Beyond the Prairie II: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Continues

I have read the reviews of parts one and two. The main complaints are that Meredith Monroe is a blonde and the writers did not go by the books.

Not many movies are exact copies of the book. In fact some of them the only semblance to the book, is the title.

Meredith Monroe was picked because of all the actresses that auditioned for the part she fit the part the best. They must have had a reason for keeping her blonde hair. There is no reason they could not have dyed her hair. She had dyed her hair brown for other roles. I believe she was picked for her girl next door look, and acting ability.

Meredith Monroe is a talented underrated actress. I though her and Walter Goggins did a fine job in both movies.

I think people tend to forget actors will do what the director tells them to do. So if Monroe or Goggins acts cheesy; it is because they are told to.

I have never read Laura Ingall's books so I guess I was not influenced by them. I thought for the most part the movies were good and entertaining. You have to remember these are made for TV movies, and they don't have the multi million dollar budget.

I saw this and have to tell you, I was very disappointed. I'm a longtime fan of the works of Mrs. Wilder, and feel strongly that this, if anything, was shameful to her memory and legacy. It is painfully obvious that the books were not read in great detail (or at all.) Perhaps it would have been better with different people in the roles (none of them were very believable). I watched it all the way through, hoping that something would come out of it to redeem it. I know not everyone would agree with me, but it just seems to be a bit of common sense that if you are going to make a movie about what someone has written, try and stay true to the writers words.

A family friendly story of the old west and of a family trying to find new land to start a new life, done many times. Almost turned it off but am very glad I did not. The performance of Ms. Monroe along with her natural beauty became an attraction that held me to the end. I can't wait for her next film regardless of her assigned character. Ms. Monroe will be a star of the future and in a very short time.

This second part of the Laura Ingalls Wilder story tells the later part of her life when she and her husband Almanzo a.k.a. Manly and their daughter Rose travel to Missouri to start a new life. They encounter many difficult situations ahead including losing money, being teased at school and trying to start a farm. The acting was good, Meredith Monroe did a great job as Laura but at times I found her a bit too cheesey, and Walt Goggins seemed a little distant at times but he pulled his weight and Skye McCole Bartusiak was exceptional as Rose, shining in all her scenes. The pacing was almost perfect, and while the script was a little lacking it worked fine. The setting was magnificent, all the scenes were breathtaking. I think this is a wonderful movie for a family to sit down and watch together, it's just nice and sweet nothing more nothing less.

I honestly do not know where to begin with this. I have been a fan of Mrs. Wilder's books since I was a child. It was the television show that introduced me to her books but as quality usually overcomes, I soon became bored with the television show and soaked up Mrs. Wilder's books like a sponge.

When these movies came about, I had honestly hoped someone would adequately portray Mrs. Wilder's life and this just fell flat. I get that the writer or director wanted to portray the immense love and affection Laura and Almanzo had for each other but the implication that they engaged in sex outdoors was too much to take in the first movie and ill advised in the second. Because it's not what happened.

Another previous reviewer made mention of the costuming and hairstyling and he/she was spot on. Mrs. Wilder was a brunette for one thing and would never have gone about with her hair down. At the very least, Mrs. Wilder, whose long brown hair once extended all the way down to her ankles, would wear it in a long braid. But Mrs. Wilder had a mother who was extremely conscious of cleanliness and neatness of person regardless of circumstances and drilled this into her daughters.

Mr. Wilder never liked going about in a bonnet but she always did. Maybe it hung down her back when she younger but she always had a bonnet and not a man's hat when she went out.

I will say Kudos to the writers for portraying the troubles bright Rose Wilder Lane had in school in Mansfield. She was exceptionally bright and gifted and surpassed the other students in her school by leaps and bounds. Eventually she had to go on to Louisiana to live with her Aunt Eliza Jane Wilder because the high school in Mansfield only went up to a certain grade.

While in Mansfield, Laura and Almanzo were struggling and lived very frugally, something Rose resented and her frustration was compounded by her troubles from other students in her school who were jealous of her academic abilities.

All in all the film is just OK. But it is not a true representation of the Author and her life.