Customer Reviews
"The rich man gets his ice in summer; the poor man gets his in winter." - By: Kona, 29 Jul 2006 
"The First Four Years" describes Laura & Almanzo Wilder's wedding & first years of marriage on a Dakota farmin the 1880s. Laura first tells Almanzo that she will never marry a farmer because the life is so hard & offers little financial security, so he makes a deal with her: They will try farming for three years & if it doesn't work out, he'll get a jobin town. She agrees, & they begin their life together.
The manuscript for this book was found after Laura's deathin 1957. It is very different from her previous Little House booksin that there is neither dialogue nor emotion; rather, it is a dispassionate list of events. A lot happens to the Wilders during their first four years including the birth of their daughter, disastrous weather & constant debt, serious illnesses, & a deathin the family. Yet never once does Laura describe any emotional reaction to these events; she faces both good & bad times with equal stoicism. Although the book is short, it seemed to drag because it was so dry & repetitive; we get endless descriptions of prairie weather, the condition of their livestock, & their financial troubles, all told by a detached observer. I learned about living conditions at the time, but found it lacked the charm & energy of earlier books.
an excellent portrayal of early married life in the dakotas - By: , 10 Oct 2000 
For all readers of the little house books, the first four years is the continuation of 'These Happy Golden Years'. Writtenin a shorter, more concise style than the other books (due to almanzo's death a few years before), the essence of laura's spirit is still clear within the pages of the first four years. It tells of the strugglein the first years of laura & almanzo's early married life, the troubles with the farm, weather destruction of crops, but above all else, the love shared between the two.
A must read for all little house fans - By: , 27 Sep 2000 A moving & touching story about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder now that she is an adult. Characters include Laura's husband Almanzo & their baby daughter Rose. Finding it a constant struggle as her parents before her, Laura & Almanzo strive to do their best for their little girl. It really is a wonderful story I couldn't put it down. Fans of Laura & her life will enjoy every moment of the little house series including the last & final book the first four years.
