FEBRUARY 2018 - AudioFile
Laura Ingalls Wilder has captivated generations with her stories of pioneer life, the Little House books. Now Sarah Miller tells the story of the Ingalls’s journey west and life on the prairie from Ma’s point of view. Narrator Elizabeth Marvel compels listeners to empathize with Caroline. Vivid descriptions depict the dangers of frontier life, such as swollen rivers, thin ice, and prairie fires as well as the emotional challenges of loneliness, unending labor, and Caroline’s ever-present fear of her Osage neighbors. Listeners experience her terror and her competence. Marvel bares Caroline’s soul, and her voice guides our emotions. Even male children’s voices sound natural and full-bodied. This is an intimate, detailed look at frontier life. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Peeling back the layers of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series allows Miller to reveal the real Caroline Ingalls, Wilder’s mother. Not to be missed by Wilder’s grown-up fans or those who enjoy historical fiction about the settling of the American West in the late 1800s.” — Library Journal
“Through assured prose, Miller puts us in those conversations, showing us the fear and uncertainty behind Wilder’s implacable, unflappable “Ma,” but also her strength and devotion to her husband and children... this is a stunning novel. Miller’s research is impeccable and her writing exquisite...” — Historical Novels Review, Editors’ Choice
“Comforting, inspiring and beautifully written, Caroline is a precious addition to the story of the Ingalls family but stands on its own as a testament to the spirit, grit and courage that built America.” — Mary Jane Clark
“A master of historical fiction, Miller forges Caroline Ingalls into a formidable, complex pioneer woman, and adult fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series will delight in this portrayal of “Ma.” Beguiling, pulse-pounding historical fiction.” — Kirkus Reviews
“I was entertained, transported, and inspired by Sarah Miller’s CAROLINE. Each passage was written with so much care and love, I now can’t imagine reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series without a copy of CAROLINE close at hand.” — New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Shelley Shepard Gray
“Readers who grew up cherishing the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder will find much to savor in Caroline...Full of lyrical descriptions of the wild beauty of the Kansas countryside, Caroline is a well-researched and thoughtful look at the inner life of one of America’s most famous frontier women.” — BookPage
“Now, Miller draws her [Caroline Ingalls] onto center stage, gifting readers with a beautiful portrait of a remarkable, true pioneer. This is a beautiful tribute to a mother and a family who followed their dreams and a tale that is as uplifting and real as the original Little House books.” — RT Book Reviews
“A stunning and sentimental novel brimming with historical detail, Caroline grants readers a chance at a new experience with an old familiar story.” — Bustle
Mary Jane Clark
Comforting, inspiring and beautifully written, Caroline is a precious addition to the story of the Ingalls family but stands on its own as a testament to the spirit, grit and courage that built America.
Bustle
A stunning and sentimental novel brimming with historical detail, Caroline grants readers a chance at a new experience with an old familiar story.
Historical Novels Review
Through assured prose, Miller puts us in those conversations, showing us the fear and uncertainty behind Wilder’s implacable, unflappable “Ma,” but also her strength and devotion to her husband and children... this is a stunning novel. Miller’s research is impeccable and her writing exquisite...
RT Book Reviews
Now, Miller draws her [Caroline Ingalls] onto center stage, gifting readers with a beautiful portrait of a remarkable, true pioneer. This is a beautiful tribute to a mother and a family who followed their dreams and a tale that is as uplifting and real as the original Little House books.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
I was entertained, transported, and inspired by Sarah Miller’s CAROLINE. Each passage was written with so much care and love, I now can’t imagine reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series without a copy of CAROLINE close at hand.
BookPage
Readers who grew up cherishing the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder will find much to savor in Caroline...Full of lyrical descriptions of the wild beauty of the Kansas countryside, Caroline is a well-researched and thoughtful look at the inner life of one of America’s most famous frontier women.
Library Journal
08/01/2017
Peeling back the layers of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" series allows young adult author Miller to reveal the real Caroline Ingalls, Wilder's mother. While Ma projected a calm, strong exterior in the face of adversity in the series, research and family letters point to a woman in real life who at times questioned her ability to be a good caretaker and was haunted by the meagerness of her childhood. Miller, who has previously exposed unheard voices in her work (Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller), recounts the story of the Ingalls family's 700-mile covered wagon trek from Wisconsin to a settlement in Kansas. Here, Ma's thoughts run deep as she constantly assesses her words and actions toward daughters Laura, Mary, and Carrie, and partners effectively with her husband, Charles, and his wanderlust. This character-driven narrative balances a submissive and dutiful wife with a passionate young woman who openly and tenderly admires her husband and relishes their lovemaking. VERDICT Not to be missed by Wilder's grown-up fans or those who enjoy historical fiction about the settling of the American West in the late 1800s. [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/17.]—Wendy W. Paige, Shelby Cty. P.L., Morristown, IN
FEBRUARY 2018 - AudioFile
Laura Ingalls Wilder has captivated generations with her stories of pioneer life, the Little House books. Now Sarah Miller tells the story of the Ingalls’s journey west and life on the prairie from Ma’s point of view. Narrator Elizabeth Marvel compels listeners to empathize with Caroline. Vivid descriptions depict the dangers of frontier life, such as swollen rivers, thin ice, and prairie fires as well as the emotional challenges of loneliness, unending labor, and Caroline’s ever-present fear of her Osage neighbors. Listeners experience her terror and her competence. Marvel bares Caroline’s soul, and her voice guides our emotions. Even male children’s voices sound natural and full-bodied. This is an intimate, detailed look at frontier life. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-07-04
The Ingalls family loads everything they own onto a wagon and heads west from Wisconsin to the unsettled Kansas Territory, but this time, the tale is told from Caroline's perspective.A master of historical fiction, Miller (The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century, 2016, etc.) forges Caroline Ingalls into a formidable, complex pioneer woman, and adult fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series will delight in this portrayal of "Ma." Taking advantage of the opportunity to sell their Wisconsin farm, the Ingallses say goodbye to extended family. Will Charles, her beloved husband; Mary, her sweetly serious 5-year-old; and Laura, her rambunctious 3-year-old, be enough for Caroline? More worrisome, she's again pregnant. Without her kinswomen near, who will deliver her child? The journey is rife with dangers, from torrential rains and swollen rivers to menacing wolves and inscrutable Indians, not to mention claustrophobic quarters aboard the wagon. Yet the journey also brings rekindled romance and the discovery of new friends, including the beloved Mr. Edwards, who arrives gruff, lean, and thirsty for a family. And in her direst moments Caroline must swallow her fears as she faces down Indians invading her new home, catastrophic accidents, and illnesses. And she must stifle her modesty as she surrenders to the ministrations of a stranger, the only woman for miles, in childbirth. As the Ingalls family moves into the wide-open prairie, Caroline's own psychological terrain cracks opens, and Miller's novel shifts from exploring the geographical to the emotional wilderness of a woman caught on the very edge of civilization as she knows it. Caroline is compellingly mindful, particularly when she studies the effects of a tightly knit family life on her daughters and of relentless, brutal work on her husband, herself, and her far-flung neighbors in Indian territory. Beguiling, pulse-pounding historical fiction.
