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.
Author: susanwbailey
My name is Susan Bailey and I find the life of Louisa May Alcott endlessly fascinating. I come from New England (specifically Massachusetts) and my family has been here in one form or another since the 1630ā²s. I live fairly close to Concord, MA where Orchard House, the homestead of the Alcotts, is located, and visit often. Every few years or so I go on a reading ābingeā about Louisa and this time around was so good, I just had to start a blog about my passion. The binge, by the way, still goes on!
Iāve been happily married for over 30 years and my husband is a deacon in the Melkite Church (Eastern Catholic ā I am Roman Catholic). We are proud parents of a grown son and daughter.
Iāve worked happily for the last 17 years at Rutledge Properties in Wellesley, MA, supporting the agents in the office.
And in my āother life,ā Iāve performed, written and recorded music exploring my Catholic faith. I have a website (www.susanbailey.net) where you can hear samples and find out more about this. I sing at various masses at my home parish of St. Luke the Evangelist in Westboro, MA.
Other interests include history (especially photographic), nature (especially bird watching), and I have the same āinordinate love of catsā that Louisa had. :-)
It's vacation time again with more opportunities to visit Concord. The more times I visit, the more I want to see. A trip down the Sudbury River to Great Meadows I enjoy kayaking very much and so took a trip down the Sudbury River, launching from the bridge off of Lowell Road, just off of …
Thanks to everyone for participating in the latest giveaway on the Louisa May Alcott is My Passion blog - a print of May Alcott's painting of an owl, something she painted in Louisa's room directly over the fireplace. And the winner is? Jillian! Congratulations to our winner! A haven for Alcott enthusiasts Thanks so much …
I recently watched again the PBS film Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little WomenĀ and thoroughly enjoyed it.Ā To see Louisa portrayed on the small screen is just as thrilling as ever. This reminded me of how I started my blog 1 year ago today after reading the book. What a wonderful year it …
I found a lovely poem that Louisa May Alcott wrote that perfectly reflects the successful formula she used in writing forĀ children. She may have disdainfully considered it "moral pap" and only wrote it to make money, but when I read something like this, a very reassuring voice comes through the simple tale and time-tested …
I found a wonderful article about a book featuring Louisa May Alcott and 3 other women authors in a study on American women authors' domesticity. Here is an excerpt from the article - the link is at the end of the excerpt so you can read the whole article: Newswise ā Brooklyn, NY -- The …
Thank you for the GREAT response to my book giveaway of Gabrielle Donnelly's The Little Women Letters. Your comments were just wonderful! You'll be happy to know that Gabrielle has agreed to guest blog again in the future as time allows. And the winners are . . . Janine Hopewell Donna Kindberg-Perron Congratulations! I will …
I am pleased to present a guest blog by the author of The Little Women Letters, Gabrielle Donnelly. Recently I reviewed this fine book and had a chance to talk with Gabrielle via email about it. I was intrigued by her biography where it stated that she had no sisters but in fact had 4 …
I'm on vacation this week and no vacation is complete without another tour of Orchard House, this time with a friend who has never been there before. I must say, I am always impressed at how knowledgeable the guides are at Orchard House. I've been there numerous times and always learn something new! Today I …
Thanks to the advice of a reader (much appreciated, Gina!), I've started reading Marmee, the Mother of Little Women by Sandford Meddick Salyor. Certainly you cannot look at the life of Louisa May Alcott without looking at her parents. There are plenty of works on Bronson but not that much on Abba ("Marmee").Ā This 1949 …
I just created a page with personal recommendations of places to visit and things to do while visiting Concord, Massachusetts. The one thing I could not recommend is hotels because I live too close to Concord to have stayed overnight. Here's some recommendations for those of you who want to indulge in living history (to …