Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Begun in 2010, this blog offers analysis and reflection by Susan Bailey on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Susan is an active member and supporter of the Louisa May Alcott Society, the Fruitlands Museum and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.
I had the pleasure last night of attending a presentation by Elise Hooper regarding her new book, The Other Alcott (see previous post for review). Among the many interesting aspects of her talk was the idea of women and artistry and the difficulty in claiming your vocation as an artist. Mayās dilemma Elise pointed out …
Continue reading "May Alcott’s call to the creative life is our call"
Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the author for review purposes. Lounging on my wicker love seat with the koi pond (and its sprinkling fountain) in view,Ā I had a most enjoyable summer read with The Other Alcott, a novel about May Alcott by Elise Hooper. May Alcott fleshed out Abigail …
Continue reading "Book Review: The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper"
You never know what you will find out from a librarian. Or where research will lead you. That's what makes it so addictive. The Alcotts and Homeopathy My research on Elizabeth Alcott has recently led me into the world of alternative medicine. The Alcotts were followers of Homeopathy, a popular alternative to traditional medicine in …
Continue reading "A rare look at Louisa May Alcott’s life as an invalid and a patient"
As promised, here is a summary of the Summer Conversational Series presented between July 16 and the 20th. The theme this year is "'Noble Companions and Immortable Labors'" the Alcotts, Thoreaus, and the Quest for Social Justice." I was only able to attend two sessions, on Tuesday and Wednesday. At the end of this post …
Continue reading "Summer Conversational Series 2017 at Orchard House wrap-up"
I need your help. I am writing my book proposal for the biography on Elizabeth Alcott and I need more input from you as a fan of Little Women. Here are a few short questions -- if you could comment below with your answers, that would really help. And thank you! What would you most …
Continue reading "What would you like to know about the woman behind Beth March?"
My commute to work is one hour or more each way so I have to do something to entertain myself. I tend to have what I call ābrain dumpsā while driving and when I do, I whip out my phone and turn on the Dragon app. Then I dictate what Iām thinking. A good portion …
Trix Wilkins of the Much Ado about Little Women blog (an excellent blog, by the way, all about Little Women) has written a most intriguing re-imagining of Little Women with different endings for characters. In her description of the book she writes, Set in the early 1870s, this re-imagining of Louisa May Alcottās Little Women …
Continue reading "Summer Reading Recommendation: The Courtship of Jo March"
Look what I got in the mail the other day: This is an advance copy of Elise Hooper's first book, The Other Alcott, published by Harper Collins in which she imagines May Alcott's life beginning in 1868. Elise gave a wonderful talk last summer at the Summer Conversational Series on May's life as an artist. …
Continue reading "Coming attractions – watch for a new novel on May Alcott coming out in September"
From the Firestone Library of Princeton University comes this fascinating and brief look inside the process of putting together the Second Part of Little Women for initial publication. This article shows the original frontispiece illustrated by Hammatt Billings (showing Amy and Laurie in Europe) and Louisa's comments scribbled in the margins. Then we get to …
I am listening for a second time to Harriet Reisen's fine biography, Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women. In discussing Louisa's childhood Reisen makes many references to a story Louisa wrote for her first children's series, Morning-Glories and Other Stories. Having little experience with writing children's stories, Louisa opted to learn by doing, …
Continue reading "“Poppy’s Pranks” reveals the childhood of Louisa May Alcott"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 