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.
Publicist Dustin Fitzharris provided this interview providing in depth information about the upcoming Little Women musical. Answers are provided from the collective: Dan Redfeld (composer), Christina Harding (co-writer/lyricist) and John Gabriel Koladziej (co-writer/lyricist) What is the inspiration behind this Little Women musical, and why now? How did the creators come up with the theme and how …
Sarah Miller, the author of Marmee, A Novel of Little Women (William Morrow), believes that because Alcott wrote Little Women for children, she deliberately omitted some of the depth and nuance of her family members. “Louisa May Alcott was writing for children at a time when children’s literature was overwhelmingly didactic,” says Miller. “She felt obligated to insert the …
Continue reading "Book Review: “Marmee, A Novel of Little Women” by Sarah Miller"
I am giving my talk tonight, March 16, on the life of Louisa May Alcott at the Kutztown Community Library in PA from 6:30 to 7:30 EST via Zoom. You can register by sending an email to kutztownlibrary@gmail.com Visit https://www.berkslibraries.org/events/3391 for more information. Are you passionate about Louisa May Alcott too? Subscribe to the email …
As a writer, army nurse, single mother, caretaker and homemaker, the celebrated author of Little Women blazed a trail for women managing home and career. When people hear the name of Louisa May Alcott, they think of Little Women. A novel written for girls, this best-selling classic celebrates the home, marriage and motherhood. It also …
Note: I am pleased to present this guest post by Gabrielle Donnelly, author of The Little Women Letters. Donnelly is an entertainment journalist and she had the chance recently to sit down with Greta Gerwig, writer and director of the latest Little Women movie. *********************************** Writer and director Greta Gerwig’s last film was the acclaimed …
As a 19th century woman from a well-connected family, nineteen-year-old Abba Alcott was decidedly unconventional. She resisted the idea of marriage, preferring instead to study while nurturing dreams of opening her own school. Abba dreaded the pairing that had been arranged for her with cousin Samuel May Frothingham; his unexpected death freed her from that …
Continue reading "Marmee and Louisa Book Discussion: Chapter Two “Drawing Toward Some Ideal Friend”"
Born on October 8, 1800, Abigail May came from a long line of wealthy, prominent Boston families. They included the Sewalls (Judge Samuel Sewall, the “repenting judge,” who had presided over the Salem Witch Trials to which he spent the rest of his life atoning for those actions), the Mays (who fought in the American …
Continue reading "Marmee and Louisa Book Discussion: Chapter One “A good child, but willful”"
Eve LaPlante’s ancestral link with the Alcotts extends to readers of Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother a unique and intimate connection to this family. In the introduction, she mentions a trunk in her attic, passed down by an aunt. Although it and other treasures have been in …
Continue reading "“Marmee and Louisa” book discussion: Introduction – why Abba Alcott?"
I am pleased to announce that we will be doing a book discussion in the coming weeks on Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and her Mother by Eve LaPlante. Each Thursday I will do a post on one chapter of the book, giving a brief reflection and offering discussion questions. …
Father and daughter, polar opposites in temperament. Both brilliant (he metaphysical, philosophical; she practical, from the heart). Both spiritual (Communion with The Spirit vs. "practical Christianity"). Both prolific writers. Both bigger than life. The Alcotts loved celebrating birthdays. Abba wrote back in 1851, "I seldom omit these occasions for showing my children the joy I …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 