Back to the Prairie

A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered

By: Melissa Gilbert, Timothy Busfield - introduction

Narrated by: Melissa Gilbert

Includes a foreword written and read by Timothy Busfield

The New York Times bestselling author and star of Little House on the Prairie returns with a hilarious and heartfelt memoir chronicling her journey from Hollywood to a ramshackle house in the Catskills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert has spent nearly her entire life in Hollywood. From Dancing with the Stars to a turn in politics, she is always on the lookout for her next project. She just had no idea that her latest one would be completely life changing.

When her husband introduces her to the wilds of rural Michigan, Melissa begins to fall back in love with nature. And when work takes them to New York, they find a rustic cottage in the Catskill Mountains to call home. But “rustic” is a generous description for the state of the house, requiring a lot of blood, sweat, and tears for the newlyweds to make habitable.

When the pandemic descends on the world, it further nudges Melissa out of the spotlight and into the woods. She trades Botox treatments for DIY projects, power lunching for gardening and raising chickens, and soon her life is rediscovered anew in her own little house in the Catskills.

Critic reviews

"Fans of Melissa Gilbert and “Little House on the Prairie” will get a lift during this performance of her second memoir, this one detailing her life with Timothy Busfield. Although Gilbert's voice has matured with age, one still hears the perky nuances that made her performances as Laura Ingalls so endearing. Anecdotes are filled with joy, anger, hope, and laughter as the couple leave California and settle down in the Catskills. Gilbert displays wonder as she gets to know the wildlife around their renovated home, determination as she builds and tends a garden, and love and respect for her husband during the challenging isolation of the Covid pandemic. It seems Gilbert's life has come full circle. Busfield's narration of his introduction is icing on the cake."

Tries too hard.

Lots of "feel sorry for me", Actors/actresses should stick to entertaining instead of cramming their politics into everything. Very disappointing.

Treat Yourself To This One!

I wasn’t particularly a Melissa Gilbert fan. By that I mean I’ve never watched Little House On The Prairie. Nope, not ever. I know who Melissa is. She’s cute, lived in my state for a couple years, ran for office and is married to Timothy Busfield (“Ray, do not sell this farm”) who I like very much. I actually read this book just because I saw her on a talk show. I read audiobooks so I got to hear her story in her voice, which, I believe made reading it 100 times better. And seriously, this was one of the best written autobiographical stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t wait to hear more. It’s a story about her strength, her experiences and her love for her family, especially her husband. Hearing her read about what she’s been through and parts of her life both happy and sad was almost like a small glimpse into her soul. I found myself becoming jealous. Not of her celebrity, but of her life on her… “cabbage” (cottage/cabin).
This is an uplifting lovely story about finding what’s really important in life. Hearing stories about her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her dog and even her chickens made me so happy. This book is on my list to save and read again. Read it, you’ll be so happy you did.

Not what I was expecting

Mostly about tales of her life. I was suspecting more about little House on the Prairie and details and experiences. A little disappointed.

Raw and Real

Real, listening to Melissa read her own book and give her own opinions, well, quite frankly she comes across raw and real. I may not agree with all of her opinions but it was a pleasure getting her views which she also gave her readers not just an understanding of someone with other opinions, but why they had those opinions. Melissa, thank for the read

LOVED IT

loved that Melissa narrated and did an awesome job. I laughed and cried. So heart warming. If you love Milissa Gilbert you will love her story.