Laura Ingalls Wilder's books have been a part of my life since I was a child, so it probably comes as no surprise that I would be interested in some of the supplemental books that have been subsequently released. This one did not live up to expectations. I had thought that perhaps the letters would provide interesting perspective into the lives of the characters involved, but the things that Laura chose to write about and the things that I was expecting to read about did not often intersect. The writing style is familiar, and it's clear that her style in the letters written is more similar to that in her books than in her journals (From On the Way Home). The letters give a well-described picture of some aspects of the Exibition in San Francisco, but a lot of portions of the time she spent in the city is left unwritten which leaves gaping holes in not only the continuity but in the overall picture. The collection of letters is nice, but it leaves me feeling like something is missing, so I can't in good faith say that it's something that I will definitely re-read. ( )

I’m sad to have come to the end of Laura’s writing but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this last selection. West From Home is a collection of letters, discovered and published after the deaths of both Laura and her daughter, Rose, which Laura wrote to Almanzo while visiting Rose in San Francisco. It was an exciting time. The completion of the Panama Canal was being celebrated by ‘The Panama-Pacific International Exposition’, there was war in Europe, electricity and motor cars were in evidence and Laura was just beginning, under Rose’s tutelage, to write and earn money by doing so. It was lovely to meet this happier, adult Laura after the travail of The First Four Years and On the Way Home.

I’m not torn between reading Rose’s story as written by her Executor, Roger Lea MacBride (who edited West From Home), investigating a series of books captioned ‘The Caroline Years’ which I assume contain something of Laura’s mother’s story, or moving into other biography of the Ingalls family and history of their times. ( )

First Line: Dearest Mama Bess-- I simply can't stand being so homesick for you any more.

When I was six, my mother handed me Little House in the Big Woods, and I never looked back. I still love Laura Ingalls Wilder's tales of her childhood and still get the giggles when I think of the mouse giving Pa a bald spot. When I ran across this book at Paperback Swap, I thought it was time for a Half Pint Fix.

Laura's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, became a journalist and moved to California. Rose became very homesick for her mother and finally saved up the money for Laura to board a train and come for a visit. Laura's visit coincided with San Francisco's World's Fair celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal. This book contains the letters Laura wrote home to her husband, Almanzo during her stay.

I loved this book for its glimpse into a San Francisco that had just rebuilt itself after the 1906 earthquake, and for its insights into Laura the adventurer, Laura the woman who was thinking about starting to write, Laura the mother, and Laura the wife who never stopped worrying about her husband alone on their farm in Missouri. This is a book for all those, like me, who have fond memories of Little Houses. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It was an amazing insight into the early 20th century. I read it easily in one evening. ( )

Not a big fan, but this is kind of a sweet little journey story. And, since I love Laura and San Francisco, I enjoyed it enough. ( )