On the Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Why read the book?

On the Way Home is Laura's own diary from the summer of 1894. After years of drought, sickness, and failed crops in South Dakota, Laura and Almanzo and their daughter Rose pack up their wagon and head south to Missouri. They are looking for a better place to live.

The diary is short and simple. Laura writes about the land they see, the people they meet, and the towns they pass through. Rose Wilder Lane, their daughter, wrote the beginning and end of the book to give the diary more context. They finally settle in Mansfield, Missouri, where Laura would live for the rest of her life.

Favourite quote

We came to Mansfield in a wagon. All we owned in the world was in that wagon.

What I Loved

This book felt different from the novels because it is a real diary. Laura wrote short notes each day about what she saw. She noticed the land and the weather and how green Missouri was compared to the dry Dakota prairie. You could feel how tired they were but also how hopeful.

It was touching to read about the family starting over one more time. They had lost so much but they still had each other. When they found Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield you could feel that Laura knew this was the right place. After all those years of moving from place to place, she finally found home. The diary is simple but it says so much in so few words.

Key Takeaway

Sometimes you have to leave everything behind to find where you truly belong.

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