The Long Winter is by far Laura Ingalls Wilder's most exciting and suspensful book in her nine book series. It puts readers on the edge of their seat wondering if the entire town of De Smet, including the Ingalls family, is going to starve to death during the record seven months of blizzards lasting from October to April.
Synopsis of The Long Winter
The Long Winter starts during harvest. The weather is hot and the whole town is busy working to bring in the harvest. However, what they do not know is that seven months of blizzards are about to hit them. They also do not know how woefully unprepared they are. The only means of knowing how hard the winter is going to be is by an old Indian man who walks into town and tries to warn everyone. No one but Pa pays attention. He moves the family into his building in town to keep the girls closer to school and the family closer to civilization.
Once the blizzards start hitting the town one after another, the Ingalls family and the entire town find themselves running out of food. The trains cannot make deliveries because the snow has blocked the tracks. Will they all starve? Will a hero rise out of woodwork and save them all? Almanzo Wilder risks his life to save the town, and catches Laura's attention.
Review of The Long Winter
On a personal level, this book is a favorite with this reviewer simply because of its uncertainty. Just when readers think all hope is lost, Laura Ingalls Wilder gives us another bit of hope to grasp on to for dear life. Readers will love the suspense and the heartbreak surrounding the near starvation the Ingalls family goes through. It also calls attention to nature, especially when Pa notices the muskrat homes built extra thick. It shows that humans do not know as much about nature as they think and that they are totally susceptible to its will.
Another great aspect of this book is that readers get a glimpse of Almanzo Wilder, Laura's future husband, and the bravery he shows by going out into the elements to bring back wheat for the town. It sets up their future relationship quite well because she thinks of him as a hero at first, and not as a love interest.
Overall, The Long Winter is one of the best books in the series and sure to delight any reader, young or old.
Other Books in the Little House on the Prairie Series
- 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
- The First Four Years
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Long Winter. HarperTrophy, 1940. 334 pages. ISBN: 9780064400060
Jessica Workman - Jessica is 25 year old graduate student in the Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies program at the University of Central Florida. Her ...
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