Here is a long letter from Elizabeth Alcott, written just before she and Abba left for the North Shore. They are staying at the home of Tom and Mary Sewall in Boston. It was written on August 6, 1857. The letter comes from the Amos Bronson Alcott Family Letters collection, Houghton Library MS Am 1130.9 …
Abba, Bronson and Lizzie: a slice of family dynamics – what does it tell us?
In 1853, Elizabeth Alcott suffered a bout of depression. She was seventeen at the time and the family was destitute, living in Boston and constantly on the move. Abba wrote the following to Bronson about the episode: "Elizabeth is in rather better spirits but it seems as if there had been some collapse of the …
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Elisabeth Alcott through the eyes of her father
By the time Elisabeth Sewall Alcott was born, Bronson had moved on from chronicling the daily activities of his daughters to exploring the soul. In Eden’s Outcasts, John Matteson writes that “Elizabeth was fairer than her elder sisters and … was the model of serenity that Bronson had vainly hoped Anna and Louisa would be. …
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A day at Houghton: Getting to know the inner Bronson through his own hand
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 …
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Letter from an anguished mother: Abba writes of her sojourn with Lizzie to the North Shore
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 …
Little Women in Dinan, France
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.
Greetings from the Beyond
You may recall the last post I wrote about Work: A Story of Experience where I reiterated the religious importance of this autobiographical novel by Louisa May Alcott. I was moved by the consolation Christie Devon received as described in chapter 19, "Little Hearts-Ease." She heard husband David's "voice" as the breeze blew near his flute. …
The million dollar question, and the priceless answer
Following up with my last post about the lecture I attended at New North Church featuring John Matteson, author of Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, there is a question I have wanted to ask Matteson since I started reading his book almost two years ago. How is it that …
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Love this blog – Louisa May Alcatt – feminism in the form of a torti cat (the cat with the most ‘tude!). Here the author shares the anniversary of Lizzie’s death with a lovely tribute.
Today, March 14, is the 155th anniversary of the death of my sister Lizzie. Many of you are familiar with her gentle character, Beth, from my book, Little Women.
My sweet little sister died young, at the age of 23, just a few months before our family moved into the Orchard House. I don’t want to focus too much on death here, so let’s celebrate her life.
The antithesis of me, Lizzie was relatively quiet and very content. She loved music and played the piano often for our family and guests. She also loved kittens! It was so like Lizzie to provide a home to a stray cat wandering around Concord or our native Pennsylvania. So, I am sure she is thrilled that we are now the Alcatts. I’d also like to think that Lizzie’s acts of kindness then paid forward today and helped me find the purrfect home.
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A quick update
I realize it's been nearly a month since I posted and I wanted to let you know why. I am hip deep in reading. And it started with a field trip to Fruitlands in Harvard, MA. And it will end there too. After visiting Fruitlands, I wanted to read more about it. I ended up …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 