Prairie Tale

Prairie Tale (2009) by Melissa Gilbert. If the name of the author sounds familiar, it's because she is the actress who played Laura Ingalls in the immensely popular TV series Little House on the Prairie. The show aired from 1974 to 1983, and those were some of the best years of Gilbert's life. She certainly recalls them fondly. The rest of her life, after Little House was over, was a real roller coaster ride. This book borders on soap opera as Gilbert describes her troubled love life, her alcoholism and drug use, and other problems that plagued her during her adult years. I sure wouldn't want to trade lives with her. Her writing is only passable, no great shakes, but the book is readable and stays interesting throughout. I enjoyed reading it, if only because I have such fond memories of Half Pint on the Little House show. Grade: B