Marta McDowell

I'm predisposed to love anything Little House-related and this book is no exception. It takes a look at the series through a natural lens, focusing on the flora and fauna that Laura described in the books, and taking a closer look at their history and how accurate Laura's memories were. (Side note, she was pretty accurate.) It also talks about the gardens and prairie grasses and trees and birds mentioned in the books, and some that weren't mentioned but were a part of Laura and Almanzo's show more later life at Rocky Ridge Farm. It also includes tons of illustrations, maps and photographs, which I loved poring over as I read. This one's a keeper. show less

I checked this out from my local library. I saw it sitting on the NEW shelf, and how could I resist? I love using poison in my own books, and am proud of growing a few poisons of my own, so this was a perfect fit!

The book is a breezy read, aided by frequent illustrations from the mentioned works. Really, the handsome hardcover would make for a fine coffee table book that could make guests arch an eyebrow, and, I could only hope, quickly flee the premises. The interior is broken into sections show more such as Gardening Detectives, Setting, Means, etc. There is, of course, overlap between those categories. McDowell is obviously well-read in the mystery genre. She cites not only the classics, such as Christie and Doyle, but contemporary cozies. It made me interested in reading about a dozen books; seemingly in anticipation of that urge, the back of the book lists all of the referenced works, practically making it a BUY list. I could see this volume as a handy reference tome for authors in need of creative ways of offing characters. show less

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.

This book is a fascinating work of scholarship that focuses on a unique angle of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life: that of the flora and fauna described in her books and other personal writing. She had a wonderful knack for describing settings, making them come to life through her words, and this book takes that further by adding historical context and fantastically detailed descriptions and photographs.

McDowell goes through show more each Little House book and expands on Laura's descriptions, and fills in some blanks as well, such as going to places like Burr Oak, Iowa, which was not included in the fictionalized accounts. The book-by-book breakdown is thoroughly enjoyable, but the back of the book contains another treasure trove of information: a sort of tour guide of what you will find when you visit each of Laura's home sites today, and a detailed table of all plants mentioned across Laura's writing with full citations. Seriously, that alone is a jaw-dropping piece of work. The book will even tell you where to order vintage seeds so you can grow many of the plants yourself.

If you love the Little House books and want a different insight into that period of history in the upper Midwest, this book should be on your shelf. I also highly recommend this to any writers working in that area and period. I certainly will be keeping this on my shelf for future reference. show less

What an enlightening book! Marta McDowell explains everything you would like to know about poisonous plants and their roles in mystery novels. She delves into several topics, all neatly arranged in chapters with humorous names. Included is information on the authors, the plants that figured into the storylines, the main protagonists’ sleuthing abilities, and more. It was quite interesting to read about the fictional gardener in one chapter, and then discover that the authors also had show more gardens of their own in another. Bits of biographical information of authors adds to the enjoyment of the book. Also included is a book list of novels that feature plants in the stories. This book is very well researched, includes sources and citations, and an index, helpful in referencing. The illustrations sprinkled throughout the book adds much to its charm. This is a book serious mystery readers will want on their own bookshelf, especially if they don’t want to poison their dinner guests . . . or if they do! show less