Well, well, well....Truth be told, despite my enthusiasm for getting my hands on it, I was a little worried about this book. It's a tall order, taking on even a facet of such a well-known story. (Believe me, I know a thing or two about that.) So after all my impatience and public proclamations, I was hoping like the dickens I wouldn't have to write a less-than-pleasant review.
The verdict? I had Mary Ingalls on Her Own read in about 90 minutes, and I daresay Elizabeth Kimmel Willard has pulled this off. (I must say, I like this book better than Cynthia Rylant's Old Town in the Green Groves, which I may work up the nerve to rant a little about someday.)
All together now, "Whew!"
I'm pleased to report that Elizabeth Kimmel Willard really did a nice job with Mary's character. She is every bit the girl we remember: practical, refined, studious, cheerful, and almost painfully good. That said, we're also treated to a peek into the "real" Mary, because really, who could be THAT good, through and through, ALL the time? Nobody, that's who, especially not a bright girl whose lost her sight and her lifelong dreams of becoming a teacher at just 14 years old. (Even Mary herself admitted to Laura in Little Town on the Prairie that as a little girl she'd been so good only as a way of showing off.) No wonder it's so satisfying to watch Willard imagine how hard Mary must have been trying on the inside to maintain that good-as-gold image of herself after losing her sight. And yet her goodness still shines through, for Mary's struggles are indeed motivated by selflessness and love for her family. It's a clever and convincing balance.
The few times she does or feels something that might be considered out of character, Mary herself is surprised at her behavior, which effectively kept my disbelief from rearing its ugly head. Also, devoted readers of the later Little House books will realize that Willard had some leeway with Mary, and she smartly took advantage of it. When Mary arrives home for a visit in chapter 15 of These Happy Golden Years, it's clear that college has changed her -- she's become more vibrant, confident, and even a little mischevious, and Willard wisely uses that knowledge to stretch Mary's character toward that eventual change.Little snippets of familiar Ingalls family stories -- the blackbird pie, remembrances of Nellie Oleson, Ma's favorite hymn, Laura's Christmas gift of Tennyson's poems -- are scattered throughout the book, but never seem obtrusive. Willard also walks a careful line between the details of the Little House books and the truth of the Ingallses lives. For example, Mary briefly recalls the year they lived in Burr Oak, Iowa, and the baby brother who died there, but no mention is made of the real-life stroke that accompanied Mary's scarlet fever.
I suppose I should say a thing or two about the style of the writing. Inevitably, some folks will want to know if this reads like a "real" Little House book. Well, yes and no. It's not Laura's voice -- and honestly, how could anyone hope to duplicate Laura's voice? -- but it's not at all jarring, either. Much of the vocabulary and phrasing is reminiscent of the Little House we all know and love, and I appreciated that attention to detail. Frankly, I'm not sure if Laura's voice belongs in Mary's story anyway. So there.
Near the end of the book I got a little worried when things leaned dangerously toward getting preachy. Mary has Learned Some Things by the end of the story, and isn't shy about imparting that new-found knowledge onto her friends. But you know what? That's just the sort of person Mary Ingalls was, so I really can't complain.
I have just two teeny-tiny nitpicks:
- Caroline Ingalls rarely used contractions in her speech, so even though I think her character and sentiments were portrayed very well through the dialogue, the apostrophes caught my eye.
- Near the end of the book, Mary says while describing Laura, "Pa says she's as strong as a pony, too." I'm mildly puzzled why the author chose "pony" over Pa's usual "little French horse."
Like I said, these are bitsy things. All in all, I'm impressed.
My only real complaint: I wish I'd thought of writing this book first! ;)
