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.
Several months ago I started reading Work: A Story of Experience, one of Louisa’s few adult novels. The story, like Little Women, is a thinly disguised, romanticized yet gritty autobiography coupled with wishes Louisa might have had regarding the course of her life. First, my impressions In this first of three planned posts on this …
Continue reading "A tale of two books: wrapping up Work A Story of Experience (part one)"
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"
My husband Rich is a good guy. I thanked him several times for “indulging me” and accompanying me to the utterly charming holiday program at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House this past Saturday. I also had the opportunity of meeting one of you! Robin, it was a pleasure to accompany you on the tour. An …
Continue reading "A lovely holiday visit to Orchard House, capped off by some great finds!"
From the University of North Carolina Press blog: Barbara Sicherman is author of Well-Read Lives: How Books Inspired a Generation of American Women. In a compelling approach structured as theme and variations, Sicherman offers insightful profiles of a number of accomplished women born in America’s Gilded Age who lost—and found—themselves in books, and worked out …
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 …
Continue reading "“The March Sisters at Christmas:” So, what did you think?"
And a lot of it was filmed in my hometown of Grafton, MA! (see previous post) "The March Sisters at Christmas" will be broadcast on the Lifetime network on Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25. Here is the schedule: Sat Nov 24, 8 PM Sun Nov 25, 12 AM Sun Nov 25, 5 PM …
Chapter 9 of Work, A Story of Experience brings us face to face with another character based upon a real life person. The character is Rev. Thomas Power and the actual person is the Rev. Theodore Parker. The power of life's example In Work, Christie, very taken with Cynthy Wilkins’ optimistic view of life, fulfills …
For someone who abhorred the idea of marriage for herself, Louisa May Alcott again and again paints a multi-layered, satisfying and mature picture of the institution. Raising an interesting question I wrote about this before, describing the first year of marriage between Meg and John Brooke in Little Women. I see it now in Work: …
I wanted to share with you a beautiful essay on Little Men from Crisis Magazine. The author of the piece, Mitchell Kalpakgian was himself a professor of English at Simpson College in Iowa for 31 years and certainly understands the special role of teachers, and the rich gift of a good one. Here is a …
Continue reading "Little Men: Teachers as gardeners, reaping a rich harvest"
We return to a discussion of Work: A Story of Experience where chapter 7, "Through the Mist" marks a turning point in Christie's life. It is also a powerful and penetrating look inside the author who herself experienced a similar turning point. After numerous attempts to find meaningful work that she could sustain, and after …
Continue reading "Returning to “Work:” In and out of the mist – Louisa’s art reflects life"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 