Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered
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- Create Date：2022-05-11 02:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Melissa Gilbert
- ISBN：1982177187
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Summary
The New York Times bestselling author and star of Little House on the Prairie returns with a new hilarious and heartfelt memoir chronicling her journey from Hollywood to a ramshackle house in the Catskills during the COVID-19 pandemic。
Known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie， Melissa Gilbert has spent nearly her entire life in Hollywood。 From Dancing with the Stars to a turn in politics， she was always on the lookout for her next project。 She just had no idea that her latest one would be completely life changing。
When her husband introduces her to the wilds of rural Michigan， Melissa begins to fall back in love with nature。 And when work takes them to New York， they find a rustic cottage in the Catskill Mountains to call home。 But “rustic” is a generous description for the state of the house， requiring a lot of blood， sweat， and tears for the newlyweds to make habitable。
When the pandemic descends on the world， it further nudges Melissa out of the spotlight and into the woods。 She trades Botox treatments for DIY projects， power lunching for gardening and raising chickens， and soon her life is rediscovered anew in her own little house in the Catskills。
Known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie， Melissa Gilbert has spent nearly her entire life in Hollywood。 From Dancing with the Stars to a turn in politics， she was always on the lookout for her next project。 She just had no idea that her latest one would be completely life changing。
When her husband introduces her to the wilds of rural Michigan， Melissa begins to fall back in love with nature。 And when work takes them to New York， they find a rustic cottage in the Catskill Mountains to call home。 But “rustic” is a generous description for the state of the house， requiring a lot of blood， sweat， and tears for the newlyweds to make habitable。
When the pandemic descends on the world， it further nudges Melissa out of the spotlight and into the woods。 She trades Botox treatments for DIY projects， power lunching for gardening and raising chickens， and soon her life is rediscovered anew in her own little house in the Catskills。
Reviews
Lyndi
，
I live in a rural town in Michigan， so I totally relate to Melissa finding her love of nature。 She and her husband found a rustic， falling down property in the Catskills and she went from Hollywood's busy lifestyle of glitz and glamor to raising chickens， remodeling a house， and basically finding herself again。 While I enjoyed the parts about the remodeling and farm life and how they survived the pandemic， I could have done without so much of her political views which to me seemed unnecessary。 B I live in a rural town in Michigan， so I totally relate to Melissa finding her love of nature。 She and her husband found a rustic， falling down property in the Catskills and she went from Hollywood's busy lifestyle of glitz and glamor to raising chickens， remodeling a house， and basically finding herself again。 While I enjoyed the parts about the remodeling and farm life and how they survived the pandemic， I could have done without so much of her political views which to me seemed unnecessary。 But overall a fun and enjoyable read。 I received an advance reader copy of this book。 The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily。 。。。more
Nichols Britani
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Beautifully written story。 I was so happy to win this book。 I loved all her movies
Pip
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Back to the earth， with Melissa Gilbert！ Gilbert gives an intimate glimpse into roughly a year of her life amidst the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic， as a celebrity New Yorker who escapes to her cabin in "upstate" New York （aka the Catskills） at the start of the crisis。 In many ways， it's nice to hear a celebrity behave almost exactly how the rest of us fared in the crazy vortex that was 2020。Thank you to Gilbert， NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced reading copy。 All opinions are my ow Back to the earth， with Melissa Gilbert！ Gilbert gives an intimate glimpse into roughly a year of her life amidst the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic， as a celebrity New Yorker who escapes to her cabin in "upstate" New York （aka the Catskills） at the start of the crisis。 In many ways， it's nice to hear a celebrity behave almost exactly how the rest of us fared in the crazy vortex that was 2020。Thank you to Gilbert， NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced reading copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Kathryn Steffen
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I was so excited to see a book from Melissa Gilbert as I absolutely adore her and have been a fan of Little House since I stumbled across a VHS at my local library when I was about 10。 Even more over the moon that I was approved for an E-Arc！I enjoyed the book but it fell a bit flat for me。 It just seemed to be more of a recap of the "pandemic years" with a few personal details from before thrown in here and there。 I do not know that I am ready to rehash the harsh times that were 2020 til， well， I was so excited to see a book from Melissa Gilbert as I absolutely adore her and have been a fan of Little House since I stumbled across a VHS at my local library when I was about 10。 Even more over the moon that I was approved for an E-Arc！I enjoyed the book but it fell a bit flat for me。 It just seemed to be more of a recap of the "pandemic years" with a few personal details from before thrown in here and there。 I do not know that I am ready to rehash the harsh times that were 2020 til， well， now because。。 we are still in a pandemic。 It brought up a lot of anxieties for me that I have been working hard to overcome the past 2 years。That being said， I still enjoyed the book and would recommend to others。 I liked seeing the journey Melissa and Tim took to create their Cabbage and a safe space for her to be herself。 Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest review。 。。。more
Holly
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Special thank you to Gallery Books and Net Galley for the advanced copy of Back to the Prairie by Melissa Gilbert！In this new memoir， Melissa Gilbert tells of her experience of going from a glamorous Hollywood life to moving to the Catskills and renovating a house during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic。 She tells of her experiences with marriage， family， surgeries， growing vegetables， and raising chickens。 As someone who lives miles from Laura Ingalls Wilder's final home in Missouri， I grew Special thank you to Gallery Books and Net Galley for the advanced copy of Back to the Prairie by Melissa Gilbert！In this new memoir， Melissa Gilbert tells of her experience of going from a glamorous Hollywood life to moving to the Catskills and renovating a house during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic。 She tells of her experiences with marriage， family， surgeries， growing vegetables， and raising chickens。 As someone who lives miles from Laura Ingalls Wilder's final home in Missouri， I grew up with a connection to her。 My great grandmother used to sell eggs to Laura and have tea with her often。 So， obviously I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie as well。 To be honest， I have not kept up too much with Melissa Gilbert's career as of late， so when I saw this book I was interested to see what she had been up to。 Gilbert and her husband deciding to renovate a home in the middle of nowhere and learning to farm， is a great concept for a memoir。 I enjoyed the tales of learning how to build vegetable plots and feeding the random wildlife that seem to be attracted to her。 I think that going into the book one should bear in mind the times we are in because she does tie in current events quite often。 Before reading the book， I had read a few negative reviews about Gilbert's politics being brought into the book， but this was not of concern to me especially with the subject matter you get from reading a short description of the book。 I did though， find issue with the writing style when broaching certain subjects， such as the chapter where she and her son are talking about the BLM protests following the death of George Floyd。 The content was fine overall， but the conversation just seemed forced into the chapter and this example and a few other areas also felt this way。 I found that if some areas had been shortened or rearranged a bit differently the book may have flowed better。Overall， I found the book to be an interesting read and would definitely recommend it to someone who was interested in knowing what Melissa Gilbert is up to lately or who is a fan of Little House， though I do think this book will have a niche audience and is not quite made for a broader audience like most memoirs I have read as there does not seem to be a huge overlying message to it。 。。。more
Barbara Powell
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This is hard for me to review because while I enjoyed a good bit of this， her politics got in the way of my enjoyment so I’m going to keep my review short。 I very much enjoyed Little House on the Prairie as a child and even as an adult so I was excited to read this。 It was written about her experience leaving the LA lifestyle and moving into the country as Covid hit and the world was altered。 Each chapter documents a point in her time during Covid and how she and her husband adapted to a whole n This is hard for me to review because while I enjoyed a good bit of this， her politics got in the way of my enjoyment so I’m going to keep my review short。 I very much enjoyed Little House on the Prairie as a child and even as an adult so I was excited to read this。 It was written about her experience leaving the LA lifestyle and moving into the country as Covid hit and the world was altered。 Each chapter documents a point in her time during Covid and how she and her husband adapted to a whole new lifestyle。 That part was great because it was totally relatable。 I wish she would have stopped there rather than adding her stance that had nothing to do with the topic at hand。 It was enjoyable to see a star go from Beverly Hills to a country house with no heat and fix it up and how her and her family got through the pandemic。 That’s what I signed up for。 The other stuff I could do without。 Rounding up from 2。5 to 3 solely because of Little House love。 Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review。 。。。more
Liz McCammon
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I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and am providing an honest review。 When I picked this up， I was looking for a book to counter a complicated/difficult book I was reading。 I wanted a book that gave me a break - something relaxing and this， for the most part， fit the bill。 It goes without saying that these last couple of pandemic years have been strange and an adjustment for us all。 Reading about how the author made this transition was interesting - there were parts which I could I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and am providing an honest review。 When I picked this up， I was looking for a book to counter a complicated/difficult book I was reading。 I wanted a book that gave me a break - something relaxing and this， for the most part， fit the bill。 It goes without saying that these last couple of pandemic years have been strange and an adjustment for us all。 Reading about how the author made this transition was interesting - there were parts which I could definitely relate to and others maybe not so much， but I still found it interesting。 What I found difficult was the sporadic insert of political bashing along with the call for “more love” in the world。 I have very little patience for anyone spewing far left or far right ideology with the tone of I’m right and they are wrong。 It was almost as if the author didn’t care that part of her audience might not agree with her thinking or would be insulted by her criticism of those who don’t follow her thinking。 What is sad is that she could have said the same things without being insulting to others - again the call for more love seemed at odds with her own criticism of others。 。。。more
Wendy Pitts
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If you like Melissa Gilbert， you will enjoy this anecdotal tale of her last two years during quarantine。
Kelly_Hunsaker_reads 。。。
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I always loved Melissa Gilbert and this made me love her all the more。 She seems to be a woman filled with gratitude and joy， and I felt the same after reading her story。
Janilyn Kocher
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I grew up watching LHOP so I have read all the stars’ books and sometimes followed them on social media。 I was interested in catching up with Gilbert’s life after she moved from Michigan。 She and husband Tim became rusticated in the Catskills。 I found it interesting to read their adventures in house rehabbing and then hunkering down during the pandemic。Gilbert takes political swipes， which I expected， but I focused on other facets of the book。 Two of the quotes she attributes to Laura Ingalls Wi I grew up watching LHOP so I have read all the stars’ books and sometimes followed them on social media。 I was interested in catching up with Gilbert’s life after she moved from Michigan。 She and husband Tim became rusticated in the Catskills。 I found it interesting to read their adventures in house rehabbing and then hunkering down during the pandemic。Gilbert takes political swipes， which I expected， but I focused on other facets of the book。 Two of the quotes she attributes to Laura Ingalls Wilder actually emanated from the show and not the author， which is a pet peeve。If you’re interested in reading about back to the land lifestyle， this is the book for you。Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the early read。 。。。more
Christina Faris
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Most people know Melissa Gilbert as Halfpint from Little House on the Prairie， the popular television show she starred in as a child。 Her real life story is filled with just as much love as the beloved character。I am a huge Melissa Gilbert fan！ I have watched Little House all my life and I recorded every single Lifetime movie she was in on VHS tapes。 I read her previous book and loved hearing all her memories of Little House and life in Hollywood。 So I was beyond excited to get a copy of her new Most people know Melissa Gilbert as Halfpint from Little House on the Prairie， the popular television show she starred in as a child。 Her real life story is filled with just as much love as the beloved character。I am a huge Melissa Gilbert fan！ I have watched Little House all my life and I recorded every single Lifetime movie she was in on VHS tapes。 I read her previous book and loved hearing all her memories of Little House and life in Hollywood。 So I was beyond excited to get a copy of her newest book。 Although this book essentially picks up where the last left off， it’s very different。 In a lot of ways， it seems more personal。 Here， Melissa describes her journey with her husband as they refurbished a house in the woods， grew a garden， raised chickens and focused on living。 Melissa found the simple things - growing vegetables， cooking meals， and being close to animals - really brought her great joy。 She also provides a great reminder on how important it is to help others， human and animals alike。 I got through this book in less than a day！ It was a lovely， easy read comparable to sweet strawberries fresh out of Ma’s （or maybe I mean， Halfpint’s） garden。 Melissa， I have loved you be entire life。 Getting to read this book early has been a great honor for me。 I almost feel like my life has come full circle， similar to how you described。 Thank you ❤️Big thanks to Netgalley， Gallery Books and Melissa Gilbert for the ARC！ This book releases May 10th。This review will be shared to my Instagram blog books_by_the_bottle shortly ☺️ 。。。more
Debbie Slaughter
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Although grateful for being a winner in the giveaway for this book， I'm disappointed in how it turned out。 Having read one of Melissa's previous books， I thought it would be fun to read about her life with her actor husband and their adventure buying a run down cabin。 But， a few chapters in， I realized this was a little bit of cabin talk mixed with her disdain of Trump， all things conservative and running for congress because they needed another liberal to do the job right。 When I got to page 10 Although grateful for being a winner in the giveaway for this book， I'm disappointed in how it turned out。 Having read one of Melissa's previous books， I thought it would be fun to read about her life with her actor husband and their adventure buying a run down cabin。 But， a few chapters in， I realized this was a little bit of cabin talk mixed with her disdain of Trump， all things conservative and running for congress because they needed another liberal to do the job right。 When I got to page 107 and she started praising Dr。 Anthony Fauci， I realized that Melissa and I would have to part ways。 As I flipped through the 2nd half of the book， I landed on a page where her son marched in one of the violent gatherings supporting George Floyd， her praise for the vaccination and constant talk about COVID。Between talking about her constant ailments， liberal agenda， the "F" word and half the book being about COVID， she could have written a small booklet about the cabin and I think I would have loved it。 Thankfully this book was free。 。。。more
Nancy
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Chronicilng her time during COVID lockdown， Melissa Gilbert and her husband Timothy Busfield retreat to their "getaway" cabin in the Catskill Mountains， which soon become their primary residence。 As Melissa learns to do all manner of construction to make their home liveable， she also starts to garden and raise chickens。 This is an easy read and Gilbert's writing style definitely feels conversational。 It flows smoothly and keeps you reading。 Several of her chapters took me right back to those str Chronicilng her time during COVID lockdown， Melissa Gilbert and her husband Timothy Busfield retreat to their "getaway" cabin in the Catskill Mountains， which soon become their primary residence。 As Melissa learns to do all manner of construction to make their home liveable， she also starts to garden and raise chickens。 This is an easy read and Gilbert's writing style definitely feels conversational。 It flows smoothly and keeps you reading。 Several of her chapters took me right back to those stressful early COVID days when we weren't sure what was happening or what was going to happen。 But she also kept it light-hearted and positive。 This is definitely worth the read。Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review。Available May 10， 2022。 。。。more
Sandy Pipp
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It was interesting to read about Melissa Gilbert--since I watched her on Little house on the Prairie so many years。 And now all the things she is doing in life。
Vlbayman
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I give props to Melissa Gilbert for writing honestly about some experiences that others might not have been so open about。 She seems very approachable and relatable。 Much of this book covered her purchase of a ramshackle house in the Catskills， renovations to make it habitable， and then settling in to quarantine during COVID。 She made it easy to imagine being hunkered down in the boonies， and I think her quarantine experiences and self-examination will feel familiar to readers。Thank you to Galle I give props to Melissa Gilbert for writing honestly about some experiences that others might not have been so open about。 She seems very approachable and relatable。 Much of this book covered her purchase of a ramshackle house in the Catskills， renovations to make it habitable， and then settling in to quarantine during COVID。 She made it easy to imagine being hunkered down in the boonies， and I think her quarantine experiences and self-examination will feel familiar to readers。Thank you to Gallery Books and Goodreads for sending me this book as a Goodreads Giveaway。 。。。more
GG
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I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway。I grew up watching Little House and was so happy to catch up with Half Pint。 She just seems so down to earth in this book and I so enjoyed her covid journey and life at the Cabbage。
Michelle Kidwell
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Back to the PrairieA Home Remade， A Life Rediscoveredby Melissa GilbertPub Date 10 May 2022 Gallery Books Biographies & Memoirs I am reviewing a copy of Back to the Prairie through Gallery Books and Netgalley:If you’re a fan of Little Houde on the Prairie， I highly recommend Back to the Prairie！Melissa Gilbert is known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie， Melissa has spent most of her life in Hollywood with everything from Dancing Back to the PrairieA Home Remade， A Life Rediscoveredby Melissa GilbertPub Date 10 May 2022 Gallery Books Biographies & Memoirs I am reviewing a copy of Back to the Prairie through Gallery Books and Netgalley:If you’re a fan of Little Houde on the Prairie， I highly recommend Back to the Prairie！Melissa Gilbert is known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie， Melissa has spent most of her life in Hollywood with everything from Dancing With the Stars to a turn in politics， she was always on the lookout for her next project。 She just had no idea that her latest one would be completely life changing。After her husband introduces her to the wilds of rural Michigan， Melissa begins to fall back in love with nature。 And when work takes them to New York， they find a rustic cottage in the Catskill Mountains to call home。 But “rustic” is a generous description for the state of the house， requiring a lot of blood， sweat， and tears for the newlyweds to make habitable。As the Worldwide Pandemic descends on the world， it further nudges Melissa out of the spotlight and into the woods。 She trades Botox treatments for DIY projects， power lunching for gardening and raising chickens， and soon her life is rediscovered anew in her own little house in the Catskills。I give Back to the Prairie five out of five stars！Happy Reading！ 。。。more
*TUDOR^QUEEN* （on hiatus）
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DNF @ 40%I always liked the actress Melissa Gilbert who famously played "Half-Pint" Laura Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie"。 My mother and I cherished watching that series together decades ago。 I also liked watching her in some TV movies such as "Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife"。 A funny factoid， she and I actually had a little in person exchange back in 1985 when I was the Features Editor on my college newspaper and attended a screening of her movie， "Sylvester"。 I asked her， "Woul DNF @ 40%I always liked the actress Melissa Gilbert who famously played "Half-Pint" Laura Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie"。 My mother and I cherished watching that series together decades ago。 I also liked watching her in some TV movies such as "Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife"。 A funny factoid， she and I actually had a little in person exchange back in 1985 when I was the Features Editor on my college newspaper and attended a screening of her movie， "Sylvester"。 I asked her， "Would you ever like to play a bitchy role？" and she replied， "I'd like to play every kind of role"。 I also enjoyed her book， "Prairie Tale: A Memoir" from several years ago。 She is married to actor Timothy Busfield who played the character Elliot Weston in the episodic tv series "Thirtysomething" back in the eighties。 Gosh， how I loved that series！ This book covers their shared experience buying a country refuge property in New York state that needed renovations， and how this took place during the covid 19 pandemic。 Having read her prior memoir a short several years ago， I knew I would like her writing style and looked forward to experiencing this book。 However， my pleasure in reading it was punctuated intermittently with her personal politics。 I tried to look past it time and time again until she truly got vile and ignorant at around the 40% mark， where I slammed the book closed forever。 It sounds like she and her husband aren't that financially solvent and they could really benefit from the proceeds of this book。 Therefore， I really don't think it's a good idea turning off half of this politically divided country。 I don't have to watch the Oscars or the Grammys anymore， and I don't have to read your books either。Thank you to the publisher Gallery Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Lou
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I loved following along as the house in the Catskills comes together and becomes a shelter from the fears of the pandemic。 I too found solace in home。 Walks in the woods， reading， cooking， and knitting。 Lovely to meet a grownup half pint。 Loved your tv show and loved this book。
Carla Bayha
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I only read one or two of the "Little House" books growing up （more of an Alcott fan） and didn't own a television when Melissa Gilbert's Laura Ingalls Wilder character debuted on "Little House on the Prairie。" But I remember when Melissa Gilbert became President of the Screen Actors Guild: there were very few women presidents at the time。。。anywhere。 Since then， books and a documentary have increased my interest in Ingalls and her very emancipated daughter Rose Wilder Lane。 For me， and I bet many I only read one or two of the "Little House" books growing up （more of an Alcott fan） and didn't own a television when Melissa Gilbert's Laura Ingalls Wilder character debuted on "Little House on the Prairie。" But I remember when Melissa Gilbert became President of the Screen Actors Guild: there were very few women presidents at the time。。。anywhere。 Since then， books and a documentary have increased my interest in Ingalls and her very emancipated daughter Rose Wilder Lane。 For me， and I bet many others， Gilbert's second half might be even more interesting than her days as a child star。 For a few years， Gilbert and her husband， actor/director Timothy Busfield， lived just north of Ann Arbor （"Our friend Jeff Daniels， another Michigander ， said to me， "Listen if you get bored， go to Ann Arbor。 They think they're Paris。"） This book covers that experience， her short run for political office in Michigan， and their move to a fixer upper in the Catskills in late 2019。 Of course it becomes a pandemic journal， as they wait out the worst， and turn their cottage into a little farm （cue the chickens）。 Gilbert is a very accomplished writer。。。and there are recipes！ 。。。more
Beth
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#netgalleyarc This book left me wanting more。 I’m a big fan of Little House and the author but this book just didn’t do it for me。 It’s a cute story about how she and her family survived quarantining/lockdown in their house in the woods but it just left me feeling meh。
Laura
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Outspokenly honest， Melissa Gilbert still has a bit of Halfpint in her。This is a book of discovery and perseverance as well as a touch of Life During a Pandemic diary。Her third and it sounds like final marriage seems to be the right one， agreeing with her as she reinvents herself once again。 Melissa and Timothy Busfield pare down their former lives， buy a fixer upper and put in sweat and blood equity to learn to live more self reliantly， with less。 Melissa especially enjoys raising chickens and Outspokenly honest， Melissa Gilbert still has a bit of Halfpint in her。This is a book of discovery and perseverance as well as a touch of Life During a Pandemic diary。Her third and it sounds like final marriage seems to be the right one， agreeing with her as she reinvents herself once again。 Melissa and Timothy Busfield pare down their former lives， buy a fixer upper and put in sweat and blood equity to learn to live more self reliantly， with less。 Melissa especially enjoys raising chickens and appreciating wildlife， such as deer， that visit their property。They both have learned to put family first and be grateful for opportunities; that time is precious。Melissa includes several of her passions and opinions， her health issues， and some recipes too。Like many others， I grew up with her （and Tim） on my television and enjoy Little House reruns。Life lessons learned from the show are reflected in this pandemic experience。 。。。more
Beth
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Growing up watching Little House on the Prairie I felt like I knew Melissa Gilbert。 It seemed that we grew up together being about the same age。 I was familiar with Timothy Busfield from his role in West Wing。 They take us on their journey to simplify their life unbeknown to them just as covid hit the United States。 They wanted a place in the woods outside of New York City that they could use for holidays and weekends to get away from the city。 They find what sounds like the most dilapidated lit Growing up watching Little House on the Prairie I felt like I knew Melissa Gilbert。 It seemed that we grew up together being about the same age。 I was familiar with Timothy Busfield from his role in West Wing。 They take us on their journey to simplify their life unbeknown to them just as covid hit the United States。 They wanted a place in the woods outside of New York City that they could use for holidays and weekends to get away from the city。 They find what sounds like the most dilapidated little house in the whole state。 But guess what it became theirs along with a pretty good size woods。 As they slowly started working on this "house" information about this pandemic started spreading around the world。 So the packed up and moved to the country and started finishing their renovations。 There was a lot of hard work and deliveries to make the place inhabitable by humans。 But then things started coming together and then they got chickens and started growing their own vegetables。They really did have their own little house on the prairie that they made livable through their own hard work and sweat。 Well done。 。。。more
Tricia
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Growing up as a fan of both the books and the TV show and someone who spent the past year re-watching all of the tv show again I was super excited to her that Melissa Gilbert had another book out！ And she did not disappoint。 I loved hearing about the house remolding that her and her husband were doing and even how they lived in Michigan at one point （which was news to me！） I find it really refreshing when celebrities are able to take steps back out of their lives and go through what most America Growing up as a fan of both the books and the TV show and someone who spent the past year re-watching all of the tv show again I was super excited to her that Melissa Gilbert had another book out！ And she did not disappoint。 I loved hearing about the house remolding that her and her husband were doing and even how they lived in Michigan at one point （which was news to me！） I find it really refreshing when celebrities are able to take steps back out of their lives and go through what most Americans deal with on a daily basis。 She had me wanting to start my own garden just so I could use fresh veggies to try some of her recipes！！ It was really good to see one of my childhood heroes grow up to be someone you can still admire and who while has had their own life struggles be a genuine good person and want to help those around them。 ** I received an Arc e-book copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Cheryl
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I thoroughly enjoyed this recounting of Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield's time spent renovating/rebuilding their cabin in the Catskills。。。a place to 'get away from the big city'， only to retreat there when COVID descended on us all。 We can all relate to those early days of fear and little or no reliable information。 Less relatable， but no less entertaining， is their return to the basics of farm life。。。almost 'back to the prairie' as the title suggests。 Fearing the unknown availability of fo I thoroughly enjoyed this recounting of Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield's time spent renovating/rebuilding their cabin in the Catskills。。。a place to 'get away from the big city'， only to retreat there when COVID descended on us all。 We can all relate to those early days of fear and little or no reliable information。 Less relatable， but no less entertaining， is their return to the basics of farm life。。。almost 'back to the prairie' as the title suggests。 Fearing the unknown availability of food， they raised their own chickens and planted a large garden supplying themselves and neighbors with eggs and vegetables。 In the end， they have created a haven where they can retreat， pandemic or no pandemic， and live a simpler life。 。。。more
Cindy
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Melissa Gilbert is best known for her roll on the show Little House on the Prairie。 Following her third marriage， she starts to look at life from a different perspective。 Moving with her husband to a small town in Michigan， Melissa discovers that she enjoys a less hectic life pace。 When she and her husband decide to buy a small house in desperate need to repairs in the Catskills， she figures it will be a great place to go to get away from the stress of work and a fast paced life she's been livin Melissa Gilbert is best known for her roll on the show Little House on the Prairie。 Following her third marriage， she starts to look at life from a different perspective。 Moving with her husband to a small town in Michigan， Melissa discovers that she enjoys a less hectic life pace。 When she and her husband decide to buy a small house in desperate need to repairs in the Catskills， she figures it will be a great place to go to get away from the stress of work and a fast paced life she's been living for so long。 Little did she know that the world was about to shut down for the pandemic。 Melissa learns that she doesn't necessarily need all the things she had had for so long and that a quieter life in the country suits her。 。。。more
Kerry
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I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this memoir by Melissa Gilbert。 Like many women my age， I followed Melissa Gilbert;s exploits on Little House on the Prairie， so I was excited to read about what she has been up to recently。 Although the quality of the writing is mediocre， I did find Melissa's voice to be warm and engaging。 It was refreshing to hear such down to earth words from someone who has fully lived the Hollywood lifestyle。 Reading this me I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this memoir by Melissa Gilbert。 Like many women my age， I followed Melissa Gilbert;s exploits on Little House on the Prairie， so I was excited to read about what she has been up to recently。 Although the quality of the writing is mediocre， I did find Melissa's voice to be warm and engaging。 It was refreshing to hear such down to earth words from someone who has fully lived the Hollywood lifestyle。 Reading this memoir was like having a chat with a friend - and it is easy to imagine striking up a friendship with Melissa Gilbert。 Much of the second half of the book describes Melissa and her husband's experiences as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic while living in the country。 Most readers will find this section to be highly relatable - from the cleaning， disinfecting and testing to the somewhat frantic search for toilet paper。 I would recommend this as a fun， easy read for those who have fond memories of Little House on the Prairie。 。。。more
Jane
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Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book。 I found it inspiring。 Melissa Gilbert is down to earth and honest in her writing about the ups and downs of her life。 Every reader will be able to relate to her experiences。 She may be a television star， but she is human just like the rest of us！
Janet
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Melissa Gilbert's new book is about simplicity。 Shedding our pasts and just living right now。 At times I felt as if she was TOO amazed with country living or "normal" life--but it also made you realize how different East and West Coast living really is。 Being able to slow down after being in the hustle and bustle of her daily life in L。A。 was a change。 She changed。 And not only did she change， but the most important part of the book was also the part where she was WILLING to change。 She transfor Melissa Gilbert's new book is about simplicity。 Shedding our pasts and just living right now。 At times I felt as if she was TOO amazed with country living or "normal" life--but it also made you realize how different East and West Coast living really is。 Being able to slow down after being in the hustle and bustle of her daily life in L。A。 was a change。 She changed。 And not only did she change， but the most important part of the book was also the part where she was WILLING to change。 She transformed just like the rest of us。 It's a fun and cozy book。 She should have dove into the concept of Hygge and the Danish way of living。。。 I think she found her Hygge。 。。。more
Abby
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