Some of the best books written about Louisa May Alcott are those geared for children. One of my favorites is Little Women Next Door by Sheila Solomon Klass. In a gentle yet poignant story Klass shows the Alcotts during their time Fruitlands through the eyes of a child from a typical family of the 1840s. …
2014 Summer Conversational Series: Margaret Fuller and the Problem of Female Genius
The Conversational series welcomed back a perennial favorite in John Matteson whose Pulitzer-prize winning book Eden’s Outcasts is a standard in Alcott scholarship. He has also written a fine book on Margaret Fuller called The Lives of Margaret Fuller; she was the focus of his presentation entitled “ ‘The Mind in the Full Glow of …
Owls, Owls, Owls! Meeting our feathered friends at the Fruitlands Museum
These are owls that the Alcott girls would have seen living at Fruitlands. The little screech owl is one May painted over Louisa's fireplace and the Barn Owl is in her painting that hung in The Salon in Paris. Now you can see them live! Note how regal the Barn Owl is ... rather like …
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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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Book Review: Fruitlands Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect by Gloria Whelan
One of you (Julie) gifted me with a wonderful book and once I picked it up, I could not put it down. The book, geared for older children, is called Fruitlands Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect by Gloria Whelan. A lost diary The premise of the book is based on Louisa’s diary kept at Fruitlands. …
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Great news!
Just had to pass along to you that the Fruitlands Museum official Facebook site is carrying a link to my post about the unknown players of Fruitlands! You can visit the Fruitlands Museum Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/Fruitlands?ref=ts&fref=ts. They are very active on this page and the museum has many wonderful activities year round (including a …
The unknown players of Fruitlands – finally hearing their voices
What was it like to live at Fruitlands? Serious Alcott biographers have devoted much ink to the family’s experience during this six-month utopian experiment. Sometimes thoughtful, often absurd and always dramatic, Fruitlands is credited with both the shaping of the famous daughter, and a change in the power structure of the Alcott marriage and family …
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A visit to Fruitlands where Louisa took up the family cross
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 …
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A lovely holiday visit to Orchard House, capped off by some great finds!
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 …
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Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 