It may seem like a lot to take on, to read both The Long Winter and The Beautiful Snow for a book club. But it doesn’t have to be! As a Young Adult-genre novel, The Long Winter is a relatively fast read. The Beautiful Snow, being a documentary effort, can be broken up a bit. I recommend reading the introductory material, to understand the context for the rest of the book.

Each monthly chapter begins with a summary of the month as found in the newspapers as well as what the Ingalls family experienced in the novel. Each topic (the weather, the railroads, food and fuel, out and about, social activities, and boosterism) also begins with a monthly summary relevant to that topic, followed by how that topic unfolded along each of the railroad lines. The two railroad lines that directly impacted De Smet were the Winona & St. Peter and the Dakota Central. You can save reading time by reading only the “Along the Winona & St. Peter” and “Along the Dakota Central” portions under each topic. You’ll miss some interesting stories that took place along other railroad lines, but you’ll certainly get the gist of the winter in most of the greater region. Then after the monthly chapters, you can read the Epilogue and the Appendixes that interest you.

• Book Club Discussion Questions
• Book Club Flier
• Book Review in The Globe – Worthington, MN (March 16 2021)