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.
Ever since last July I have dreamed of the day I could return to the Houghton Library at Harvard and Saturday was that day. I had made a connection with one of the librarians who had supplied me with scans of three of Abba’s letters (see previous post). She told me that a collection of …
Continue reading "A day at Houghton: Getting to know the inner Bronson through his own hand"
One of you (Julie) gifted me with a wonderful book and once I picked it up, I could not put it down. The book, geared for older children, is called Fruitlands Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect by Gloria Whelan. A lost diary The premise of the book is based on Louisa’s diary kept at Fruitlands. …
Continue reading "Book Review: Fruitlands Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect by Gloria Whelan"
Work is progressing, albeit slowly, on my book project. I am enjoying all aspects of the process from the thinking and planning while I drive (I’m one of those crazies that talks to myself all the time), to the research, to the paragraphs percolating in my head, to the final writing. I’m falling more in …
This is a wonderful post on Daniel Shealy's book, Little Women Abroad, and especially singles out May Alcott's experience as an artist in Europe. The blogger provides a map of places to visit and many photos of the different sites Louisa and May visited.
I am delighted when Gabrielle Donnelly, author of The Little Women Letters (see previous post) offered to review this wonderful new edition of Little Women. Ed. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * There are two ways to read Daniel Shealy's …
Continue reading "Book review: Little Women An Annotated Edition, edited by Daniel Shealy"
I just received my copy of Little Women An Annotated Edition, edited by Daniel Shealy and I was stunned by the beauty of the book! Don't be fooled by the cover - it doesn't begin to tell the story. This is a gorgeous oversized edition (9.6 x 9.3 x 2 inches) with an elegant choice …
Hingham, Massachusetts’ New North Church has been running a three-part series on “The Alcotts” featuring Eve LaPlante (Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother, My Heart is Boundless: Writings of Abigail May Alcott, Louisa’s Mother), John Matteson (Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father) and …
How did serving as one of the first nurses of the Civil War lead to Louisa May Alcott’s runaway best seller, Little Women? Children’s author Kathleen Krull explores this journey in a delightful picture book entitled Louisa May’s Battle: How the Civil War led to Little Women, published by Walker & Company, New York. Making …
What was it like to live at Fruitlands? Serious Alcott biographers have devoted much ink to the family’s experience during this six-month utopian experiment. Sometimes thoughtful, often absurd and always dramatic, Fruitlands is credited with both the shaping of the famous daughter, and a change in the power structure of the Alcott marriage and family …
Continue reading "The unknown players of Fruitlands – finally hearing their voices"
Back in October I took a trip to Fruitlands in Harvard, MA, only about 40 minutes from my home. That visit sparked a long period of binge reading on the subject which is why, in the dead of winter, I’m only getting around to writing about that visit now. A paradox Having immersed myself in …
Continue reading "A visit to Fruitlands where Louisa took up the family cross"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 