first book I had read by Vardis Fisher. He is a very colorful writer. His descriptions of every thing he sees and everything he thinks is wonderful. His knowledge of classical music is warming. I personally love classical music. Even though I enjoyed the book very much I did not like the continual repeat of his describing the scenry over and over.

Average customer rating:

Caleb's Story
Touching Story
Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark Sequel is Heartwarming
I'm not impressed
Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan

Caleb's Story (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
Patricia Maclachlan
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064405907
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Book Description

Anna has done something terrible. She has given me her journal to fill.

In Anna's journal the words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. But it is hard for me. It is hard for me to find things to write about.

"It's your job now," Anna says as she hands Caleb her journals, asking him to continue writing the family story. But Sarah, Jacob, Anna, Caleb, and their new little sister, Cassie, have already formed a family, and Caleb fears there will be nothing left to write about. But that is before Cassie discovers a mysterious old man in the barn and everything changes. Everyone is excited about the arrival of a new family member except for Jacob, who holds a bitter grudge. Only the special love of Caleb, and the gift he offers, can help to mend the pain of the past.

Caleb's Story continues the saga begun by the Newbery Medal–winning Sarah, Plain And Tall and its sequel, Skylark, spinning a tale of love, forgiveness, and the ties that bind a family together.

Ages 8–10

Customer Reviews:

Caleb's Story.......2006-02-20

This book in the 'Sarah, Plain and Tall" series has the same brilliant ability to draw readers in as the original, this time through Caleb's eyes.

Touching Story.......2004-03-13

Caleb's Story, the third of a series by Patricia MacLachlan, shows how a family can be brought closer together. Caleb, a teen coming of age, meets his grandpa who is sick. Taking place on the prairie this story show a struggle between generations. Read more to understand the struggles between the generations, and possibly solve some of your own.
Two good reasons you must read Caleb's Story are you could find more about grandpa, and find out more about Caleb and Cassie. You could see if their grandpa could make it or not. You could see if they started to get a long. Calob's Story is a MUST READ because you will learn about relationship. This book Calob's Story has a happy ending. You will love Calob's Story.
Patricia Maclachlan is a great writer. You will love her books. Patricia was a English teacher. She has a daughter who is helping her writer a book. She lives on the top of a mountain in Massachusetts. Calob's Story is the best book out of the series.

Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark Sequel is Heartwarming.......2002-04-09

Caleb's Story picks up where Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall leave off. For the countless readers who fell in love with Sarah as she learned to be a mother to Anna and Caleb, and a helpmeet for Jacob, this book is a wonderful addition. For the reader who lacks "Sarah background," Sarah comes from Maine to a prairie farm after responding to an ad placed by Jacob, who is looking for a woman to replace his recently deceased wife. While he is not necessarily looking for romance, Sarah and Jacob ultimately fall in love, and their next years as a family is chronicled in the sequel, Skylark.

In Caleb's Story, Anna leaves for town to help with victims of the influenza epidemic of 1918. A stranger is discovered in the barn, which turns out to be Jacob's estranged father, John. John wishes reconciliation with Jacob, who stubbornly continues to deny him the forgiveness he desires.

Journaling is a major theme in this book, making it a perfect companion to teaching the importance of recording events and feelings. Caleb picks up journaling for the family, a job which Anna had done until her departure. In trying to encourage Grandpa John to learn about the family he knew little of, Caleb offers the journals to him. Ultimately, in an extremely touching scene, Caleb presents Grandpa John his own journal, whereupon he learns that John never learned how to write.

What a touching story this is! A perfect read-aloud for the classroom (if the teacher can harden the heart enough not to cry!), students do not need to have a lot of background of the previous parts of the story. This reviewer found the characters believable; their reactions that John's arrival caused the family were extremely believable. MacLachlan's ability to convey emotions in an easy-to-understand way for intermediate readers makes this the perfect addition to any school or family library.

I'm not impressed.......2001-12-10

I'm not impressed with this book.

Sarah Plain and Tall is a near perfect novel in it's simplicity and depth but it is evident that MacLachlan spent neither the time nor the care to develop this story. I felt jipped with the cliches and predictable unfolding. This is definitely not her best writing.

Plus, the way the father Jacob is portrayed (an angry unforgiving man) takes away from his character in the first book .. shy, strong, deep and wise.

This book is a classic example of an author monopolizing on something good (Sarah Plain and Tall) knowing her fans will buy it. In the book "Caleb's Story" MacLachlan leaves herself plenty of loopholes so we know there will be more books.

I'm disappointed and kinda disgusted.

Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan.......2001-12-03

As a third grade teacher, I am always on the lookout for good literature for student reading or teacher read alouds. My class and I read together the first two books in this trilogy and I used Caleb's Story as a read aloud which I shared with my principal. We loved this poignant story from its opening pages to its final pages. The old characters come to life once again while the surprising introduction of some new characters give great insight into family life. Everyone could relate to one or more of the characters, they are realistic. Lessons on cause and effect, character traits and goals, predicting, and problem solving were ongoing. Class discussions were wonderful as this tale presents much to talk about. The fact that this book is told in a different voice from the first two, is an interesting change. Caleb, who didn't want to take his sister's place as the family historian, eventually continues the saga in his own journal. My class is writing to the author requesting that she continue the stories using Jacob and the new characters to tie some pieces together. Many of my students are reading it again. It is a beautiful chapter book and appropriate to read when studying the early prairie years of our country.

A Tendering in the Storm (Change and Cherish Historical Series #2)

Average customer rating:

Awesome historical fiction with "edge"...
So realistic...truth better than fiction!
Historical fans won't want to miss this series.
THE BEST
Tendering ~ Reviewed

A Tendering in the Storm (Change and Cherish Historical Series #2)
Jane Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578567351
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Book Description

Emma Giesy, a strong-willed German-American, believes her young family will thrive in the light of their newfound freedom, after she and her husband branch off from their close-knit and repressive religious community in the spring of 1856.

A Story of Tender Truths
About a Woman’s Desperate Efforts
to Shelter Her Family

Determined to raise her children on her own terms, Emma suddenly finds herself alone and pregnant with her third child, struggling to keep her family secure in the remote coastal forest of the Washington Territory. With loss and disappointment as her fuel, she kindles a fire that soon threatens to consume her, making a series of poor choices that take her into dangerous relationships.

As clouds of despair close in, she must decide whether to continue in her own waning strength or to humble herself and accept help from the very people she once so eagerly left behind.

Based on a True Story

Rich with historical details and vivid characters, A Tendering in the Storm poignantly gives voice to a mother’s fears for her family and a woman’s search for her truest self.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome historical fiction with "edge"..........2007-08-08

A Tendering in the Storm is a must-read for historical fiction lovers. If you want insight into the hardships from the 19th century pioneers who left everything to move west hoping for a better life, then you'll love this story. If you find oppressive religious groups intriguing, you'll want to check this story out. If you'd like to reflect on how few rights women had in the mid-1860s then this is the book for you! To quote a cliche, We've come a long way, baby!

After finding the author's bio and reading that she is a certified social worker, I now see where she got her insight for this book. No dysfunction is easy to understand. All people are complex. But there are certain truths that exist in human nature and the author insightfully captured them all. Her illumination of the human heart and certain domestic issues is superb. I can't say what those issues are or I'll blow part of the storyline, but I will say that the subtly of how people are lured from their good senses--because of sometimes desperate situations--is expertly shown in this novel.

I loved this story. It's real. It's deep. It's edgy...and it's not at all boring.

So realistic...truth better than fiction!.......2007-07-22

A fictionalized true story doesn't always hit the mark, but Jane Kirkpatrick has got the gift! In the first book, "The Clearing in the Wild", one felt the harsh northwestern weather, tempered by the breaks of warmth and beauty that made it all worthwhile. And, what is more appealing than a heroine with an indomitable spirit! "A Tendering in a Storm" was eagerly awaited, as the story of Emma lingered long after the first book was back on the shelf. The story doesn't disappoint - as it just points out the reality that not everyone lives up to expectations, and sometimes the most heartfelt conviction must be set aside to do the right thing for those we love. Emma is a remarkable, strong, resiliant woman, and in these books, we learn how difficult it was to possess and hold on to those attributes in pioneer days. Could any of us show that strength if confronted with Emma's obstacles? It makes us ask the question. I love this series - it reminds me a bit of another written by Janice Woods Windle, about the "True Women" of the Texas "Hill Country" - two other fictionalized accounts based on real women fighting against unbelievable odds. Read these two while you're waiting for Kirkpatrick to write the third in this series. I'll be watching for it!

Historical fans won't want to miss this series........2007-06-06

Jane Kirkpatrick's award-winning writing makes A TENDERING IN THE STORM, the second installment in the Change and Cherish historical series, a pleasure to savor.

As the story continues from book one, A CLEARING IN THE WILD, readers find the feisty Emma Wagner Giesy living in the mid-1800s in the Washington Territory with her husband, Christian Giesy, and little ones Andy and Kate. The young couple has made some breaks with the German American religious colony they came with out West, but not enough distancing for Emma's taste. Wilhelm Keil, the leader of the Missouri Bethelites colony, has settled the majority of the group in a different location in Oregon, which he's dubbed "Aurora Mills" after his daughter. The story is told through the eyes of both Emma and Louisa in first-person, alternating chapters.

Kirkpatrick deftly shows the conflict for Christians of that time period between a desire for security and absolute certainty in how to live a Christian life and the need for independence, and embracing the messiness and mystery of faith. Wilhelm, the powerful leader of the colony and last word on all religious matters, is a more sympathetic figure here than he was in book one, but still shows the positive and negative effects of what happens when power and religious authority are invested in one person. Emma is his antithesis --- rebellious, independent and longing to do things her own way. In her character, we see the problems of Christians who disassociate themselves from community and try to do everything themselves. In Louisa's, we see the pitfalls of insecurity and giving up our independence.

Both ways of living are flawed yet also somewhat attractive. Through them, Kirkpatrick shows how giving up thinking for ourselves and letting someone else do it for us can lull us into a false sense of security, and alternatively, how refusing to let our Christian community keep us accountable for decisions we make and offer perspective and help can lead to other sorts of disasters. The secret, it seems, is somewhere between what Emma desires and what the community desires, which is the tension that holds much of the series together.

Characterizing the novel is an excellent sense of the place and time period in which these two women lived. Kirkpatrick weaves in mentions of local plants Emma might have foraged for, such as wild celery, wild raspberry roots and wapato (Indian potatoes) and includes interesting sketches of different plant uses. Historical details abound, culled from Kirkpatrick's research into the true-life story of Emma on which the story is based. Family letters, photographs, artifacts and help from her modern-day descendants give Kirkpatrick's work a ring of authenticity but, at the same time, doesn't get in the way of good fiction or interrupt the flow of the narrative. A difficult balance --- and one that Kirkpatrick admirably achieves.

Plenty of disasters are on the way for Emma, and readers will wince at some of the choices she makes. Many will applaud, however, Emma's strong belief that being a woman does not make her less than a man (as the patriarchy of her colony implies) and that it is important to question the theology that the colony has been relentlessly spoon-fed by Wilhelm. Readers will enjoy seeing Emma's gifts unfold and watching her grow as a woman of faith and as a mother who cares deeply for her children. Historical fans won't want to miss this series.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

THE BEST.......2007-06-05

This is an excellent read! I've read all of Jane's books & this is right up there with my favorites! Emma, the main character, everyone can identify with. I finished reading the book yesterday & can't quit thinking about Emma & the life she led & how knowing that could make my choices better. The story takes a twist you don't expect & keeps your interest. Definitely read this one! Can't wait for the next one in 2008! Thanks for writing Jane!!!!

Tendering ~ Reviewed .......2007-06-02

Jane Kirkpatrick's A Tendering in the Storm is based on a true story, and in it, Kirkpatrick has woven the threads of Emma's life into a touching novel which leads us along life's journey with a woman whose actions are often clouded by her own interpretations.

But Emma is not the only one who misjudges others. As the community struggles to build a fledgling town in a rugged land, Emma fights to build her own life out of an unforgiving wilderness. Choices, both good and bad, are made, and Emma and the community must work to live with, or change, the consequences.

While the historical and cultural details make are delightful, the reader will most often be struck by the fact that Emma's choices are not that different from those we each must face in our lives today.

Reviewer: Marjorie Smith

Centennial Stitches--Oklahoma History in Quilts

Average customer rating:

heavenly patchwork
Centennial Stitches and Oklahoma's centennial

Centennial Stitches--Oklahoma History in Quilts
Judy Howard
Manufacturer: Dorcas Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0976237512

Product Description

Like a magic carpet whisking us back in time, quilts stitch our past to the present. They record community and family history by memorializing lost loved ones, welcoming new members to our tribe, smiling upon new marriages or celebrating an anniversary or graduation. Like Judy Howard's previous two Heavenly Patchwork books which won First Places in regional competition, Centennial Stitches inspires and entertains as it transports you into the lives and hearts of pioneer and contemporary women. Rejoice or cry with those who homesteaded Oklahoma's hostile and barren landscape, struggled to survive and nurture their families through the Great Depression and Dust Bowl Days or currently cope with our fast-paced society. These stories will renew your hope and inspire your faith in God. They show how everyday heroines stitch true tales of courage against insurmountable obstacles into heart-warming patchwork. Centennial Stitches tells the larger story of God's faithfulness to sustain, comfort and strengthen women through hardships. Included in this full color, coffee-table gift book are the eighty Oklahoma Centennial Quilt Contest winners, and a sampling of fifty 1800's treasured legacy quilts homesteaders brought with them in covered wagons to bring beauty and comfort to their first sod dug-outs and log cabins. Celebrate Oklahoma's unique history as seen through the eyes of our pioneer women in this full color limited collectors edition of 128 pages. All book profits go to non-profits who provide quilts for orphans, sick babies and victims of disasters--all those most in need of the touch of God's love and comfort quilts represent. Quantity discounts available for fund-raising. See www.HeavenlyPatchwork.com, 405-751-3885

Customer Reviews:

heavenly patchwork.......2007-05-23

I was very happy with my purchase, it arrived in Australia in good condition and was true to the description. I enjoyed the stories they were uplifting and encouraging. I am looking forward to reading the next 2 books.

regards Louise

Centennial Stitches and Oklahoma's centennial.......2007-05-23

This book has a collection of color photos of quilts connected with Oklahoma and its history. Some of the quilts presented in this book are as old or older as Oklahoma and some have connections with Oklahoma historical personages. Some of the quilts provide history lessons of the state or of families from Oklahoma. Some of the quilts have stories about the quilts and the makers with the quilt. Some have photos of the creators of them.

There are three parts to this book: Part one is entitled, Oklahoma history stitched in quilts. Part two is of the McCloy's Masterpiece collection which is very colorful. Part three is the Oklahoma centennial quilt contest winners. Winners are of various ages.

There are scripture quotes at the end of each entry description.

There is a table of contents at the front of the book.

The book is very colorful and a great keepsake for the Oklahoma centennial. Oklahomans interested in quilts, Oklahoma history will want to get this book. Quilt lovers too will want this book.

I purchased this book in memory of my deceased Grandmother who was a quilter. She would have loved the book.

All Together in One Place (Kinship and Courage Series #1)

Average customer rating:

Interesting, but not riveting
You are part of the story....
A compellling read.
thumbs down
Great Read

All Together in One Place (Kinship and Courage Series #1)
Jane Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578562325
Release Date: 2000-03-16

Book Description

One of the incidents that made a profound impression upon the minds of all: the meeting of eleven wagons returning and not a man left in the entire train; all had died, and been buried on the way, and the women returning alone.
--from the journals of Ezra Meeker, 1852
THEIR LIVES WOULD BE TEMPERED BY ADVERSITY, EXPANDED BY FAITH, POLISHED BY PERSEVERANCE--

For Madison "Mazy" Bacon, a young wife living in southern Wisconsin, the future appears every bit as promising as it is reassuringly predictable. A loving marriage, a well-organized home, the pleasure of planting an early spring garden--these are the carefully-tended dreams that sustain her heart and nourish her soul.

But when her husband of two years sells the homestead and informs her that they are heading west, Mazy's life is ripped down the middle like a poorly mended sheet forgotten in a midwestern storm. Her love is tried, her boundaries stretched, and the fabric of her faith tested. At the same time, she and eleven extraordinary women are pulled toward an uncertain destiny--one that binds them together through reluctance and longing and into acceptance and renewal.

Based on an actual 1852 Oregon Trail incident, All Together in One Place, Book One in the Kinship and Courage series, speaks to the strength in every woman and celebrates the promise of hope that unfailingly blooms amidst tragedy and challenge.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting, but not riveting.......2007-08-09

I enjoyed this book. It was a slow read, because it contained a LOT of detail. Though it may not have been accurate in all repects, it gave me a feel for what if might have been like to strike out to the unknown and settle our land. Imagine....clean water is not always available....no shelter from the elements...either extreme heat OR wicked storms...no running to the store when the wagon breaks down....abandon some of your most prized possesions by the side of the road in order to survive. And of course, in the book as well as in our history of westward expansion, many did NOT survive! It gave me a new appreciation for my ancestors and the courage it must have taken to move from the known to the unfamiliar. Though I didn't find the book riveting, it was worth reading, and I look forward to continuing the saga.

You are part of the story...........2007-02-23

Jane Kirkland brings you into the lives of these women. Once you start this book, it will be impossible to think of anything but how these women survived. She brings rich detail to the Oregon Trail....and shows it was not all smooth sailing. Their trials in this book will have you eager to read the next two books in the Kinship, Courage & Faith series, and then wish they never ended.

A compellling read........2006-08-10

I couldn't put this book down. The characters were well rounded and so true to life. The wisdom expressed by the characters was revealing of the author's own life experiences. The descriptive prose pictures were so vivid that I could taste the dust, smell the cattle and see the trail ahead. The descriptions of life as it was on the trail in the 1850's had a ring of truth that made me glad to be living in the modern world. I will read more by this author and am eagerly looking forward to the next book.

thumbs down.......2006-06-20

I started this book with gusto. The writing was well done, the character's well developed, the speed moving along nicely. The first couple of chapters had quite a bit of action and was a page turner...and then middle of the book-bam...nothing. The story gets slooooow. Suddenly the author is going on and on about things in the characters lives that are uninteresting and of little point. The action dies completely. I struggled on, thinking it would pick back up, but gave up on the last 70 or so pages. I didn't even have enough interest to find out what happened to the characters and just felt cheated at having spent the time I did reading it. Would not recommend.

Great Read.......2005-10-21

All Together in One Place is a wonderful story. The characters are well developed and the plot has many twists and turns to keep you wanting to find out what's going to happen next. Wonderful story. Could hardly put it down. Highly recommend.

The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West

Average customer rating:

At best, it is a poorly written high school term paper.
Disappointing.
Great
Deadwood Lite
Please, do not wast your time.

The Real Deadwood: True Life Histories of Will Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Outlaw Towns, and Other Characters of the Lawless West
John Edwards Ames , and John Ames
Manufacturer: Chamberlain Bros.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596090316
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Book Description

Supported by strong ratings and a rich history, The Real Deadwood provides background and historical accuracy for the figures depicted on the hit HBO series, and takes a broader look at the times that spawned them. Covering law and order, politics, journalism, and early medicine, and examining some "historical guest stars" who may play a factor in future Deadwood episodes (Teddy Roosevelt was an acquaintance of series protagonist Seth Bullock and made several visits to the lawless town; Bullock turned away Wyatt Earp when he offered his services as a lawman)-The Real Deadwood will allow readers to traverse the unpaved streets of an outlaw town without ever getting their boots dirty.

Customer Reviews:

At best, it is a poorly written high school term paper........2007-05-31

One person reviewing this book wrote that if you're a fan of the Deadwood television series, you should avoid this book. Let me go a little bit further. If you've got any sense at all, avoid this book. It's easily the fluffiest 128 page book you're likely to read this year (or next). The content in the book could fit in a high school student's term paper, and I suspect that is actually how the book may have originated.

It's filled with lots of information that seemed lifted from various web sites I've seen, although I suppose that it is possible that various web sites may have lifted their content from this book, although why anyone would do this, I can't begin to contemplate.

To be perfectly clear, avoid this book. It is a clear attempt to cash in on the popular Deadwood TV series. (The series started in March 2004. This book came out in August 2004.) Go to your local Borders or Barnes and Nobel to glance at a copy before you decide to buy it.

If you are a fan of the TV series, "Deadwood: Stories of the Black Hills" is a far better choice.

If you are into getting down as close as you can to the real history of the town and it's periods of boom and bust, then I highly recommend you consider, "Deadwood: The Golden Years." (Published in 1981, 23 years before the TV show.)

Disappointing........2006-11-10

The book references the tv show "Deadwood" much too often. I didn't know if I was reading about the "real" Deadwood or the tv version. I was very disappointed.

Great.......2006-11-10

The book give more insight to the tv show Dead wood....I wish they would not have canceled it....Any way I enjoyed the book quite a bit..and found the grave of one of them...here in St Louis....

Deadwood Lite.......2006-03-01

If you're looking for a fast, easy read about Deadwood with little detail, insight, or depth, this is the book for you. The book offers nothing new or interesting for those of us already familiar with Deadwood's history.

I also consider the strong tie in to the HBO series (which is, by the way, my favorite show) generally ill advised. The positive aspect of doing so is the author makes it clear early in the book that the series is not completely factual, the writers, producers, etc. do not intend for the show to be completely factual, and the book addresses some of these characters, events, situations presented in the series, and "corrects" the facts. Unfortunately, in a few cases, the author discusses fictional characters/situations from the series, it's important to understand the context and details of the reference, the context and details are not included in the book, so only readers who've watched the series would understand the references. I'm sure there are a lot of people interested in Deadwood and it's history who haven't watched or have no interest in the series. Overall, I found the constant references to the series annoying. I love the series, I wanted to learn more about the real Deadwood, I didn't want to read about the series, I didn't get what I wanted or thought I'd get from this book.

Please, do not wast your time........2006-01-27

This was a very quick read, and not a very detailed book. I would wish the book to go into more detail, and not have so many references to "Deadwood" the HBO show. If I wanted to know all that, I would watch the show.
I would not recomend buying this book. It does not go into detail at all, is very basic, and leaves you hanging.
Once you find a part that actually interest you, it comes to an abrupt end and seems like some of the pages detailing the story fell out.

Average customer rating:

Sure to Appeal to Adventure Seeking Girls! Don't miss it!
Practically Perfect
A Kid's Review
Awesome!!!!
Heading into the sunset

The Misadventures of Maude March
Audrey Couloumbis
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375832475
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Book Description

Eleven-year-old Sallie March is a whip-smart tomboy and voracious reader of Western adventure novels. When she and her sister Maude escape their self-serving guardians for the wilds of the frontier, they begin an adventure the likes of which Sallie has only read about. This time however, the "wanted woman" isn't a dime-novel villian, it's Sallie's very own sister! What follows is not the lies the papers printed, but the honest-to-goodness truth of how two sisters went from being orphans to being outlaws—and lived to tell the tale!

Customer Reviews:

Sure to Appeal to Adventure Seeking Girls! Don't miss it!.......2007-08-10

Much like the "dimer novels" Sallie enjoys reading in this novel, "The Misadventures of Maude March" gets off to a rollicking start and continues at this fast and furious pace. Bank robberies, mountain lions, ornery mules, shooting, snake attacks, outlaw gangs--it is full of everything a reader could want. When Sallie and Maude are orphaned by the stray bullet from a dimer hero Joe Harden, they are sent to live with the preacher who sees them as potential maids. Anxious to marry off Maude, the sisters decide to escape in search of long lost Uncle Arlen. Stealing two horses and disguised as boys, they fall into one wild escapade after another. Interspersed are highly exaggerated newspaper articles about Maude's escapades. With its fast action, humor, fully developed and strong heroines, it is a perfect novel to suggest to those readers looking for more than a girl wants boy, chases boy, falls in love type novel.
A great read aloud as well, and one that has enough excitement to appeal to male listeners. A thoroughly enjoyable book, worth 5+ stars!

Practically Perfect.......2007-02-13

i couldn't put this book down! It was utterly depresing when the book ended!

A Kid's Review.......2006-07-03

This is such a fun book to read! Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The story follows two girls, Sallie and Maude March, after their guardian, Aunt Ruthie, is accidentally shot and killed. With no other living kin, the girls set off to look for their long-lost Uncle Arlen, who supposedly lives in Independence, Missouri. They have to brave mountain lions, snowstorms, violent gangs of sharpshooting teenagers, nosey women and much more, all while Maude is being chased for stealing horses! This is a great action-packed adventure that both girls and boys will love!

Awesome!!!! .......2006-06-07

This book is a fast paced thriller set up in the old west. When I opened the book and saw the lining that looked like an old newspaper I knew it was gonna be good. Maude is the down to earth sister while all Sally wants is an adventure. This "dimer" is one book I would recommend to anyone! I'd give it 6 stars and I plan on reading it a second time!

Heading into the sunset.......2005-10-31

If Louis L'Amour were still alive and if he wrote books for girls, this is perhaps what he'd come up with. It's full of authentic detail, rip-roaring action, personable young heroines, with an enduring respect for books, words, learning and reading. While not quite a Western (it's all East of Independence, MO) it has the elements western-lovers will savor: fast horses, harsh weather, snakes that won't die, sharp-shootin' gals, spunky dialogue, and a "git r done" attitude and an ethically satisfying ending. A great readaloud for middle school, and boys will love it as much as girls. It's like Lemony Snicket on horseback!

James Fenimore Cooper : The Leatherstocking Tales I: The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie (Library of America)

Average customer rating:

The Pioneers
volume 2 is 5 stars!
THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Rediscovered treasure

James Fenimore Cooper : The Leatherstocking Tales I: The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie (Library of America)
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0940450208

Customer Reviews:

The Pioneers.......2003-03-20

In The Pioneers (1823) James Fenimore Cooper, who created the forerunner of backwoods heroes, depicts the clash between individualistic and communal impulses of people in the early development of a frontier settlement in upstate New York. The founder of the settlement, Judge Temple, is the personification of a bourgeois planned and stable society. He believes that laws imposed on individuals separate people from savages and are prerequisites for a civilized society. By trying to educate his settlers in practical approaches to farming and building and conservation of natural resources for practical use, he wishes to establish social and economic relations which are essential for a firmly structured society. Richard Jones, business assistant to Judge Temple and, later, the Sheriff of the county, is an egotistical jack-of-all-trades and represents a spirit of restless competition by which one pursues riches in order to climb the ladder of success. In contrast, the old hunter, Natty Bumppo, the solitary individual who lives in harmony with nature, is a frontier individualist who has a vision of a frontier society coexisting with nature. He craves traditional attitudes while fearing and despising civilization and its wasteful ways. His individualism is considered as a threat to Templeton and his natural laws eventually bring him into conflict with the "civilized" Judge and the people who are destroying the wilderness, a conflict that ultimately makes him escape the encroaching civilization and the lawless settlers.

volume 2 is 5 stars!.......2002-11-06

I give this 3 stars, because LotM is included here, but the other 2 novels are slow, tedious and well, I've never finished them. Volume 2 of these nice volumes includes The Deerslayer and the Pathfinder, two exciting novels that I recommend, perhaps even before LotM. My favorite is the Pathfinder. Natty Bumpo is awesome in that adventure!

THE WORLD OF ADVENTURE.......2002-09-17

I strongly believe that James Fenimore Cooper belongs to the American and the world history. I learned the history reading his books. I have all of them and I still open them once in a while even now, forty years later.

Rediscovered treasure.......1999-07-05

Cooper's works are wonderful blends of action and character development, evoking every emotion from the reader. "Last of the Mohicans" may be his best known novel in the Leatherstocking series (story line order: Deerslayer, Last of Mohicans, Pathfinder, Pioneer, and Prairie), but all five are really great frontier adventures for the outdoor woods lovers.

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World: The Story of the Gauchos of Patagonia

Average customer rating:

Lose yourself in order to find yourself
A Fascinating Person and a Fascinating Story
Gauchos are not chilean
A Great Read!!!
A book you won't forget

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World: The Story of the Gauchos of Patagonia
Nick Reding
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0609605968
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Amazon.com

Some people will go to the ends of the earth for a good story; Nick Reding went to the end of the road, which turned out to be one and the same. When the Pan American Highway was extended into Chilean Patagonia, it exposed a people long believed to be extinct--the gauchos. While the gauchos had struggled for centuries with the hantavirus, extreme isolation, and visits by the devil, what the road brought was truly overwhelming. Reding befriends the likes of Duck, an alcoholic slowly breaking from the pressure of the outside; John of the Cows, a cattle thief on the lam; and Don Luis, an aging gaucho with terrific stories to tell. From its dramatic opening to its turbulent end, this elegant, brutal, and funny dispatch from one of the world's most forlorn places attempts to answer the inconceivable: What happens when you suddenly find yourself two centuries in the future? --Lesley Reed

Book Description

Gaucho conjures up an image as iconic as the word cowboy. But according to historians and anthropologists, their semi-nomadic culture disappeared at the end of the nineteenth century, and no one has seen the gauchos since. Until now.

Twenty-five years ago, the government of Chile began building a road into Chilean Patagonia, one of the least-populated regions in the world. In 1995, when Nick Reding traveled down that still-unfinished road into an unmapped river valley, he found himself in a closed chapter of history: a last, undetected, and unexplored outpost of gauchos so isolated that many of them, some of whom are boys as young as thirteen, still live completely alone with their herds, hours on horseback from the nearest neighbors. In 1998, Nick returned to the valley to witness what happens when time catches up to a people whom history has forgotten.

Reding’s account of the ten months he spent in Middle Cisnes, Patagonia, is a riveting, novelistic exploration of the longing for change by a people and a culture that, according to history books and the Chilean government, do not even exist. There’s Duck, the alcoholic with whom Reding lives and who takes Reding on long cattle drives, teaching him to ride and work as gauchos have for centuries; Duck’s wife, Edith, who is convinced she is reliving the life of her estranged mother, who was, according to legend, wed to the Devil; John of the Cows, a famed cattle thief wanted for murder who takes Reding to the secret place in the mountains where he hides his stolen stock; and Don Tito and Alfredo, two brothers who are unsure of their age and communicate with each other through smoke signals.

In Middle Cisnes, Reding watches a singular—and ultimately murderous—conflict take hold between those who want to trade life in the nineteenth century for life in the twenty-first and those who want to keep living as gauchos have for hundreds of years. What all of them understand is the near impossibility of a journey through a world where everything from the fierce landscape to a ravaging disease conspires against them, a journey whose terminus—the Outside, the only town in central Patagonia’s 42,000 square miles—is a place where the gauchos are not only ill-equipped to live, but clearly unwelcome.

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World is a story of regeneration through violence and tragedy. When the people of Middle Cisnes finally try to take their place in the modern world, the results are as horrifying and surprising as they are heroic. In the collision of the gaucho past, our present, and an unknown future, Nick Reding captures a moment in time that we have never before seen and will never see again.

Customer Reviews:

Lose yourself in order to find yourself.......2006-04-26

This is an exceptional study of the Patagonian gauchos and their life style and habitat before it is extinguished forever by western values, money and culture. As a tourist in Patagonia it should be required reading, especially if you are attempting a riding trip there as we were, across the Andes. For a moment you can understand what you are seeing and experiencing, for a second you are part of the scenary, not just watching it voyeuristically unfold before you. I don't think I understood travel until I read this book.I will never travel again with my eyes open and my mind closed.

A Fascinating Person and a Fascinating Story.......2003-05-24

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Reding earlier this year, and as I chatted with him over some drinks, I was really struck by the thought, "This guy has led a really amazing life!" As a result, I went out and grabbed this book and as I read it, I became even more amazed.

Nick tells the story of his experiences in the Chilean Patagonia in a way that draw you in to every moment. The vividness of his writing and the beauty of some of his comparisons made this quite an enjoyable read. His attention to detail leaves the reader with a feeling that they are right there staring over Nick's shoulder as he goes about life in a very different part of the world.

Nick has that knack that some of the best writers have of being able to see the common thread that exists between very different experiences and places. This book is also extremely well researched with a lot of attention to historical detail, but this detail is not integrated in a dry textbook like manner. Instead when Nick feels it is neccessary to illuminate the reader about a particular piece of history to provide context for an event, he explains that history without distracting from the main storyline.

Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing and I look forward to future books by Nick (he assures me at least one more is on the way).

Gauchos are not chilean.......2003-01-13

This is just to correct a gross mistake from one of the other reviewers. Gauchos are the archetypical argentine country men, not chilean. and Patagonia is argentinean in more than 90% of its extension.
Gaucho literature is almost exclusively argentinian. An obligatory introduction to the world of gauchos is José Hernández' Martin Fierro. See this book first to get a glance at the gaucho's rough life before embarking in a second-hand misleading historiography.

A Great Read!!!.......2002-06-16

If you have been to Cisnes,Patagonia (or want to go there) this is a must book to read. I spent 10 days in this area in February, 2002 and saw some of the people that Nick writes about. In reading the book Nick made me feel that I was back there as I could visualize where the events were taking place. The changes to Coyhaique have continued since 1999 as I found it to be a very modern town. After reading this book I would like to make a return trip.

A book you won't forget.......2002-06-16

If you cherish the ways in which John McPhee and Barry Lopez make meaning out of landscape, if you appreciate a writer with an observant heart and a feel for language, and if you wonder how people manage to live--for well and for ill--in a world turned inside out, this is the book for you. By turns harrowing, hilarious, and touching, "The Last Cowboys" will command your attention and remain in your thoughts long after you have read the last page.

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