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 parents, Abigail May and Bronson Alcott, had strong ties to the abolitionist movement and were key figures in American transcendentalism, along with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Peabody. Bronson Alcott's commitment to social change through idealist philosophy somehow precluded the realities of providing a living for his wife and four daughters, so Louisa spent her childhood and youth in poverty and constant relocation--though well-nurtured intellectually. Abigail earned what money she could, Bronson occasionally brought in small profits from schools or lecture tours, and they were assisted by family and friends; the family left debts behind them with every move. Reisen notes that Louisa and her mother were temperamentally very alike; both were practical and very intense in their emotional lives. Louisa, the second child, remained passionate about abolition and, after the Civil War, women's suffrage. She took on responsibility for supporting her family: she taught, served as a governess and companion, and always she wrote--children's stories, magazine pieces, a collection of letters written while she was nursing wounded soldiers during the Civil War. The financial needs of her family were never-ending so she also wrote sensational and highly marketable stories under a pseudonym. "Little Women" and its sequels proved immensely profitable and Louisa was able to take care of her entire family. Louisa's poor health is usually attributed to mercury poisoning from calomel which she was given for a case of typhoid; but current speculation is that Louisa had lupus and Reisen outlines the reasons for that theory. Louisa suffered greatly from joint pain, headache and digestive troubles in the later part of her life, and she died at 55, just two days after her father with whom she shared a birthday. Bronson Alcott was 88 at his death. Louisa lived a life of service and duty; her father's sonnet "To L.M.A." --ending with the phrase quoted in my title--was read at her funeral service. Would she have married if her family's finances had been less dire? if her health had been good? Would she have been happier if she'd been able to marry and set up her own household, raise her own family? We can't know the answers, but Reisen gives us a window into the life of this remarkable woman. Richly researched, well organized, never over-analyzing the primary material, this biography was a pleasure. Linda Bulger, 2010

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 of an owl that had been painted by May Alcott. I also bought a print of Orchard House. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and the two prints are in the room that I call my library. Finally, in a box of old books, that were recently given to me, I found a book containing five thrillers that had been written by the amazing Louisa May Alcott. Well, along came THE WOMAN BEHIND LITTLE WOMEN by Harriet Reisen, and I was ready. The book is fascinating. I sincerely applaud the author for her excellent research. Although, this book has a lot of very detailed information, it held my interest. Louisa's father, Bronson Alcott was an intellectual who became involved with the transcendental movement. He was a teacher, and had many different schools over the years, but they usually failed as his methods seemed too unorthodox to most people. His marriage to Abigail May produced 4 daughters. The family were constantly moving and Bronson often left his wife and children for months at a time fulfilling his intellectual pursuits. Mrs. Alcott, was left alone to care for her family. During the years, she experience five miscarriages. Of course, her health suffered, and she almost died during one miscarriage. Bronson was rarely there when she needed him most. Louisa May Alcott, was the second of the daughters and we're told that she was a difficult and stubborn child. She was often disciplined by her father because she was too willful! Her life was spent in the company of some of the most famous men in New England. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne were all friends of the family. Over the years, those friends provided financial help to the Alcott's, as Bronson could never support his own family. Louisa's family spent most of their lives living on the good will and support of family and friends. Sometimes the family would be split up living in several different places and just waiting for a time that they could be together again. In later years, Louisa's success as a writer brought their dreams to fulfillment. Writing a short review of this book is almost impossible and my words are only tidbits from the book. I came away with so much respect for Louisa! She worked hard for her entire life and when she finally received fame and fortune, she was surprised at the people who constantly sought her out for autographs and conversation. Her health was not good and it was peace and quiet that she sought and not scores of people wanting to meet and converse with her. This book is a must read for the de

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 19th century dollars into contemporary buying power. The illnesses that plagued Alcott are diagnosed by contemporary doctors, and special attention is paid to the general health of the American people of that time (which I found fascinating). But I was especially moved by her depiction of the real life childhood of these women, and how it defined each of them -- and turned them into the beloved figures of the novel. This is a book that will stay with me, and I cannot wait to re-read Little Women (for about the 357th time)with this new perspective. Thanks Ms. Reisen for making one of my favorite books even more entertaining.

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 of information that you want to savor every page. The author writes beautifully, with a charming, witty style. Louisa May Alcott, thru extensive quotations from her letters and journal, truly comes alive as a very modern woman. The book is full of many funny, perceptive, and touching observations that Ms. Alcott made about her father and sisters, and also about the fate of a "celebrity", which was something pretty new in 19th century America. (Gawkers would come to Concord to seek out the famous author. She would sometimes pretend to be "the maid" and also would sometimes duck out thru a window to hide in the woods!) We learn a lot about Louisa's "Concordian Neighbors", such as Emerson, Thoreau and Hawthorne, and also about Louisa's trips to Europe. The journal entries alone are a real goldmine, because Louisa talks about the tribulations of growing up in poverty; the financial and emotional burdens put on her after she became a successful writer; and of the loneliness involved in making the choice to be a serious artist, which to her entailed giving up matrimony and a family of her own. This is a wonderful, engaging book and if the PBS documentary is even half-as-good, it will be excellent. This is, easily, one of the best books I've read in 2009.

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 it is an easy read, not weighed down with academic writing that makes one want to fall asleep. Yet it is obvious that the author has done her research. The book starts out with a history of Abigail and Bronson's family history, how they meet and their early marriage. This sets the stage for the childhood that Louisa and her sisters will experience. The interesting thing about this book is that it describes Bronson's life but I found out more about Mrs. Alcott than I ever knew. Everyone neglects her and always focuses on Bronson which is a crime since she was the one who worked the hardest. For instance I was unaware that she had been left for long periods of time with the children while Bronson went off trying to make money. Nor did I know that she had so many miscarriages and nearly died as a result. Another thing that was interesting to me is that Louisa seemed more like her mother yet most biographers continue to say that Louisa was like her father. The Real Louisa May Alcott is brought out in this book. The author does not sugarcoat things, she does not try to make Louisa into some Victorian model of womanhood(if that was even possible). What the author tries to do is explain who Louisa was faults and all. Those faults do not make Louisa bad, just human, like the rest of us. Louisa was a rash, naughty child who was spanked for not sitting down properly at the dinner table. She would often hit her older sister and when Elizabeth was born she hated her. Louisa often confused her father with her outbursts and her rage. Abigail felt a kinship with her daughter because she shared the same faults. Yet despite her flaws Louisa was determined to make something of herself. She saw how her mother toiled, how her father lacked common sense, and she wanted to help her family. Louisa longed for nice things as everyone else and she wanted to erase the family debt. The biography trails Louisa's life, her trials and her victories. While I have read all this before the author gave me new information. I have read about the Fruitlands experience but I cannot recall anyone mentioning Abigail's distrust or Mr. Lane. I remember descriptions of what happened but not the amount of detail that Ms. Reisen provides. The book covers every aspect of Louisa's life. Her stint as a Civil War nurse, her trip abroad, the success of Little Women and so much more. Yet even when she gained success she still wasn't happy. Louisa hid from her admirers and didn't seem to like them much. Louisa complained that her family seemed eager to take her money and