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Start giftingA Wilder Rose
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Learn moreThe Little House books, which chronicled the pioneer adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, are among the most beloved books in the American literary canon. Lesser known is the secret, concealed for decades, of how they came to be. Now, bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert reimagines the fascinating story of Laura’s daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, an intrepid world traveler and writer who returned to her parents’ Ozark farm, Rocky Ridge, in 1928. There she began a collaboration with her mother on the pioneer stories that would captivate generations of readers around the world.
Despite the books’ success, Rose’s involvement would remain a secret long after both women died. A vivid account of a great literary deception, A Wilder Rose is a spellbinding tale of a complicated mother-daughter relationship set against the brutal backdrop of the Great Depression.
Revised edition: This edition of A Wilder Rose: A Novel includes editorial revisions.
Susan Wittig Albert grew up in Illinois, earned her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, and served as an English professor and university administrator at the University of Texas, Tulane University, and Texas State University. A New York Times bestselling author, she has written over fifty mysteries in four different series, as well as other adult fiction, nonfiction, and books for young adults. She lives with her husband, Bill, on thirty-one acres in the Texas Hill Country, where she writes, reads, and pursues her other passions: gardening, raising chickens, and doing needlework. She is the founder of the Story Circle Network, an international organization dedicated to helping women tell their stories.
Reviews
“Albert has written a nuanced, moving, and resonant novel about fraught mother-daughter relationships, family obligation, and the ways we both inherit and reject the values of our parents...With all of the charm of the Little House series—and the benefit of a sophisticated, adult worldview—Albert’s novel is an absolute pleasure.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Albert does an excellent job of bringing historical figures to life in a credible way; her novel is well paced, its characterizations are strong, and the plot is solidly constructed.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“A revealing behind-the-scenes look into a literary deception that has persisted for decades.” —William Holtz, author of The Ghost in the Little House: A Life of Rose Wilder Lane
“A Wilder Rose expertly fleshes out the bond between mother and daughter. The novel is a fine study in personalities, an accurate depiction of time and place, and a thorough understanding of the birth of the Little House books.” —William Anderson, author of Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography
“Albert has written a compelling novel that lays out a very plausible version of the events leading to each of the Little House books...An amazingly engrossing story.” —Janet Spaeth, author of Laura Ingalls Wilder
“A Wilder Rose fictionalizes history in a way that helps readers better understand the thoughts, emotions, and desires that motivated and energized them and the people surrounding them.” —John E. Miller, author of Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder and Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane
“A Wilder Rose is a compelling depiction of one of the most significant literary collaborations of the twentieth century. That the two people involved were mother and daughter adds to its complexity and human interest.” —Anita Claire Fellman, author of Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Impact on American Culture
“A Wilder Rose smoothly blends fact and fiction...a splendid novel for everyone who has loved the Little House books.” —Carolyn Hart, award-winning author of Ghost Gone Wild
“The Little House books might be about brave pioneers surviving difficult trials, but between the lines hides the ghost of the books: the daughter who inherited the stories, built the storyline, supported her parents, but whose independence led her through an entirely different journey.” —Amy Khron, Revision 3
“The tense but loving relationship that arose from [the Wilder/Lane] collaboration is artfully depicted by Albert, whose elegant prose and evident fascination with the characters and time period make for an unexpected page-turner. If you are drawn to stories of mothers and daughters, the creative process, identity, or the first few decades of the twentieth century, this one’s for you.” —David Bowles, “Top Shelf,” The Monitor
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