A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Library of Religious Biography

by John J. Fry, Mark A. Noll (Foreword)

What role did Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Christian faith play in her life and writing? 
 
The beloved  Little House  books by Laura Ingalls Wilder have sold over 60 million copies since their publication in the first half of the twentieth century. Even her unpolished memoir,  Pioneer Girl , which tells the true story behind the children’s books, was widely embraced upon its release in 2014. Despite Wilder’s enduring popularity, few fans know much about her Christian beliefs and practice. 
 
John J. Fry shines a light on Wilder’s quiet faith in this unique biography. Fry surveys the  Little House  books,  Pioneer Girl,  and Wilder’s lesser-known writings, including her letters, poems, and newspaper columns. Analyzing this wealth of sources, he reveals how Wilder’s down-to-earth faith and Christian morality influenced her life and work. Interweaving these investigations with Wilder’s perennially interesting life story,  A Prairie Faith  illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history.

Genres: Biography

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2024

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a definite read for everyone who enjoys the writing of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Make sure you have a copy of the King James Version of the Bible at the ready. This was the translation that Laura used. Many verses are quoted in the text.

Reading this book might inspire you to re-read the whole series.

[Stacey E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I initially thought this would be about the faith of Laura Ingalls. However, apart from Lauara stating she was uncomfortable sharing her faith as she thought ones relationship with God was private, that's about all her faith that was detailed. This story did recap in great detail the life story of the Ingalls family, and although it was very informative, it read like a college paper. I ultimately did not finish and do not forsee myself reading any more books in the Library of Religious Biography series.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Wm B. Eerdman's Publishing Company for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The name Laura Ingalls Wilder is well known. We may know her from her series of children's books or, as in my case, from the long-running TV show from the mid-1970s to the early 80s. I never read the books---apparently, they weren't on the library shelves I chose books from---but did watch the TV show from time to time. So my image of the author of the children's books is framed as a picture of a young Melissa Gilbert. Of course, the TV show was loosely based on books that were themselves largely fictionalized. Whatever entry point to the person of Laura Ingalls Wilder, she remains, as far as I know, well known.

Numerous biographies and studies of Wilder the person and the author have appeared over the years, such that we know much more about her life and background than can be gleaned from the books. One area of interest that has been touched on before, but is the centerpiece of the most recent biography, is her faith. John J. Fry's A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, offers an in-depth look at what ultimately is a rather conventional Christian faith. Fry is a history professor and dean of the faculty at Trinity Christian College (not to be confused with Trinity International University, which is also located in the greater Chicago area).

The Little House books, eight in all, are based on Wilder's recollections of stories she remembered her father, Charles Ingalls, told, along with her own experiences. While the TV show located the family in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, the Ingalls family wandered across the upper midwest as well as Iowa and Kansas. Those who read the books will know of these travels, but for those of us who didn't read them, we journey with the family from Laura's birth in 1867 while the family lived in Wisconsin, followed by moves to Kansas, and then Minnesota and Iowa, before moving to South Dakota. The family appears to have been constantly on the move. At times they lived in small towns, but more often on farms near small towns, so that the children could go to school and the family might attend church. The life that Fry describes, based on a detailed study of Ingalls' books, including diaries and letters, as well as the famous books, is difficult, but we see the strength of a close family. We see a family struggle financially but somehow make things work, often by moving to a new location.

When Laura was a child the family attended congregational churches in the communities where they lived. One of the pastors is a name familiar to those who only know the TV series, and that is Rev. Alden, a favorite of Wilder. Laura also attended a Methodist Church Sunday afternoon Sunday school during a period when the family was living in Walnut Grove. Laura won a bible for memorizing the Bible verses assigned each week. One thing we learn as we read Fry's account of Laura's life is that the family often attended Sunday school, but do not seem to have attended Sunday evening services.

As Laura grew up, she would eventually meet and marry Almanzo Wilder, whom she got to know when the family lived in DeSmet, South Dakota. He was about a decade older than her, but the two connected, and marriage followed. Life would be difficult early on, as Almanzo suffered a stroke that weakened him, limiting some of his abilities to farm. Nevertheless, through the years they managed to survive. They also have a child, Rose, with whom Laura will have a contentious relationship, and yet, the two would collaborate on Laura's books. Due to health concerns, the Wilder family ended up in the Ozarks, in the small town of Mansfield, Missouri, which is where she lived most of her adult life.

We of course learn about how Laura took up writing, serving as a columnist for the Missouri Ruralist and then later setting down to write a memoir of her younger years. While that memoir did not gain a publisher, despite the efforts of Rose, who by that time had developed a reputation as an author, with Rose's encouragement Laura began writing the children's books that made her famous. One thing we learn about these books is that Laura long claimed that the books were completely true, with no fictional aspects. She and Rose also hid Rose's important collaborative role that went beyond simple editing.

While we learn about Laura's life and the authorial work that made her famous, Fry is most interested in highlighting Laura's faith life. So woven throughout the book are examples of her religious experiences and that of the family. Growing up the family would attend Congregational churches, but Laura never joined, even after her parents, Charles and Caroline, and sister Mary joined a Congregational Church when she was in her early teens. There is no evidence that she was ever baptized. However, she attended Sunday School, memorized parts of the Bible, and attended Sunday services when a preacher was available. She liked some preachers and not others. in addition, her father would play hymns on his fiddle on Sunday afternoons.

From childhood through adulthood, Laura gave evidence of a moderate, conventional, Christianity. According to Fry, her faith was important to her, but not necessarily central to her life. She drew strength from it but rejected views of God that were wrathful. She focused more on morality, on divine law, especially love of God and neighbor. When it came to difficult times she might turn to prayer, but she also gave evidence of a certain stoicism. Interestingly, while she and Almanzo never joined a church, despite attending regularly the Methodist Episcopal Church in Mansfield, they both joined Eastern Star. Throughout the book, Fry keeps coming back to Laura's conventional Christianity that was important to her, but not central to her life. In other words, she was like many Christians, committed but not zealous. She was neither a fundamentalist nor a modernist, just an average Christian woman. Interestingly, in her books while she did include references to God and to church, no mention is made of Jesus. Fry also notes that the idea of forgiveness is largely absent. Thus, her form of Christianity is essentially caught up in doing the right thing. That is the message she shared in her books.

A Prairie Faith is part of the Eerdmans Library of Religious Biography series, a series that covers a wide variety of persons from Thomas Jefferson to Tina Turner, with Laura Ingalls Wilder being the latest. For those who have enjoyed her books, this should be a welcome biography. One might be surprised at some parts of the story, especially her insistence on covering up the contribution of her daughter to the books and her insistence that the books were completely factual. But as Fry reminds us she was human, and as such was sinner. She had her reasons for what she did, but it is helpful to know the full story.

[Kimmy Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really milked this book. I picked it up several times and read large chunks, then would wait many months and do the same thing again. Because of this, the book felt really long and drawn out. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it in a shorter time span.

The content itself is interesting and the author definitely proves his thesis. Though, I think he takes longer than necessary to do so.

[Lorraine Herbon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book turned out to be a waste of time. The author made the same conclusions over and over again—Laura Ingalls Wilder was a Christian but not overwhelmingly so. His examination of the Little House books was more about what he didn’t see in them than what he did. His view was so narrowly focused that he didn’t allow for any deeper curiosity about what might have caused Laura and Rose to craft the narratives of Laura’s life the way they did. And his examination of the religious world of Mansfield, Missouri, served no identifiable purpose in helping him examine the religious beliefs and practices of the Ingalls and Wilder families.

Take a recommendation from me and enjoy the work of Caroline Fraser, Pamela Smith Hall, Nancy Tystad Koupal, and other LIW scholars. Don’t bother with John Fry’s limited, unimaginative, and uninspired search for something that’s not there.

[Naomi's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Ingalls Wilder has been a part of my life since I can remember. I have read other biographies but none that focused on her faith journey. I enjoyed learning about the different experiences that Laura had as she travelled over her life. It was insightful and well constructed. Definitely a biography I will recommend to others.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Deborah Jancekova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an interesting and easy to read investigation of the religious life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The chapters delve into details of all of Laura’s books, many of which I fondly remember my parents reading to me as a child. It was fun to read and helped me to learn more about who Laura really was.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this after hearing the author speak at GCC. I enjoyed his enthusiasm for LIW and commitment to an honest and, overall, positive biography. However, I found the book a bit dry and repetitive.

[Josh Olds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little House on the Prairie remains a cultural phenomenon ninety years after their publication and fifty years after the popular television show loosely based on the books. Over sixty million copies have been sold and the series, in particular, has held an appeal for white, conservative evangelicalism/fundamentalism for its libertarian political perspectives. Little House is billed as the story of Wilder’s childhood, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about her—particularly once that childhood was over.

A Prairie Faith steps in to fill that gap. John J. Fry, professor of history at Trinity Christian College, did his Ph.D. on Wilder and has an academic focus on the rural American West. That combination makes him the perfect person to offer a perspective on the historical Laura Ingalls Wilder, her religious life in particular. This book is part of the Library of Religious Biography, a series of history books meant to focus specifically on the religious lives of influential historical figures.

Fry arranges A Prairie Faith chronologically, moving from Wilder’s childhood through her later years. Along the way, he busts the myth that the Little House books were written as narrative memoirs and shows how strong of an influence Rose Wilder, Laura’s daughter, was on developing the narrative and themes of the books. To be perfectly candid, I had more of an interest and enjoyment in learning about the literary development of the Little House books than when the focus was on Wilder’s religious life.

And the reason for that, I think, is that there is not much extant writing or knowledge of Wilder’s religious life. Despite writing an entire series of books about her childhood and claiming them as non-fiction, Wilder lived a very private life. The Little House books aren’t heavy on religion (perhaps part of why they continue to have mainstream appeal) and Wilder’s religious life as an adult appears to be rather anemic and undocumented.

Wilder didn’t write much about religion, was not often a member of a church throughout her life, and never really expressed faith publicly in any strong way. A Prairie Faith’s conclusion summarizes it well: “Wilder’s unwillingness to write openly about her beliefs makes it difficult to describe them in detail.” The end result is that a lot of the book revolves around, not Laura’s religious life but the religious life surrounding her. This is informative and gives context to what faith was like on the prairie, but Wilder never feels like an essential character in the discussion.

None of this is Fry’s fault, who faithfully mines the contextual depths of Wilder’s life to construct her religious setting and take readers into the type of faith Wilder would have experienced. As a work of history, it is thorough, comprehensive, and readable. But if readers are coming to this as a biography of Wilder or hoping to learn from her religious life, I think they will be disappointed. The truth is that—partially because of the Little House books and partially because of fundamentalism’s affinity for the book’s politics—Wilder has been idealized as a figure she is not. I would love to read a book that dives into the sociological hows and whys of her books capturing religious homeschool communities and how she has transformed, in that culture, from a mainline Protestant to a fundamentalist.
Overall, though, this is a solid biography. Fry does his job. It’s Wilder herself who often fails to capture attention or provide anything novel or interesting—which is why I suppose the books about her life were embellished. My key takeaway from this book was the stark contrast between Wilder the person and Wilder the character and how little we really know about the religious life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Cheryl Malandrinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

John J. Fry, a professor of history and dean of faculty at Trinity Christian College, blends his love and knowledge of the American West with an exploration into the religious life of a cherished American pioneer in A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Told chronologically, Fry starts with the birth of Laura Elizabeth Ingalls to Caroline and Charles Ingalls in 1867. Chapter by chapter, the author discusses the important events of the time, the daily life of the Ingalls family and those around them, Wilder's writing, her relationship with Almanzo and Rose, her numerous trips, the popularity of the Little House series, Rose's contributions to the books, and the continued fascination with Wilder and her work. Woven through this in-depth narrative is Fry's argument that while Christianity was important to Wilder's life, it was not central, as proven by her practices and her stoic ideas.

I found A Prairie Faith fascinating and informative. It is a deeply researched, well-written biography of one of America's most beloved children's authors. Having read numerous biographies of Wilder's life, many cited in this book, I found Fry paid great attention to detail.

The thesis type format created a fair amount of repetition as Fry focused on his point that Christianity was important but not central to Wilder's life. The author reiterated examples to support that point, stating Laura and her family, then Laura and Almanzo, did not attend evening church services; Laura and Almanzo didn't attend services when they were traveling; and that neither of the Wilders became members of local churches despite being involved in civic organizations, some with religious ties. He cited changes between Laura's handwritten manuscripts and the finished product where the editor's hand changed scenes that surrounded some of Laura's experience with church and church members. He discusses that while Wilder prayed and read from the Bible regularly, she did not mention Jesus, and her stoic ideas fly against the dependence upon God and Savior to bring you through life.

With the limited amount of information available on this topic, Fry did a superb job of creating this biography of Wilder's life. Though I'm not sold on supporting the author's thesis, I'm happy to add A Prairie Faith to my collection of resources about Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This seems to be a book trying to create something out of nothing, a desperate desire to show that Laura Ingalls Wilder had a deeply Christian faith and was guided by its principles. After all, that’s what the subtitle promises – The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. However, it seems to me that Wilder didn’t have much of a religious life at all and never publicly talked about her faith, to the extent that she had any. The author tries to counter that but singularly without success. He trawls though the life and the work trying to make his case, but it simply doesn’t work. To the extent that was common at the time, Wilder did attend church on occasion, as was the societal norm, attended Sunday school as a child, and read the bible at home – again the societal norm. But she doesn’t talk about her beliefs anywhere, nor does she try to impose them on others. It soon becomes clear that while church and churchgoing were there in the background as would have been the case anywhere in that era, religious faith simply wasn’t important to her – although the author keeps insisting that Christianity was actually important to her, if not central. He repeats this endlessly, especially in the last few pages. He clearly wants Wilder to have faith but is hard pressed to substantiate that she did. It’s no coincidence that “probably” comes up 25 times in the book along with many instances of “possibly” and “maybe”. For anyone interested in that sort of thing, there’s quite a lot of information about the various churches in the various towns Wilder lived in, with even the names of the ministers and preachers, but there is no evidence any of these worthy souls had any impact on Wilder’s life. So ultimately this is a book about nothing much, far too based on speculation and supposition, and doesn’t tell us anything Wilder fans won’t already know.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Prairie Faith
The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilde
by John J. Fry
Pub DateFeb 06 2024 | Archive Date Feb 18 2024
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Biographies & Memoirs| History


A Prairie Faith was provided to me by Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company and Netgalley for review:


How did Laura Ingalls Wilder's Christian faith influence her writing and life?


Since Laura Ingalls Wilder's books were published in the first half of the twentieth century, more than 60 million copies have been sold. In 2014, her unpolished memoir Pioneer Girl, which tells the true story behind the children's books, was widely acclaimed. Despite Wilder's enduring popularity, few fans know much about her Christian beliefs.


Throughout this unique biography, John Fry shines a light on Wilder’s quiet faith in this unique biography. Fry discusses Little House, Pioneer Girl, and Wilder's lesser-known writings, including letters, poems, and newspaper columns. He shows how Wilder's down-to-earth faith and Christian morality shaped her life and work by analyzing this wealth of sources. Interweaving these investigations with Wilder’s perennially interesting life story, *A Prairie Faith* illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history. In addition to Wilder's life story, *A Prairie Faith* illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history.


I give A Prairie Faith five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Emily Vancleave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I kind of wish I never would’ve read a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. After reading about her real life it’s almost like the warm fuzzy feelings I got from reading all the Little House books is gone. Not that she was a bad person or had a bad life, but her life was, well, realistic. Part of me would rather just be left to imagine that she went on to live the same cozy happy kind of life with a tight knit loving family and they all lived happily ever after in the fantasy land of the little house books.

But all that aside- this biography was interesting and answered a lot of questions I was left with after reading the series, and gave a good overview of her life. It wasn’t necessarily as faith focused as I thought it would be, as Laura was not very open about her spiritual life. Wilder was a professing Christian and spent time at church, in prayer, and read her Bible, but didn’t find it appropriate to publicly talk about one’s personal relationship with God, so there’s not a whole lot of material to tell us about her personal faith (the author makes this clear to the reader in the introduction). This lack is supplemented with general information about Christianity and church during the time and in the places she lived. I think the book could’ve been shorter and some unimportant information left out. It definitely got boring at times but was interesting enough to keep me reading.

[Tricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author repeats himself endlessly. The book is full of info that is not necessary, is boring and he will tell you all about it again in the next chapter or two. For instance he will tell you what churches there were in Laura’s town numerous times and in great detail. He also draws the conclusion numerous times that Christianity was important to Laura but not central to her. He bases this conclusion on silly works based things like she goes to church every Sunday but doesn’t go while out of town and doesn’t go to the evening services. Oh my! She didn’t speak of her faith at all speaking engagement, whatever will we do.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very interesting book! If you enjoy learning about history and religion, this is a great resource! I've always admired Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I enjoyed learning about how religion was a part of her life!
There are a lot of facts and interesting tidbits. I recommend reading this if you are interested in learning about Laura's faith and how it affected her life!

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Mark Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellently researched. Compelling.

A must read for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: The religious life of Laura Ingalls Wilder drawn from her books and manuscripts, other writings and the places she lived.

I did not discover the Little House books until reading them aloud to our son. Just thinking of that brings good memories of the three of us snuggled on the hunter green sofa bed in our guest room, working our way through the books. I particular remember reading The Long Winter through a particularly cold and long winter, and being thrilled by Almanzo’s daring journey to bring food back to the isolated small town. We loved the affection within the family and the Christian values their lives exemplified and suspected these were important to the author.

That is the conclusion held by John J. Fry, the author of this religious biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. He maintains that for Wilder, Christian faith was important but not central. Throughout her life, there is evidence of regular personal Bible reading and prayer. Where there was opportunity, she was in weekly attendance at church, but refrained from membership. In many ways, her outlook was more stoic than Christian.

Using her memoirs, manuscripts and publications as well tracing her life through the different places she lived, Fry offers a chronological account of her life. While the focus is on the religious influences in her life and evidence for her religious beliefs, Fry does offer an extensive, if not definitive, account of her life. Until the Wilders settled in Mansfield, Missouri and became established, much of it was life on the move–Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, Minnesota again, and Florida.

Surprisingly, before Laura wrote the Little House books, she was, and continued to be, a farm journalist. She translated her own experiences into columns for women in agricultural setting. Then she wrote a memoir, Pioneer Girl, but could not find anyone who wanted to publish it. Working with her daughter Rose, she re-fashioned her account into a series of children’s stories, and with rose’s help found a publisher.

In fact, one of the things we learn, and on which Fry dwells, is the role Rose played in the writing of the books. An accomplished writer herself, Rose reworked Laura’s writing, often “showing” rather than “telling.” This made the books more readable and interesting. In addition, Fry explores the influence of Rose’s religious views on the books, often comparing Laura’s early manuscripts with the published text. Rose was a deist at best, and held a less than friendly view of the church. The record is mixed. Sometimes, she strengthened the portrayal of Christianity. Sometimes the finished manuscripts were more negative. It is striking that Wilder doesn’t mention Jesus in the books, only God. What is clear was that Rose was a significant collaborator in the writing of the books. She deserves more credit than she received.

Fry considers Laura’s religious life in later years. It seems she was less involved in churches and more in fraternal organizations like Eastern Star. But she apparently kept up personal scripture reading. Her faith was characteristic of mainstream moderate Christianity, with a strong emphasis on good works of love for neighbor.

However, she did not extend that love to indigenous peoples. Fry, in assessing the afterlife of her books, notes the criticism of her attitudes toward indigenous peoples. Again, she was typical of her time, which would not be problematic, except for the popularity of her books.

Fry offers an informative and well-paced narrative of Laura’s religious life. This underscores his contention that her faith was important but not central. He also elaborates the collaboration of Rose in the Little House books and the substantial contribution she made to their popularity. None of this detracts from the portrait of the remarkable life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the Little House b0oks when I read them as a child and I usually enjoy spiritual memoirs, but A Prairie Faith was a waste of my time. I stopped reading about a third of the way through and would not have gotten that far if I did not feel an obligation to review it fairly in return for a free review copy provided by NetGalley.
A Prairie Faith is NOT about Laura Ingalls Wilder's faith. It is a blow by blow description of every petty detail of her life, the lives of her relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers, and what appears to be those of every minister who served in any of the communities in which she lived, whether or not she ever heard them preach. Aside from a few adolescent poems (and they are barely poems, more like derivative doggerel full of borrowed sentiments and rhymes borrowed from things she read) it appears that Laura never wrote anything specifically religious. Articles Laura wrote for newspapers and church magazines seem to deal mainly with stories about other people rather than any of her own ideas. There are quotes from what appear to be journal entries in which Laura explains that she is not comfortable with the expressive religiosity of many church meetings because she sees a relationship with God as a private matter. It seems to me that John Fry and the other writers who felt the urge to write about this subject should have resisted that urge out of respect for the subject's own preference.
The author's most accurate term is the word "probably" as he derived what are clearly his opinions from the flimsiest references. It seems obvious that Laura was a cultural Christian, raised by Protestant parents who taught her to pray, attend church when convenient, and read the Bible. In this, they were no different than most of their neighbors. It seems impossible to have any real understanding of the depth or sincerity of Laura's actual beliefs based on this book, which was based on other secondary sources, mainly the Little House novels, a memoir Laura wrote called Pioneer Girl, books written and/or ghostwritten by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, a professional writer and nonbeliever who was not above inserting religious content if it seemed appropriate. He also appears to have used tertiary sources by other writers whose analysis of Laura's beliefs vary based on their own.
It is one thing to dislike the content of a book but I also found A Prairie Faith to be incredibly dry and dull. I could not force myself to finish reading it and I will not be reading any of the author's other work. I will likely avoid any of the titles in the series Library of Religious Biography.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up, I loved the Little House books and my mom and I watched 'Little House On The Prairie' (her favorite show) often so when I seen this book was available on NetGalley, it peaked my interest. I really enjoyed this! It was interesting to learn about Laura's life and how her faith shaped it. If you enjoy(ed) Laura's books or love history, this might be right up your alley and I would recommend it! Special Thank You to John J. Fry, Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I enjoyed the little House books as a kid. I think it’s definitely a shocker when as a kid; you learn that everything in the books didn’t happen. In a way, I thought Laura would be more open with her faith but this wasn’t the case.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read John Fry's biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder's religious life over several weeks. It is not a book that one can skim through it takes careful reading.

It is well documented and Fry's conclusions are well supported by his research into Laura's and her daughter Rose's writings, other LIW authors and historical research.

This is a must read for all LIW fans.

[Kerrific Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but not one that I will read again. I love Laura's books and this was an interesting insight into her real life.