The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

"It was so wonderful to be there, safe at home, sheltered from the winds and the cold. Laura thought that this must be a little bit like Heaven, where the weary are at rest."

Maybe someday I'll write a review for the entire Little House On the Prairie series, but today I just want to focus on The Long Winter. (Doesn't every winter feel long, though? I think it's over, and then...it's not.)

By this time, the Ingalls are living in Dakota Territory. It's their first year on a new homestead and the fall harvest is small, but they are hopeful as always. They do not expect to wake up one morning in October - October - to a howling blizzard! Nor are they prepared for another, oh, seven months of severe winter.

How do you survive seven months of blizzards? Well, you move to town. You go to school when you can, perhaps for only one day every so often. You warm up by dancing to fiddle music. You find ways to save food and fuel as long as you can and hope the trains come before you starve.

When they don't come, you hope for a miracle.

It's been a long time since I read this book, and it's even better than I remembered. It's not quite as cozy as I thought, but that's not a bad thing. It feels more like an adventure - which is surprising, because the only real action comes in when (slight spoiler) two young men risk their lives to find wheat for the town. (One of them is Laura's future husband!) The Ingalls just hunker down at home and do what they can to survive, but they do it bravely. It takes courage to endure the storm with hope. "She knew that cold is not so cold if you are not afraid of it."

The Long Winter is a story of bravery, and of free will. I won't go into detail, but look out for the words "free and independent"; you'll see them quite a few times. Laura Ingalls Wilder's writing style is simple, yet descriptive. You always know exactly how it felt to be there.

In short, the prairie is still a good escape from our reality. I think winter is really over now, but read the book anyway. It'll make you more grateful for spring.

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33 (NIV)