On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894

Laura's diary is, as you might expect for someone who spent much of her childhood nearly starving, obsessed with the price for an acre of land and the yield of that land. She travels across america in a ruthlessly practical list of numbers, all jotted down in short stark journal entries.

Rose's wraparound stories at the start and end of the book are much more like the main books, which is insightful in itself as to how they were written. The terror of having made it all the way to Missouri and to have lost their entire life savings is very well described, as is their stoic reaction to it.

I was very much a fan of the Little House on the Prairie series, so I was interested to read a book that was simply a diary from Laura, rather than a children’s story that was based on Laura’s experiences as a little girl. Laura’s daughter Rose provides context and notes to explain what’s going on, and this book also includes pictures so that the reader can get an idea for what Laura and her family saw and experienced on this trip.

On the Way Home is a super short read — I read it in one sitting, and it provides a nice snapshot for how Laura and her family really lived — much more realistic than the children’s books, at least. It’s much more honest and shows a different side of the Ingalls/Wilder family than is portrayed show more in the books — their situation seems a lot more difficult and harsher than I ever realized as a child reading the children’s books. I really enjoyed Rose’s commentary throughout, and I loved being able to read what Laura observed during her trip. Her entries are short, so by seeing what she includes, you can get a sense of what she cares about and what she worries about. It’s so interesting to see what the midwest was like during those times, and I kept bugging my husband while I was reading to share fun facts as I read through the book.

I would definitely recommend this for Little House on the Prairie fans. It’s written in diary form, so it’s different than the books, but the pictures are fantastic and it’s worth a read. I don’t think smaller children would be very interested in it, but older children might like it.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

As an avid reader of the Little House books from a fairly young age, I looked forward to reading this one to add to my established knowledge of prairie/frontier life as established by the nine books of the Little Hous series. This one is a definite departure from the polished, fictionalized retellings of the family's life through the first years of Laura's marriage to Almanzo. It gives a much more frank picture of the scenes that the family came across while traveling, and is not as quaint and charm-filled as the semi-fictional stories of her childhood were. Laura reports not on fashions or even as much on landscapes, but on prices for land, for crops and for livestock. She describes some of the people she meets and tells how the family show more is faring on their trip south toward Mansfield. The book is interesting but it is definitely different than the other stories. I view it as a valuable addition to the series, more appropriate, perhaps, for adult fans than for children who would likely wish to stay in the somewhat fanciful world in which Laura resided in her books. show less

In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful -- it was even called "the Land of the Big Red Apple." With hopes of beginning a new life, the Wilders made their way to the Ozarks of Missouri.

During their journey, Laura kept a detailed diary of events: the cities they passed through, the travelers they encountered on the way, the changing countryside and the trials of an often difficult voyage. Laura's words, preserved in this book, reveal her inner thoughts as she traveled with her family in search of a new home show more in Mansfield, where Rose would spend her childhood, where Laura would write her Little House books, and where she and Almanzo would remain all the rest of their happy days together. show less

Wilder's short diary was exceeded in length by her daughter's setting for the book, but it was interesting reading some of Wilder's early writings from well before she was known for her Little House books or even as a local article author. The style is spare, but you do see glimmer's of Wilder's style.

Note that this is 4 stars for those interested in Wilder as an author. Those who just want more Little House will be better served by reading Little House on Rocky Ridge which contains a fictionalized version of this same material and is more of a story.

On the Way Home exposes a new insight that readers do not get in the other little house books because it is written in the form of diary entries. This biography takes readers on a journey from the Wilder’s home on the prairie in South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri. Many children will hear the names of these states and automatically start yawning, but Wilder has a way of recording her journey with her husband and young daughter that excites the reader and makes their long road trip seem kind of fun. The biography begins with a description of the family’s home in South Dakota and ends with the years the family spent in Missouri written by Laura and Almanzo’s daughter Rose Wilder Lane. During those parts of the book, Rose tells show more stories about her mother that readers do not often get to see. We learn that Laura wrote most of the Little House books in her home in Missouri. There are also a lot of rare photographs featured throughout the book, in both the parts written by Rose and in Laura’s diary entries. These photos can help put a true face to the author that so many only know as a little girl. show less

Laura, Almanzo and Rose go to Missouri. Kids won't like this book--it feels anti-climactic and too serious after the Little House series, but it's one of those important books to me as an adult reader of Laura's stuff. You can see the beginnings of the writer in her--know that she will someday chronicle her life.