What would May’s life as a wife, mother and artist have been like had she lived? Jo’s Boys gives us a hint.

Jo’s Boys is tinged with sadness. And wistfulness. Louisa worked on Jo’s Boys for seven years beginning in 1879, the year her youngest sister May died six weeks after bearing her daughter Lulu. Abba, known as “Marmee” had died in 1877. Laurie and Amy’s idyllic life Chapter Two, “Parnassus” has us visiting the palatial home …

What is “Buzz”? From Little Women, Chapter 3

Quick question: In Chapter 3 of Little Women, "The Lawrence Boy," Jo and Meg are playing a game of Buzz while waiting for Hannah to come for them. Anybody know anything about this game? Is it a card game? Click to Tweet & Share: What is "Buzz"? From Little Women, Chapter 3 http://wp.me/p125Rp-1D7 Are you …

Tracing the steps of Little Women: Madeleine B. Stern’s brilliant analysis, part four: The All-American Novel makes a cherished dream come true

Little did Louisa May Alcott know that when she wrote Little Women, her classic book based upon her own family life and their “queer” adventures, she was writing the story that was on the heart of all Americans. Universal family It was time when American yearned for its own literature, its own family. The March …

Answers to the Little Women quiz; information needed on a late 19th-century British version of Little Women

Results of True/False Quiz I see some of you tried the True/False quiz of what was real and what was made up in Little Women. No one got 100% but you were very close! Here are the answers: Hannah the servant FALSE - The Alcotts could not afford any servants in those days The Christmas …

Continuing to trace the steps of Little Women: Madeleine B. Stern’s brilliant analysis, part three: Can you tell what’s real and what is made up?

Little Women  has been called autobiographical because Louisa May Alcott used so many episodes from her own childhood and that of her family to create the story. But where does fact end and fiction begin? Or does it even work like that? Stern says, “Fact was embedded in fiction, and a domestic novel begun in …

Book review: Little Women An Annotated Edition, edited by Daniel Shealy

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 …

New book: Little Women An Annotated Edition, edited by Daniel Shealy: it’s gorgeous!

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 …

“The March Sisters at Christmas:” So, what did you think?

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 …

Little Women on the stage – a Concord Players’ tradition

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing the Concord Players' historic production of Little Women with one of you! Nancy Gluck of the Silver Threads blog along with her lovely husband were spending the weekend in Concord (she is preparing a 5-part series on Louisa May Alcott for her adult education class). We …

Another Little Women back story – How did the March family lose their fortune?

In the last post, I shared Geraldine Brooks' imagined back story on Marmee's temper and how her husband helped her to control it. Now from March I'd like to share Brooks' version of how the March family lost their fortune. She creates a very plausible scenario with an historical figure, one that captivated much of Concord …