Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women

Louisa May Alcott has commanded passionate fans since "Little Women" was published (in two parts) in 1868 and 1890. The facts of Alcott's life are reasonably well-known, but Harriet Reisen's 2009 biography Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women (John MacRae Books) is a welcome addition to the canon. Reisen quotes extensively from letters and journals, particularly Louisa's but also reaching more widely. Louisa's... Read Full Review

This was a timely read for me. I visited Orchard House, the Alcott family home, a few years ago, and found the place surreal. It was easy to picture the family living there. I stood next to Louisa's writing table and learned that she had to become ambidextrous because she was sorely misusing the one hand. I admired her sister, May's room where the walls were filled with her drawings. After the tour, I purchased a small print... Read Full Review

If "little Women" defined your childhood (c'mon, admit it, you saw yourself as Amy, Beth, Meg -- or like most of us, Jo), then this book gives you fascinating insight into the real life characters that inspired the beloved novel. The author not only describes the life of Louisa May, she also gives us perspectives on every issue. If you knew that Little Women made her rich -- you might not know how rich, but the author translates... Read Full Review

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. The author has written the script for a documentary on Louisa May Alcott that is to be shown on PBS in December. Since this book could be thought of as a "tie-in" to the TV show I was expecting a very cursory biography. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even though the book is only 300 pages long it "reads longer". (I mean that as a compliment.) It is just so chock-full... Read Full Review

Louisa May Alcott has always been a favorite author of mine. I have read a few biographies(years ago with the exception of Little Women Abroad, Alcott in Her Own Time) about her life and have read all of her books. So when this new biography came up I was interested but I wondered if anything knew could be written about the author that everyone seems to forget. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. As others have said... Read Full Review