Historical Fiction Annotation - Caroline: Little House Revisited

Basic Info:

Title: Caroline: Little House, Revisited

Author: Sarah Miller

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publication Date: September 19, 2017

Number of Pages: 367

Geographic Setting: Wisconsin, Kansas; Frontier

Time Period: 1870-1871

Series: None; however, it could be considered a companion read to the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” series.

Plot Summary:

Like a slice of hasty pudding straight from the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” series, this novel is told from Caroline Ingalls’ (Ma’s) perspective as the family of four travel by wagon from their cozy home and loving relatives in Wisconsin for new opportunities in the unsettled “Indian Territory” of Kansas in 1870.

For most of the story, it’s an uphill battle. They nearly lose their belongings and their lives when they try to cross a swollen creek in their wagon. They withstand a pack of wolves surrounding their half-finished cabin at night. They survive a prairie fire, the plague and multiple unnerving visits by the Osage Indians. Many of these stories are familiar to what readers know from Wilder’s “Little House” series, but what is new in this book is access to Caroline’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

Outwardly, “Ma” is the loving parent and obedient wife full of patience, understanding and too many “Whatever you say, Charles’” to count. Inwardly, her heart is broken to leave her parents and siblings. She is fearful of delivering her baby alone on the Kansas prairie. She misses her pantry, stove and her rocking chair. She is secretly angry at Charles for putting the family in danger in Indian Territory.  She is sometimes jealous that he can get away from the daily chores at the homestead and can go out and make friends. Above all – she is lonely and at one point she “…could not help but wonder whether Charles and the girls would be enough.”

Slowly, struggles become interspersed with happier moments. When baby Carrie is born and a new neighbor comes to help. When Charles makes Caroline a new rocking chair, even better than the last. When Mr. Edwards saves Christmas. When glass windowpanes are installed. And those stolen moments between Charles and Caroline in the middle of the night. Caroline begins to love her little house and life on the Kansas open prairie with her garden full of plants grown from Wisconsin seeds. But just as the Ingalls really begin to settle in and make Kansas “home,” news comes from afar that upends their lives once more.

Characteristics of Historical Fiction

Pacing/Length: At 367 pages, “Caroline” is a longer book with unhurried pacing. More time is spent describing Caroline’s inner reflections than on action scenes, especially for the first 1/3 of the book. This is consistent with many historical fiction novels as “…the necessity of creating the detailed background often makes these books slow-starting, although the pacing may pick up midway” (Saricks, 2009, p. 297).

Frame/Setting: Adhering to what Saricks (2009) indicates are historical fiction fan desires to “learn about historical events, or characters or the life and customs in another time,” this novel offers a strong sense of place in the unsettled territories and pioneer life of the 1870s. From the sizzle of salt pork on a hot griddle, to the sharp points of a corset poking ribs, to the clothes drying on the tall prairie grasses, and even honoring the Sabbath as a day of rest, the reader learns much about pioneer life, especially from a woman’s perspective.

Characterization: Most readers will already be familiar with the Ingalls family from Wilder’s “Little House” books and the syndicated television show, so to sway too far from the characters’ known personalities and mannerisms would have been a death sentence for this book. Thankfully, Miller does a very nice job of staying true to the likeable characters and their quirks, and complements Caroline’s character with what readers might have already imagined are her “real” thoughts and feelings.

Readers May Also Enjoy (Fiction):

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

Like “Caroline” this story has a strong sense of place and a female main character enduring the hardships of pioneer life. While Caroline experiences the travails of life on the Kansas Frontier (a/k/a “Indian Territory”), Alexandra forges a farm on the Nebraska Frontier after the loss of her father.

The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas

While “Caroline” is told in third person, Mattie’s story is in first person through her personal journal. Both stories offer insight to a pioneer woman’s thoughts as she travels into new territory via covered wagon. For Caroline, it is Kansas; for Mattie it’s Colorado.

Readers May Also Enjoy (Nonfiction):

American Grit: A Woman’s Letters from the Ohio Frontier by Anna Briggs Bentley

A collection of letters sent by Anna Briggs Bentley over 50 years to her family back in Maryland after she, her husband, and six children carve out a new life on the Ohio frontier in the 1820’s and beyond.

Prairie Fires: the American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Using primary resources such as letters, manuscripts, and financial records, Fraser tells the biographical stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter, Rose.

REFERENCE 

Saricks, J. G. (2009). The readers advisory guide to genre fiction. Chicago: American Library Association.