This explains to us who Nellie Olesen of Little House on the Prairie fame really was. It was not one person. It was a compilation of three real women. It seems that Laura Ingalls Wilder had felt bullied by these three women at different times in her life and put them all together to create Nellie Oleson for her books. This tells us about some of their real lives. This was well done. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )

I grew up reading every book in The Little House on the Prairie series. I dreamed that I was there in the little school house siting in my desk with my slate ready to write. I did not like the snotty Nellie Oleson one bit. When this book came up for review, I was so excited to revisit my friends who helped me get through my childhood.

I was fascinated by the author's very detailed account of Nellie that was really Laura's creation of three very intriguing women named Nellie, Genevieve and Estella. It was a secret that Laura had composed Nellie from three different girls that Laura knew. What was I reading? Did Laura make up Nellie? It seems that Laura has combined three girls she knew into one character, named Nellie. I am shocked to learn that Laura made up Nellie from three characteristics of her friends. I wonder why this secret was hidden for so long?

The author has piqued my interest in a series I treasured as a child and still do. There is a lot of facts in the book that at times made me get overwhelmed and lost. I guess I was expecting more details about Laura and the Three Nellie's and less about family history. The family history bogs the story down a bit, but not enough for me to turn away from the book. I loved getting to know The Three Nellie's and thought how brilliant Laura was in writing a story comprised of a character that still fascinates us.

Laura and Nellie never liked each other, but as the book says about Nellie, " She was clearly loved by her children and did have many moments of grief that she faced in her life." In the end three women made a story come to life through the eyes of a young girl. They each played a part in the story that many loved and still do. I now have this desire to pick up the series at the library and reread the books. In there I will find three very fascinating girls that became one very important character in a series that has been loved for generations.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )

Who hasn’t read the Little House on The Prairie series or watch the famous TV series, well now this author has given us an in-depth look into the lives of whom the character of Nellie Olsen was based on, and it a combination of three.
This is really a genealogy look into their lives and those of the ancestors, and more. Loved the author’s humor as she gives the facts and more, and made for an enjoyable book.
Although, it is redundant in places, I found a lot of the information interesting and could see why Laura made Nellie as she was.

I received this book through Celebrate Lit, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

This short volume (116 p. of text not including bibliography) provides information about the three girls upon whom Laura Ingalls Wilder based the character of Nellie Oleson, her rival in the Little House books: Nellie Owens, Genevieve Masters, and Estella (Stella) Gilbert. Nellie Owens is the Nellie in On the Banks of Plum Creek, Genevieve Masters is the Nellie in most of the scenes in the novels set in the Dakota Territory (De Smut area), and Stella Gilbert is the Nellie in These Happy Golden Years who tries to win Almanzo Wilder away from Laura. In addition to providing information about the personalities and adult lives of these three girls/women, Ms. Miller researched and give genealogical information about them including their ancestors and descendants, which is the unique feature of the book. The annotations and index in Pioneer Girl: the Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill, give the names and some information about the sources for Nellie.

Often Ms. Miller found conflicts concerning the vital information about the immediate families of Nellie, Genevieve, and Stella. She gave the conflicts, where she found the information, and what she thought was most likely to be correct. Since Ms. Miller provided brief biographical information about these relatives separately, the book contains considerable repetition. ( )