Loved reading about Melissa Gilbert. Her marriage, her home, her emotional development. She is a down to earth women and a wonderfully open writer. Very entertaining.

If you loved Melissa Gilbert’s first memoir because it gave you all the feels and gossip, but weren’t sure there could possibly be more to learn about her life that’s as entertaining, set aside your doubts; her second memoir will not disappoint. There’s plenty more to learn about this beloved star and, as a bonus, her husband. I devoured this book in an afternoon, because Melissa’s writing immersed and entertained me so that I didn’t notice time passing; I was just hanging out in a well-known, but new, friend’s world. This book provides an intimate peek into Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield’s marriage as they navigate relatable newly-wed issues like blending families, making moving decisions, buying that first home together, and navigating the pandemic all while Melissa allows the reader to accompany her on the journey of becoming her most authentic self, embracing her best qualities and learning a lot about home renovation. This story’s main focus is on the last few years, as the pandemic consumed the US, and provides an opportunity for the reader to reflect on the important relationships, challenges, and turmoil of the time. I felt heart pangs good and intense as I read. There’s a warmth only Half-Pint can portray as she navigates personal triumphs and sorrows interacting with her family, animals, and fixer-upper home in the Catskills. The book is sprinkled with Little House references, to thrill the TV show fan, while revealing so many new and endearing personal tales from Melissa to devour, for the celebrity memoir enthusiast. I will add a trigger warning for a brief mention of suicide. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a quality celebrity memoir, whether they’re a Gilbert fan or not. I did find it a little cringe that Gilbert and her husband left NYC as COVID began, as it kind of roped them into the “rich who were able to flee the problem” stereotype, but the truth is, they had already owned their up-state New York home for a year prior to 2020, and they volunteered to help with COVID needs as the pandemic raged.

Back to the Prairie: A home remade, a life rediscovered

By: Melissa Gilbert

Gallery Books

Publish Date 10 May 2022

Biographies and Memoirs

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author and star of Little House on the Prairie returns with a new 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 was 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.

Book Review:

I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. Melissa is a great writer and draws you in with her humor and straight forwardness. She tells it like it is.

In this book it starts out with her divorce from Bruce. Then it moves on to her meeting her current husband Tim. She talks about her career and the injuries she has gotten and the pain she was always in. She loves her family very much and it shows in the book. This book takes you through the before, during and after of Covid-19. She tells how she was ready for a change and how she was able to do this even during Covid-19.

She is so much more than I thought she would be. She is honest and true to herself, family and friends. She loves animals and has a special with them. I love the stories about her wild animal friends.

There were some things I didn’t she tried, and she has done so much. I highly recommend this book.

I thought I would enjoy this book but it felt like Ms. Gilbert couldn't stop talking about how great she was.
Had to put it down. I'm sure others will love it

What a joy to read about one of my favorite actresses. I grew up on and loved Little House on the Prairie.

She’s candid and I loved the intro by her husband Timothy Busfield. Melissa realized after meeting Timothy she was in love and ready to start anew in Michigan. She walked away from Botox and the expectations of Hollywood and realized really enjoyed this life.

Melissa gives us an inside look to their life in Michigan. She touches on Covid and growing a garden and raising chickens.

This memoir is endearing and a fun read. #backtothepraire, #booksconnectus, #netgalley, #bookstagram, #bookstagram, #bookreview, #gallerybooks

I live in a rural town in Michigan, so I totally relate to Melissa finding her love of nature. She and her husband found a rustic, falling down property in the Catskills and she went from Hollywood's busy lifestyle of glitz and glamor to raising chickens, remodeling a house, and basically finding herself again. While I enjoyed the parts about the remodeling and farm life and how they survived the pandemic, I could have done without so much of her political views which to me seemed unnecessary. But overall a fun and enjoyable read.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Back to the earth, with Melissa Gilbert! Gilbert gives an intimate glimpse into roughly a year of her life amidst the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a celebrity New Yorker who escapes to her cabin in "upstate" New York (aka the Catskills) at the start of the crisis. In many ways, it's nice to hear a celebrity behave almost exactly how the rest of us fared in the crazy vortex that was 2020.

Thank you to Gilbert, NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced reading copy. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see a book from Melissa Gilbert as I absolutely adore her and have been a fan of Little House since I stumbled across a VHS at my local library when I was about 10. Even more over the moon that I was approved for an E-Arc!

I enjoyed the book but it fell a bit flat for me. It just seemed to be more of a recap of the "pandemic years" with a few personal details from before thrown in here and there. I do not know that I am ready to rehash the harsh times that were 2020 til, well, now because.. we are still in a pandemic. It brought up a lot of anxieties for me that I have been working hard to overcome the past 2 years.

That being said, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend to others. I liked seeing the journey Melissa and Tim took to create their Cabbage and a safe space for her to be herself.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest review.

Special thank you to Gallery Books and Net Galley for the advanced copy of Back to the Prairie by Melissa Gilbert!

In this new memoir, Melissa Gilbert tells of her experience of going from a glamorous Hollywood life to moving to the Catskills and renovating a house during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic. She tells of her experiences with marriage, family, surgeries, growing vegetables, and raising chickens.

As someone who lives miles from Laura Ingalls Wilder's final home in Missouri, I grew up with a connection to her. My great grandmother used to sell eggs to Laura and have tea with her often. So, obviously I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie as well. To be honest, I have not kept up too much with Melissa Gilbert's career as of late, so when I saw this book I was interested to see what she had been up to.

Gilbert and her husband deciding to renovate a home in the middle of nowhere and learning to farm, is a great concept for a memoir. I enjoyed the tales of learning how to build vegetable plots and feeding the random wildlife that seem to be attracted to her. I think that going into the book one should bear in mind the times we are in because she does tie in current events quite often. Before reading the book, I had read a few negative reviews about Gilbert's politics being brought into the book, but this was not of concern to me especially with the subject matter you get from reading a short description of the book. I did though, find issue with the writing style when broaching certain subjects, such as the chapter where she and her son are talking about the BLM protests following the death of George Floyd. The content was fine overall, but the conversation just seemed forced into the chapter and this example and a few other areas also felt this way. I found that if some areas had been shortened or rearranged a bit differently the book may have flowed better.

Overall, I found the book to be an interesting read and would definitely recommend it to someone who was interested in knowing what Melissa Gilbert is up to lately or who is a fan of Little House, though I do think this book will have a niche audience and is not quite made for a broader audience like most memoirs I have read as there does not seem to be a huge overlying message to it.

This is hard for me to review because while I enjoyed a good bit of this, her politics got in the way of my enjoyment so I’m going to keep my review short.
I very much enjoyed Little House on the Prairie as a child and even as an adult so I was excited to read this. It was written about her experience leaving the LA lifestyle and moving into the country as Covid hit and the world was altered. Each chapter documents a point in her time during Covid and how she and her husband adapted to a whole new lifestyle. That part was great because it was totally relatable. I wish she would have stopped there rather than adding her stance that had nothing to do with the topic at hand. It was enjoyable to see a star go from Beverly Hills to a country house with no heat and fix it up and how her and her family got through the pandemic. That’s what I signed up for. The other stuff I could do without.
Rounding up from 2.5 to 3 solely because of Little House love.
Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I grew up watching LHOP so I have read all the stars’ books and sometimes followed them on social media. I was interested in catching up with Gilbert’s life after she moved from Michigan. She and husband Tim became rusticated in the Catskills. I found it interesting to read their adventures in house rehabbing and then hunkering down during the pandemic.
Gilbert takes political swipes, which I expected, but I focused on other facets of the book. Two of the quotes she attributes to Laura Ingalls Wilder actually emanated from the show and not the author, which is a pet peeve.
If you’re interested in reading about back to the land lifestyle, this is the book for you.

Most people know Melissa Gilbert as Halfpint from Little House on the Prairie, the popular television show she starred in as a child. Her real life story is filled with just as much love as the beloved character.

I am a huge Melissa Gilbert fan! I have watched Little House all my life and I recorded every single Lifetime movie she was in on VHS tapes. I read her previous book and loved hearing all her memories of Little House and life in Hollywood. So I was beyond excited to get a copy of her newest book.

Although this book essentially picks up where the last left off, it’s very different. In a lot of ways, it seems more personal. Here, Melissa describes her journey with her husband as they refurbished a house in the woods, grew a garden, raised chickens and focused on living. Melissa found the simple things - growing vegetables, cooking meals, and being close to animals - really brought her great joy. She also provides a great reminder on how important it is to help others, human and animals alike.

I got through this book in less than a day! It was a lovely, easy read comparable to sweet strawberries fresh out of Ma’s (or maybe I mean, Halfpint’s) garden.

Melissa, I have loved you be entire life. Getting to read this book early has been a great honor for me. I almost feel like my life has come full circle, similar to how you described. Thank you ❤️

Big thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Melissa Gilbert for the ARC! “Back to the Prairie” releases May 10th.

Chronicilng her time during COVID lockdown, Melissa Gilbert and her husband Timothy Busfield retreat to their "getaway" cabin in the Catskill Mountains, which soon become their primary residence. As Melissa learns to do all manner of construction to make their home liveable, she also starts to garden and raise chickens.

This is an easy read and Gilbert's writing style definitely feels conversational. It flows smoothly and keeps you reading. Several of her chapters took me right back to those stressful early COVID days when we weren't sure what was happening or what was going to happen. But she also kept it light-hearted and positive. This is definitely worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Available May 10, 2022.

Growing up as a fan of both the books and the TV show and someone who spent the past year re-watching all of the tv show again I was super excited to her that Melissa Gilbert had another book out! And she did not disappoint. I loved hearing about the house remolding that her and her husband were doing and even how they lived in Michigan at one point (which was news to me!)

I find it really refreshing when celebrities are able to take steps back out of their lives and go through what most Americans deal with on a daily basis. She had me wanting to start my own garden just so I could use fresh veggies to try some of her recipes!! It was really good to see one of my childhood heroes grow up to be someone you can still admire and who while has had their own life struggles be a genuine good person and want to help those around them.

Back to the Prairie
A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered
by Melissa Gilbert
Pub Date 10 May 2022
Gallery Books
Biographies & Memoirs


I am reviewing a copy of Back to the Prairie through Gallery Books and Netgalley:



If you’re a fan of Little Houde on the Prairie, I highly recommend Back to the Prairie!


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





After 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.



As the Worldwide 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.



I give Back to the Prairie five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

DNF @ 40%

I always liked the actress Melissa Gilbert who famously played "Half-Pint" Laura Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie". My mother and I cherished watching that series together decades ago. I also liked watching her in some TV movies such as "Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife". A funny factoid, she and I actually had a little in person exchange back in 1985 when I was the Features Editor on my college newspaper and attended a screening of her movie, "Sylvester". I asked her, "Would you ever like to play a bitchy role?" and she replied, "I'd like to play every kind of role". I also enjoyed her book, "Prairie Tale: A Memoir" from several years ago. She is married to actor Timothy Busfield who played the character Elliot Weston in the episodic tv series "Thirtysomething" back in the eighties. Gosh, how I loved that series! This book covers their shared experience buying a country refuge property in New York state that needed renovations, and how this took place during the covid19 pandemic.

Having read her prior memoir a short several years ago, I knew I would like her writing style and looked forward to experiencing this book. However, my pleasure in reading it was punctuated intermittently with her personal politics. I tried to look past it time and time again until she truly got vile and ignorant at around the 40% mark, where I slammed the book closed forever. It sounds like she and her husband aren't that financially solvent and they could really benefit from the proceeds of this book. Therefore, I really don't think it's a good idea turning off half of this politically divided country. I don't have to watch the Oscars or the Grammy's anymore, and I don't have to read your books either.

Thank you to the publisher Gallery Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I loved following along as the house in the Catskills comes together and becomes a shelter from the fears of the pandemic. I too found solace in home. Walks in the woods, reading, cooking, and knitting. Lovely to meet a grownup half pint. Loved your tv show and loved this book.

Back to the Prairie
by Melissa Gilbert
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
Gallery Books
Thanks to the author, Gallery, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. What a great read! I grew up with Melissa Gilbert on Little House on the Prairie, and I feel like I "know" her. I was so interested to learn about her life and what she is doing now.
* Biography * Memoir * Nonfiction
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.
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. I recommend this book. 4 stars

#netgalleyarc This book left me wanting more. I’m a big fan of Little House and the author but this book just didn’t do it for me. It’s a cute story about how she and her family survived quarantining/lockdown in their house in the woods but it just left me feeling meh.

Outspokenly honest, Melissa Gilbert still has a bit of Halfpint in her.
This is a book of discovery and perseverance as well as a touch of Life During a Pandemic diary.
Her third and it sounds like final marriage seems to be the right one, agreeing with her as she reinvents herself once again.
Melissa and Timothy Busfield pare down their former lives, buy a fixer upper and put in sweat and blood equity to learn to live more self reliantly, with less. Melissa especially enjoys raising chickens and appreciating wildlife, such as deer, that visit their property.
They both have learned to put family first and be grateful for opportunities; that time is precious.
Melissa includes several of her passions and opinions, her health issues, and some recipes too.

Like many others, I grew up with her (and Tim) on my television and enjoy Little House reruns.
Life lessons learned from the show are reflected in this pandemic experience.