I loved the Little House on the Prairie books when I was a child and when I received Caroline by Sarah Miller as a Christmas gift a few years ago, I was intrigued by the thought of reading about the Ingalls family again but from an adult’s perspective. Unfortunately, I placed the book on my shelf and promptly forgot about it. I finally pulled it down the other day and I thoroughly enjoyed this reworking of a beloved story.

The book opens as the Ingalls family is packing up and leaving Wisconsin for the Kansas prairie. Caroline supports her husband but feels some uncertainties and is saddened by leaving family and friends behind. The author describes the difficulty in choosing what to take and what to leave, the long journey west, at times tedious and others, difficult and dangerous. Pioneer life is hard, especially as Caroline is pregnant but she grows to love her new home. She and Charles work hard to transform this new land into a place where her family can grow and flourish.

Although the author made some changes to the story, sticking closer to the actual historical record, I was totally captivated by Caroline. This is a story of love, survival and family that vividly recaptures the past and shows Caroline Ingalls as the complex wife, mother and woman that she most certainly was. ( )

Read the books as a child… watched all the tv episodes. Loved this one too!! I know it probably matches the books but I couldn’t get out of my head the visual of Mr. Edwards from the show and it didn’t match this book ( )

I had mixed thoughts when I saw, "Caroline: Little House, Revisited" by Sarah Miller. As a child/young adult, I was mesmerized by the "Little House on the Prairie" TV series and books by Laura Ingalls-Wilder. So, I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel, since it wasn't written by Laura Ingalls-Wilder. I was pleasantly surprised by how well written this novel was. The story fit write into the original series. As I read this wonderful story, I actually envisioned the characters, as they appeared on the television series. Ms. Miller did a truly amazing job! She researched census records and the Ingalls family bible in preparing to write this novel. Ms. Miller was also given permission by the Little House Heritage Trust. I definitely recommend adding this novel to your tbr list! ( )

Ever wondered what Little House on the Prairie might read like if written in an adult voice? Sarah Miller has reimagined just that in this retelling of Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic pioneer novel. As someone who read through the Little House series multiple times as a child, I found this book to be a bit like a warm, welcome visit with old friends. I found the scenes with direct tie-ins to the original books (e.g., fording the river, well rescue) charming and I feared the author might go overboard with them, but she seemed to straddle that line reasonably well. It was refreshing to see the tale unfolding from a completely different perspective from that of a child, particularly when Caroline can come across as somewhat one-dimensional in the original books. At the same time, though, it was disheartening to experience Caroline's suppressing of her own desires, thoughts and opinions due to the cultural expectations placed upon women of the time. There is a great deal of focus on her internal conflicts as she struggles with burgeoning inclinations of independence and yearnings to be a whole person who could actually realize her dreams and aspirations. She always reins herself back in with a reminder that her role is simply to be a dutiful wife and mother, which is heartbreaking. In addition, perhaps I'm not remembering the severity of behavior expectations in the original series, but in this book it absolutely drove me bonkers that no one — adult or child — is permitted to express any negative emotions. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I also appreciated the attention to and correction of some inaccuracies in the original. ( )

OK, I just wanted to say that this book, I really wanted to love the story more than I did. I love the TV series and the books the show is also good. And, this book is one that I really, really looked forward to reading. However, I found that the story never really got to me.

I liked the whole idea of reading the book from Caroline's perspective, as a young wife and mother on her way to a new home. Her fears as she is pregnant and the whole idea of leaving everything and everyone behind got to me. It's just the everyday worries during the travel, well it felt a bit tedious to read about. Sure, it was interesting, but at the same time did I feel that it went on and one now and then.

I liked the idea of the book, about reading about Charles, Caroline, and the children traveling to Kansas. If you have read the books and/or seen the TV series is this a must read. Sure, I found the story not perhaps living up to my expectations, but at the same time was it interesting to get Caroline's POV on leaving the old life behind. And, her worries about the baby was the thing that really got to me, just the thought of how worrisome everything would be, not even knowing if there would be someone in Kansas there to help her with the birthing. I just wish the story had been a bit more moving or in some way more engrossing.

I almost forgot to bring up the best thing, Mr. Edwards. I was so thrilled when he showed up. He's my favorite character and he did bring much enjoyment to the book and I loved reading about how he saved Christmas for the children. I can't believe that I almost forgot this. So, there were some bright spots in this boo, like the presence of Mr. Edwards.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review! ( )