As many of us have grown up watching the show “Little House on the Prairie” and Melissa Gilbert. Is a beloved actress to most of us. Her book, “Back to the Prairie “ reflects on her life from basically the start of this COVID 19 pandemic, She talks about her relationships with her husband, family, friends, and yes, the animals she befriends. She tells us about their decision, to live a simpler life, away from Hollywood and NYC, the celebrity lifestyle, which is all for the better. She and her husband embrace the simpler lifestyle, living in the Catskills, in the middle of a pandemic! She is incredibly honest and very direct, as she writes about her experiences and feelings during this transition in her life! One may be tempted to make drastic life changes too! As an added bonus, Melissa includes several favorite recipes of hers, to try from her book, and I want to try them all! Kudos to Melissa!

Growing up watching Little House on the Prairie I felt like I knew Melissa Gilbert. It seemed that we grew up together being about the same age. I was familiar with Timothy Busfield from his role in West Wing. They take us on their journey to simplify their life unbeknown to them just as covid hit the United States. They wanted a place in the woods outside of New York City that they could use for holidays and weekends to get away from the city. They find what sounds like the most dilapidated little house in the whole state. But guess what it became theirs along with a pretty good size woods. As they slowly started working on this "house" information about this pandemic started spreading around the world. So the packed up and moved to the country and started finishing their renovations. There was a lot of hard work and deliveries to make the place inhabitable by humans. But then things started coming together and then they got chickens and started growing their own vegetables.
They really did have their own little house on the prairie that they made livable through their own hard work and sweat. Well done.

Enjoyed this beautiful actress for so many years and really enjoyed reading her book, Can't wait for her next one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this recounting of Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield's time spent renovating/rebuilding their cabin in the Catskills...a place to 'get away from the big city', only to retreat there when COVID descended on us all. We can all relate to those early days of fear and little or no reliable information. Less relatable, but no less entertaining, is their return to the basics of farm life...almost 'back to the prairie' as the title suggests. Fearing the unknown availability of food, they raised their own chickens and planted a large garden supplying themselves and neighbors with eggs and vegetables. In the end, they have created a haven where they can retreat, pandemic or no pandemic, and live a simpler life.

Melissa Gilbert is best known for her roll on the show Little House on the Prairie. Following her third marriage, she starts to look at life from a different perspective. Moving with her husband to a small town in Michigan, Melissa discovers that she enjoys a less hectic life pace. When she and her husband decide to buy a small house in desperate need to repairs in the Catskills, she figures it will be a great place to go to get away from the stress of work and a fast paced life she's been living for so long. Little did she know that the world was about to shut down for the pandemic. Melissa learns that she doesn't necessarily need all the things she had had for so long and that a quieter life in the country suits her.

This book was sent to me for review electronically by Netgalley. Who doesn't love "Little House...?" Melissa Gilbert is a prolific author, as well as a gifted actress. I enjoyed watching her on the series, but I also enjoy her movies as much. That being said, this book kept my interest from the first page. She is honest and candid about her life. Her life in her cottage with her garden...her family...friends...Covid...all the life that many of us have lived the last couple of years...I did not want to stop reading. I do not generally enjoy books by "famous" people...they are sometimes tell all books...not my favorite...This was not that...it was a revelation of a woman and her husband getting back to the basics. Grab a warm afghan...a cup of steaming herbal tea...a blueberry scone...cuddle up in a comfy chair...enjoy Melissa Gilbert's journey through the last few years...you won't be sorry you took the time to do so.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.


I have been a fan of Melissa Gilbert since I watched her when I was a kid play Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. I have read her two previous books and really enjoyed them. when I saw she had another book coming out, I was very excited to get a copy of it and read it.

This book is about Melissa meeting her husband, actor Tim Busfield and them finding a cottage/cabin the named "the Cabbage" and restoring it. It also deals with her various health issues, family her running for political office, and of course Covid 19 hitting. This book was a real pleasure to read, I really enjoyed this one. I would have loved to listen to an audiobook of this, with Melissa reading it.

A fun, nostalgic read that was light and lovable. Perfect for any fan of Little House on the Prairie.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this memoir by Melissa Gilbert. Like many women my age, I followed Melissa Gilbert;s exploits on Little House on the Prairie, so I was excited to read about what she has been up to recently. Although the quality of the writing is mediocre, I did find Melissa's voice to be warm and engaging. It was refreshing to hear such down to earth words from someone who has fully lived the Hollywood lifestyle. Reading this memoir was like having a chat with a friend - and it is easy to imagine striking up a friendship with Melissa Gilbert. Much of the second half of the book describes Melissa and her husband's experiences as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic while living in the country. Most readers will find this section to be highly relatable - from the cleaning, disinfecting and testing to the somewhat frantic search for toilet paper. I would recommend this as a fun, easy read for those who have fond memories of Little House on the Prairie.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.

I read this in one sitting. I simply could not put it down. I believe every reader will be able to relate to Melissa Gilbert’s life experiences. Reading about the good times in her life, and how she coped with the more difficult times, was absolutely inspiring. She is honest about her feelings throughout. I appreciate that she took the time to write this.

Melissa Gilbert is practicing the Danish Lifestyle--Hygge--yet doesn't even realize it.

Her book is about how you can lead the most luxurious lifestyle and end up living in The Catskills feeding deer and raising chickens. At times she wants to sound relatable, and other times she wants to remind you that she is an L.A. actress who led a glamourous life. We all loved Little House on the Prairie, and now she's living the actual life.

I thought the book was cozy. Fun, yet at times I wish she went more in-depth. She was vulnerable but yet didn't go as deep as what you wanted.

If you're a fan of Gilberts read it--it's fun. It's an easy read and you wish you had your own stupid cabbage (read the book and find out...)

What a sweet journey. A forever love, a little fixer-upper, and chickens!!!! Melissa takes us through her life from a bad marriage to a very good relationship/partnership. She shows us how a perfect couple can work together to fix up basically a shack and stay happy and healthy during a pandemic (includes her opinions on the former President).

I do think this is her best book yet. I just love how Melissa comes to achieve the things that are important to her and not the things that are important to Hollywood. I couldn't help but feel how proud Pa would be of his little Half-Pint and hope that she has a long, healthy life in her little cabin.

Some genuinely interesting stories in this memoir, but not a 'must read' for others than die-hard fans. I appreciated the inclusion of recipes...always a nice touch.

This reads like a breath of fresh spring air. My early 2000’s childhood consisted of watching Little House on Prairie reruns with my dad. At the time I was infatuated with Laura Ingalls Wilder and her adventurous nature, but when I rediscovered the show during quarantine my attention shifted to the actress who played her. I began to wonder, what is Melissa Gilbert doing now? Back to the Prairie is a beautiful story about love, family, self-discovery, and reinventing one’s once Hollywood life into a more simple way of living. I truly felt like I was reading a memoir of a longtime friend. Melissa’s writing not only has a sense of relatability and wit, but her words felt like a warm hug after a very grueling pandemic. There were also little touches to her story that I adored! Such as her recipes, a Joni Mitchell quote, and The Beatles references. The chapters flowed seamlessly, and in the end, I can undoubtedly say that Laura Ingalls would be proud of the person Melissa Gilbert has become.

Melissa Gilbert is who everyone would want for their next door neighbor! This book felt like a collection of warm, friendly and personal conversations you are having with her over a cup of your favorite tea. She shares her newly discovered passion for living the simple life where she communes with nature during the pandemic and a few recipes and is all the better for it. Her happiness from the joy of being a grandmother and the happily ever after she has found with her husband Tim Busfield radiates off the page into your own heart. Highly recommend the time reading this book with what ultimately seems like a visit with an old friend.

The book showed the choices Melissa made throughout her life. Her choices is what created her to be the way she is. Each choice shapes who she is becoming.
Back to the Prairie, was a choice her and her husband made, not really knowing why but knowing they should do it. They spent a year,fixing up the house they bought in upstate New York. Then the unexpected pandemic hit, and they moved out to the country and faced the same things we did. They had to change their way of life just like we all did.
She shares the struggles, how they had to change their mindset, learn new things, like how to garden, raise chickens, being isolated, and when she needs a doctor or dentist, they are closed. Throughout her life and her book, as she is reliving memories, I saw that when she was going through things, it was choices she was making, but when she was sharing the memories, we could see the results of the choices. I think many people are going to enjoy reading this book, because they are going to be able to relate to it. Life is about choices, memories is about the results of the choices, and the little girl on Little House on the Prairie is all grown up, and the star we loved to watch, has another side which comes through in this book. If you didn't grow up on Little House on the Prairie, you will still enjoy the book because everyone makes choices, everyone has memories, and for me it wasn't anything I thought about until reading this book. It highlights how alike we all are, even thought we are all so different.
I received an ARC from Gallery Books through NetGalley.

I’ve been a fan of Melissa Gilberts since Little House on thee Prairie it was really fun reading about her life today.She is so open about her life with her husband Timothy Busfield.Their purchasing and renovating an old house in upstate New York was really interesting fun to read about I will be recommending.#netgalley #gallerybooks

I was excited to begin reading this book. I like reading autobiographies and getting a glimpse into different perspectives and lifestyles which may be far different from mine, while discovering similarities along the way.

What I liked most about this book is simply Melissa. Her character shines through. She seems approachable, warm, and authentic. She details the journey of buying a property in the Catskills with her husband with the intent to fix it up, personalize it, and make it authentically their own. She takes us with her on this wonderfully personal journey during Covid-19. She shares anecdotes, thoughts, lessons learned, and even recipes. This is more like reading letters from a good friend than a Hollywood memoir, and I found that refreshing.

(Note for Publisher and NetGalley; This review is scheduled to be posted on May 10, 2022)

I was excited to read Melissa Gilbert's memoir. One reason, being shared by thousands, is that the author played the role of Laura Ingalls, aka Half Pint, on "Little House on the Prairie." We remember Laura as a spunky, sweet girl who was taught valuable things while living on a TV prairie. Now the actress writes about things she learned to value while setting up a real-life "prairie" in the Catskills.

How did a Hollywood city girl become a hands on country girl? If you're the least bit curious you'll enjoy this book. Gilbert doesn't dwell on her childhood or her life in Hollywood. She sprinkles bits of memories, but stays focused on the more recent events that she and her husband, Timothy Busfield, experience. Together they tackled unexpected challenges with determination and humor. Gilbert’s writing style is relatable and has laugh out loud moments.

Melissa Gilbert refers to herself as Half Pint and many of us remember the beliefs that Half Pint was taught on "Little House on the Prairie. " For that reason, I'll refer to religion in this review. Gilbert's personal beliefs are occasionally brought up, but not in the same way as on her TV show.. It's helpful to separate the character from the actress..

When I read a memoir about getting "back to the prairie", I don't expect political comments. I found those to be disruptive and unnecessary. At times it felt as if she stood a political podium.

I really enjoyed "Back to the Prairie". I loved the author's passion for real over reel, and her enthusiasm for family, good food and nature. Gilbert writes a wonderful memoir that entertains.

I received a free copy of this book for review and was not required to give a positive review. Thank you, NetGalley, and Gallery.

“Back to the Prairie” is more of a book about a lifestyle change than a memoir. As such, it was a good read. I commend anyone who finds love later in life, creates a blended family, connects more with nature and a return-to-the-earth kind of lifestyle. This is a cozy read and includes family recipes. I would recommend for anyone who grew up watching “Little House on the Prairie” and “Thirty Something” who will enjoy reading about the “Laura Ingalls” & “Elliott” romance, and how two movie stars go about creating an “Ever After” in the Catskills.