West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915

It's a real life epistolary story, and not a fictional one.This book is a great historical document that fascinated me from start to finish. In 1915, Laura's daughter Rose was a well-known journalist in San Francisco, and invited her parents to visit. The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was being hosted there at the same time, which highlighted the best goods and produce many nations had to offer. The descriptions of it remind me a bit of the Great Exhibition in Victorian London, but this one had the benefit of far more developed technology, being about 65 years further advanced.Of course one of them had to stay home to look after the farm, so Laura set off and promised to keep Almanzo updated. She wrote him long, descriptive letters almost every day, and we get to read them all in this book. Nowadays we'd send quick snaps from our phone, but back then, her words were the picture. She took care to keep them extra detailed, and those of us separated by space and time get the benefit. Laura herself wasn't always happy with them. 'I am disgusted with this letter. I have not done halfway justice to anything I've described.' Although I loved the book, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that I was snooping at somebody else's letters, or reading over his shoulder.The evidence of their devotion to each other is beautiful. Laura wasn't the type to write lovey-dovey letters, and they'd been married for over 30 years at this point anyway. Yet the whole structure of the letters emphasises their unity. Especially lines like, 'Half the fun I lose because I am all the time wishing for you.' I love their mutual partnership. It seems they had lots on their mind, such as how to save and invest their money, and whether to move closer to Rose. Laura always writes something like, 'I've gathered all the literature to show you, so when I get home we'll discuss it.' It's a great picture of a good, stable marriage. Her lifelong frugalism comes through too, as she was always counting her pennies.The world fair sounds amazing. 1915, with its electricity and tram cars and moving picture theatres, must have seemed ultra modern for people born in the late 1860's and early 70's, like Laura and her sisters. Progress had been super speedy during those forty odd years, and it reminds me of a similar scenario for those of us born about 100 years later, who can remember life before the computerised, digital world as we know it. Perhaps these last two centuries really match each other for their acceleration of progress around the turn of the century.Laura sees enough of Rose's working schedule to put her off that intense, deadline driven style of writing. 'The more I see of how Rose works, the better satisfied I am to raise chickens. I do not see how she can stand it.' It's interesting to remember this was all the before the Little House books had been started. She eventually hand-crafted a project that suited her better. And somehow with their differing styles, the mother and daughter worked on it as a team.At one stage, Rose writes a secret letter to her father, to tell him that his wife is getting fat! She seemed anxious to convince him that it wasn't her fault if her mother wanted to gobble up all the seafood and Scottish scones she set her eyes on. It seems Laura was an advocate of the 'see food' diet, if Rose is to be believed. 'See food and eat it.' The letter starts, 'Something is happening which I think you should know, although it is a painful subject to contemplate.' I thought, 'Come on, seriously?' Would Almanzo really be bothered by such a thing, and was he in the position to do anything about it if he was?Overall, I felt like cheering because Laura achieved a lifelong dream to make it to the far west coast, even if it was just for a couple of months. I'm sure it would have crossed her mind how much her father would have loved the opportunity too, had he been alive. I love how she describes her first sight of the ocean, when she talked Rose into wading with her. 'The water is such a deep, wonderful blue, and the sound of the waves breaking on the beach, and their whisper as they flow back, is to dream about.' What a great reminder for coastal dwellers like me to never take for granted what we have all year round.Although she loved her time away, Laura's final verdict was satisfaction at the thought of getting home. 'The more I see here, the more I think I will come home and put all my attention on the chickens.'I'll finish off with a few of her comments which have good historical significance.'We stopped at a moving picture show and saw Charlie Chaplin, who is horrid.''The foghorn of Alcatraz is the most lonesome sound I ever heard, and I don't see how the prisoners on the island stand it.''The threat of prohibition is ruining the grape industry in California, and it is only a question of a little time when the grape grower will go out of business, except of course those who furnish fresh grapes for eating.'

If you appreciate the writings of Laura Wilder, and you are a history buff; this will be a good read for you. She has a very perceptive view of life in San Francisco in the early 1900s and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition being held there.

Looks can be deceiving, for sure. It can yield an ill-judged misapprehension of the true person and therefore, form a certain prejudice about the person. A person’s appearance is a false shadow for the substance, but our faculty of mind based on a sensory perception with the works of imagination often falls into fallacy. That said, this charming little book comprised of lovely missives to her beloved husband Almanzo back home in Mansfield, Missouri comes surprisingly pleasant twist of the image of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the creator of Little House on the Prairie, whom I always considered to be stoic and imperturbable, a kind of austere and puritanical mid-west matriarch, who turns out to be one sweetheart with the untainted sensibility of feminity.In these letters written to her batter half she called ‘Manly Dear’ during her travel to San Francisco and her stay there too in 1915 following an invitation from her only child Rose, you will read the words of her heart and soul enveloped in tenderness, colored in vivaciousness, and sealed with love, all the marks upon pages in the felicity of vivid descriptions wonderfully mixed with the perspicacity of reflective introspection, so jolly that reading them makes you feel like reading love letters from a smitten maiden to her smashing beau.It’s one of the reads that require no practical analysis of the psyche of the author or of the social, political climates to make revisionist commentaries. It’s a pure mental delight of peeping into the inner world of the author that puts a smile on your face. Also, it’s a great read to while away your time at one sitting. On a personal note, if you have read Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser, the magisterial biography of Ingalls, this book is a lovely accompaniment to feel this great American writer of all generations closer to you as none other than her true person, talking about her journey to you as a great story-teller.

It made me feel like I was there at the 1915 San Francisco World Fair. I was sad when I finished it because I wanted more. And the image of Laura Ingalls Wilder crossing Market Street and dodging automobiles is funny because we mainly know her from the "Little House" show which was before cars. Both she and her daughter Rose lived in such constantly changing times. It must have been exciting to see all those new inventions come out during their lifetimes. From horses to cars to airplanes. It must have been a trip.I should add that while this probably is a book geared towards young readers, don't let that deter you. It's quite an enjoyable read for adults too. Recommended for all ages.

This was a wonderful book and provided me with a new view of Laura Ingalls that I had not previously known. Like many others, I grew up with the Little House series having received "Little House In The Big Woods" (the first of the series) as a Christmas present when I was six. I quickly read through all of the others in the series which was quite a few years before the t.v. series began. I really like seeing this side of Laura and her daughter, Rose. Even if one has not read all of the Little House books, they would still find this book enjoyable. It also provides a wonderful education of life in San Francisco and other areas of California during the early 1900s. I even plan on re-reading it, just as I did all of the other Little House books and highly recommend other Laura Ingalls fans add this book to their collections.

Interesting story of Laura's visit to her daughter. Very readable and descriptive, warm caring letters to her husband Amanzo.Came on time and well packaged thanks.

Interesting but not on the same level as the 'Little Books' series.

Excellent

Although I’ve read Laura’s books many times , I’m only now reading the ones written of her life by others . This book is so special because it is essentially her letters to Almonzo while on her wonderful trip to see Rose in San Francisco in 1915 . It almost feels like a violation of their privacy at times when you stop & realize we are reading their correspondence that wasn’t necessarily ever meant for anyone else’s eyes . I’m amazed at the modernity she experiences for the year 1915 - I had no idea . I’ve visited their home in DeSmet , SD & can’t imagine what changes they experienced in their lifetime . I highly recommend this book to all of Laura’s fans & anyone who loves history .

I bought this book by Laura Ingalls Wilder as I love all the titles in her Little House in the Big Woods series. I'm sure this diary-based book will make interesting reading. However, the paper quality isn't very good and the card cover is very flimsy. Still, it wasn't very expensive and it's nice to have more of Laura Ingalls Wilder's writing to read.