Important blogs to know about regarding the Alcotts

There are two wonderful sites that you need to see: Little Women 150 One is by noted Alcott scholars Anne Phillips and Gregory Eiselein called Little Women 150: Louisa May Alcott's Little Women: A 150th Anniversary Celebration. The blog will feature weekly posts covering each chapter, written by Phillips and Eiselein along with other contributors …

Louisa May Alcott’s inspiration of sculptor Frank Edwin Elwell — one of “her boys”

I am pleased to present this guest post by Lorraine Tosiello. With the May Alcott Nieriker conference coming up, it seemed appropriate to share this with you. In 1878, Louisa May Alcott, overwhelmed with grief over her dear Marmee’s death and burdened with her own poor health and responsibilities at home, gave up what would …

Official Trailer for “Little Women: A Modern Movie”

I think this looks very promising; can't wait to see it. I'd love it if a bunch of us could go together: anybody in New England interested? https://www.facebook.com/littlewomenfilm/videos/1595358490562431/ Are you passionate about Louisa May Alcott too? Subscribe to the email list and never miss a post! Keep up with news and free giveaways on Susan's …

Join the challenge! 2018 Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge is underway.

Just a quick note that the In The Bookcase blog has started their annual Louisa May Alcott reading challenge. It will run through the month of June. All you have to do is create a list of books to read either by Louisa May Alcott or about Louisa May Alcott and read them. Here are …

Reviews of the Little Women Masterpiece series (warning — spoilers!)

The reviews are coming in fast and furious! Here are some I have seen so far: CNN Entertainment 'Little Women' gets a 21st-century makeover https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/11/entertainment/little-women-review/index.html NY Times ‘Little Women,’ Through British Eyes https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/arts/television/little-women-review-pbs-masterpiece.html Valley News Adaptation of ‘Little Women’ Starts Slowly, but Rises on Its Stars http://www.vnews.com/A-new--Little-Women--stumbles-on-the-path-to-2018-but-it-eventually-gets-there-17457911 Vaniety Fair Why the Cult of Jo March …

A modern re-telling of Little Women is coming out in theaters this year!

Thanks to Jennie for this tip! The release date is September 28, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Leyx8eBMSA&feature=youtu.be Here's some stills: And here is an interview with Clare Niederpruem, director and writer.   Are you passionate about Louisa May Alcott too? Subscribe to the email list and never miss a post! Keep up with news and free giveaways on …

Victorian huswifery with the Alcotts: Fun with hometown friends

We had a wonderful turnout last night for my presentation, '"Housework ain't no joke ...' Victorian Huswifery with the Alcotts." Hosted at the beautiful Community Barn in my hometown of Grafton, MA by the Historical  Society and the Grafton Public Library, 50-60 people turned out for my talk outlining the domestic life through the lens …

Merry Christmas from Orchard House (and from me!) – a look back over an extraordinary year, and a look ahead

2017 has been a banner year for Alcott fans (and more is promised in 2018 and 2019 as the 150th anniversary of the publication of Little Women looms). As a result it has also been quite the year for this blog! Especially within the last several months, the growth of readership has been extraordinary. I …

Summer Conversational Series 2017 at Orchard House wrap-up

As promised, here is a summary of the Summer Conversational Series presented between July 16 and the 20th. The theme this year is "'Noble Companions and Immortable Labors'" the Alcotts, Thoreaus, and the Quest for Social Justice." I was only able to attend two sessions, on Tuesday and Wednesday. At the end of this post …

Summer Reading Recommendation: The Courtship of Jo March

Trix Wilkins of the Much Ado about Little Women blog (an excellent blog, by the way, all about Little Women) has written a most intriguing re-imagining of Little Women with different endings for characters. In her description of the book she writes, Set in the early 1870s, this re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women …