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.
Better late than never, I finally finished An Old-Fashioned Girl! And I have lots to say about it through several posts in the next few days. I have already written a few posts about this book which you can find here. I have to admit that the book lost me somewhere in the middle, before …
Continue reading "A continuing discussion on An Old-Fashioned Girl"
As promised, here is the follow-up interview with Jeannine Atkins, the author of Becoming Little Women. Susan, Thank you so much for the opportunity to reflect back on writing Becoming Little Women and the fascinating people who inspired my novel! And, always, for spreading your passion for Louisa May Alcott. Someone who is certainly worthy …
Continue reading "Talking with Jeannine Atkins, author of “Becoming Little Women”"
An experiment in a utopian community that only lasted seven months should have easily been forgotten in history, even if it included historically important people. Yet the fascination with Fruitlands continues as evidenced by Richard Francis' book, Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and Their Search for Utopia which came out this year. There is no doubt …
When you think about all the different people who lived at The Wayside over the years, it's no wonder the house has gone through so many changes. Here are some of the more significant ones: Home of a minuteman The earliest known date for The Wayside is c.1700 and was a typical two story, wood …
Continue reading "Quirky Wayside offers a wealth of history: the architecture"
I recently watched again the PBS film Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women and thoroughly enjoyed it. 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 …
Continue reading "One year old today! Celebrating with a special gift for you!"
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 …
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"). This 1949 …
Sigh. Another good friend to bid adieu to. That's how I felt when I finished The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly. I became very attached to the London-based Atwater sisters (Emma, Lulu and Sophie) and their family and friends and appreciated the guiding hand of "Grandma Jo," aka Jo March from Louisa May Alcott's …
After writing yesterday's post on Polly's modern sensibilities, I thought about what Louisa May Alcott's core belief was which motivated her feminism, and why she was so effective in imparting it. Autonomy My conclusion? Louisa's feminism was based on autonomy - the right of every woman to be autonomous, the freedom for each woman to …
Continue reading "The core of Louisa May Alcott’s feminism explains her timelessness"
It's interesting how the supposedly old-fashioned Polly is actually more modern than the sophisticated Fanny. That's if you think in 21st century terms. In the Shaw household, the acquisition of wealth and keeping up with fashion are both considered "sophisticated" and desirable, whereas purposefulness and little kindnesses are considered "old-fashioned." Yet, as Louisa May Alcott …
Continue reading "Was the “Old-Fashioned Girl” actually modern?"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 