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. :-)
Dictionary.com had several definitions for the word, "vortex" which I thought were interesting: 1. a whirling mass of water, especially one in which a force of suction operates, as a whirlpool. 2. a whirling mass of air, especially one in the form of a visible column or spiral, as a tornado. 3. a whirling mass …
Following up on my last post, one of Susan Cheever's footnotes referred the reader to Madeleine Stern's tour de force, Louisa May Alcott: A Biography, and the outstanding chapter on Little Women. I read Madeleine Stern's book several years ago and and it still remains one of the best books I've ever read. Now voraciously …
I really loved what Susan Cheever had to say in her chapter on Little Women in Louisa May Alcott A Personal Biography. I hadĀ found myself wondering why Little Women was the standout book from this prolific author, seeing that it was written under such duress, and I think Cheever really hit on it. Here's …
Finishing up chapter V in the 1864 version ofĀ Moods ("The Golden Wedding"), I walked away with two thoughts, regarding Louisa's spirituality and her romanticized self in Sylvia Yule. Louisa May Alcott's Spirituality I want more than ever to write a longer treatise on the spirituality of Louisa May Alcott. Although she did not belong …
Click on the Audio/Visual tab and scroll down to the VISUAL section where I've just posted a promotional video featuring Susan Cheever discussing her book, Louisa May Alcott A Personal Biography. She does a nice job of explaining the motivation behind the book and her feelings about Louisa being such a modern woman who can …
I admit it's a bit confusing reading both versions of Moods at the same time but it's sure been an eye-opener with regards to editing. As I sheepishly admitted in a reply to a comment from a recent post, I thought once a book was published that it was set in stone. ReadingĀ Little Women …
Progressing through Moods, I can see that even though I love it, it may not be a book to suit everyone's tastes. Of all the current biographies (meaning in the last 30 years) that I've read or are reading on Louisa (Louisa May Alcott: A Modern Biography by Martha Saxton, Louisa May Alcott The Woman …
Okay, I admit it! I was one of those purists who said I'd NEVER convert to eBook reading because I loved the tactile experience of holding a real book and turning the pages. And I still do. BUT . . . I am loving the eBook experience since I got my iTouch. Here's why: 1. …
The 1882 version of Moods includes 3 interesting chapters which develop the principal characters of the novel and their interaction with each other. Geoffrey Moor Chapter 2 gives us a glimpse into Geoffrey Moor, based upon the loyal, lifelong friend of Bronson Alcott, and the Good Samaritan who quietly and discreetly helped the Alcott family …
Moods was Louisa May Alcott's first serious novel and her"baby," most likely the book that Jo referred to in Chapter 27 of Little Women, "Literary Lessons." Louisa describes Jo's writing process which likely mirrors her own. "Falling into a vortex," as she calls it, it's like Louisa/Jo steps into another dimension, oblivious to the outside …