Sunday, March 08, 2015

By The Shores of Silver Lake

By the Shores of Silver Lake. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1939. HarperCollins. 291 pages. [Source: Library]

As a child, By The Shores of Silver Lake wasn't my favorite of the series. I blame Jack's death for that. But as an adult, I've come to appreciate By The Shores of Silver Lake more, seeing it as more than just a transition between On the Banks of Plum Creek and The Long Winter.

In By the Shores of Silver Lake:
  • Mary goes blind, Laura is "asked" to be her eyes
  • Pa is offered a new job, a job with the railroad, which he takes
  • He goes by wagon, Jack dies BEFORE Pa's departure
  • The rest of the family travels most of the way by train
  • They continue the rest of their journey (a day or two or three) by wagon
  • They settle in for a while, Pa talks about the claim he hopes to claim later that year or whenever his job is finished and he's able to go out seeking a claim of his own
  • Pa's job isn't always safe; he's the paymaster for the railroad, and he has to calm down an angry mob in this one.
  • They meet the Boast family
  • They spend the winter in the 'biggest' house Laura has ever lived in
  • Winter may be lonely (no neighbors, no town) but the spring will see plenty of people come and go. EVERYONE stops at their house on their way west
  • The family learns that there is a school for the blind, they all decide Mary should go there.
  • The family decides to claim land near De Smet, South Dakota
  • Laura catches the tiniest glimpse of Almanzo Wilder's horses
I definitely am enjoying rereading these books. By The Shores of Silver Lake may not be my favorite of the series, but, I'm glad I reread it.
© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Laura Napolitano said...

I loved this series growing up, and this was probably my favorite of the series because it was so different from the rest. Thank you for sharing!