Monday 22 August 2016

Little House Read-Along: These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder


I'm breaking tradition by posting this before the last day of the month! My only excuse is that I've been paying much more attention to the blog than normal since I've been posting daily this month and so I've been scheduling way ahead of time. Until now I think Farmer Boy has been my favourite but These Happy Golden Years just blew everything else out of the water. I actually got a little tearful this month!

This book is mainly focused around Laura teaching school, which she doesn't like but seems to be quite good at, and she and Almanzo working their way up from 'I'm only driving with you so I can see my parents' to 'yes I do quite like this engagement ring you gave me'. I thought their courtship was so ridiculously sweet. I loved how patient Almanzo was and that he just kept on doing things to help her out even when she told him she wasn't interested, and I really enjoyed knowing the way it would turn out. It made me feel really smug when Laura didn't think she liked him to know that she'd end up married to him by the end of the book. It also (as usual) put all the wedding planning we did for our wedding into stark comparison. Yes, we planned a big wedding and they didn't, but come on, Almanzo had to build a house before they could get married! As always, points to this series for making me feel lazy!

My favourite favourite thing this month though was the conversation Laura and Almanzo have about whether or not she's going to promise to obey him and how she doesn't feel that she could ever promise to obey someone if she thought they were telling her to do something stupid, basically. It's so similar to the conversation Rhys and I had about the same thing before we got married! Laura is awesome and my love for her will be eternal.

Their family makes me happy too. They're such a functional, loving, responsible family and I physically feel cozy whenever I'm reading about them. When Laura left home to live in her new house I was a little tearful with her that she'd never get to go home for good again!

How did you find this book? Just a few more to go before we're done!

3 comments:

  1. I totally agree!!!! This one is my absolute favorite. I got tearful, too. I've read it 3 or 4 times, but this is the first time I became emotional over it. : D

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  2. Working on my posting now. [Only four days late...damn that job! :)] I loved that conversation, too! One of my favorite parts of this series! Laura was a feminist at heart, IMHO!

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  3. Okay. I cried. I cried a bit when Mary didn't come home for the summer. Poor Ma, Laura, and Pa! Then when Laura and Almanzo had their little talk, which I adored, and Almamzo's panic about a big wedding no one could afford. I have never had a wedding and am not the least bit sorry. No money wasted! :) But for those to whom that is important, it's fine for them. Just don't expect everyone else to do the same. ;) And when Florence gave Laura the wedding gift! And when Laura actually left home. This one definitely hit me emotionally!

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