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.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the festivities at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House. The homestead is decorated in the spirit of the Alcott family and the staff provides wonderful programs for the season. An extra treat of course is the recent release of Eve LaPlante's groundbreaking books, Marmee & Louisa The Untold Story of Louisa …
Continue reading "A special Christmas Invitation from Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House"
December 2017: This movie is now showing on TV. It would likely be featured on the Hallmark Channel but I've seen it on local stations as well. It is also available for purchase on Amazon. I went into this movie preparing to hate it. I don't watch Lifetime and am not a huge fan of …
Continue reading "“The March Sisters at Christmas:” So, what did you think?"
And a lot of it was filmed in my hometown of Grafton, MA! (see previous post) "The March Sisters at Christmas" will be broadcast on the Lifetime network on Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25. Here is the schedule: Sat Nov 24, 8 PM Sun Nov 25, 12 AM Sun Nov 25, 5 PM …
I am pleased to announce that Louisa May Alcott is My Passion now has a prominent link on the Louisa May Alcott Society Helpful Links page! I am humbled and honored (and that's putting it mildly!). This is great organization, connecting you with noted Alcott scholars. Daniel Shealy (Little Women Abroad,Ā Alcott in Her Own Time, …
I realize it's been nearly a month since I posted and I wanted to let you know why. I am hip deep in reading. And it started with a field trip to Fruitlands in Harvard, MA. And it will end there too. After visiting Fruitlands, I wanted to read more about it. I ended up …
In his book, Alcott Memoirs, Dr. Frederick Llewellyn Hovey Willis spends much time describing the special relationship he shared with Bronson Alcott, and the profound effect Bronson had on Dr. Willisā life. As a teenage boy, Willis spent many hours in conversation with Bronson and recorded some of these in his journal. Thus we have …
Continue reading "From Alcott Memoirs: Bronson from the point of view of a grateful student"
Of all the memoirs written by people who knew the Alcotts well, none provided more detailed descriptions of family members than Frederick Llewellyn Hovey Willis' book, Alcott Memoirs. In a series of posts, I will share with you his impressions of each member of this illustrious family. Willis' daughter Edith who compiled the memoir described …
Continue reading "What was Louisa May Alcott really like? The memories of her “adopted” brother"
Concord, home to Louisa May Alcott. I have been a student of Louisa on and off, for most of my life. Back in August of 2010 I decided to commit myself to study and share my reflections with you. I have so enjoyed all the book discussions and your wonderful comments about our favorite author. …
Continue reading "Concord in Autumn: walking the path Louisa walked"
Chapter 9 of Work, A Story of Experience brings us face to face with another character based upon a real life person. The character is Rev. Thomas Power and the actual person is the Rev. Theodore Parker. The power of life's example In Work, Christie, very taken with Cynthy Wilkinsā optimistic view of life, fulfills …
For someone who abhorred the idea of marriage for herself, Louisa May Alcott again and again paints a multi-layered, satisfying and mature picture of the institution. Raising an interesting question I wrote about this before, describing the first year of marriage between Meg and John Brooke in Little Women. I see it now in Work: …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 