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.
(Disclaimer: Admittedly I've only just started pouring over Louisa's works, and I haven't yet ventured into her "blood and thunder" tales, so my comments here are limited to the later stage of her writing which proved to be the most successful). Louisa's genius I've often said that Louisa May Alcott's genius was twofold. She crafted …
Continue reading "Controversy wrapped in sentiment: Louisa May Alcott’s genius"
I have to go off topic for a moment to remember Steve Jobs and what his products have meant to me. The last 20 years of my life would not have been possible without him, and this blog would not exist. I started off my professional career as a typesetter for a newspaper. It was …
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"
The last time I went to Concord I feasted at the Concord Free Public Library and took out 4 books that are usually hard to come by. One of them was Jeannine Atkins' Becoming Little Women: Louisa May at Fruitlands and another was Louisa May Alcott and Little Women by Gloria Delamar. I had originally …
Continue reading "Book recommendation: Louisa May Alcott and Little Women by Gloria Delamar"
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"
It's vacation time again with more opportunities to visit Concord. The more times I visit, the more I want to see. A trip down the Sudbury River to Great Meadows I enjoy kayaking very much and so took a trip down the Sudbury River, launching from the bridge off of Lowell Road, just off of …
Continue reading "Tapping into my inner Thoreau; play-acting as Sylvia Yule"
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 …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 