Young Louisa May Alcott dreams of becoming a writer. She’s already published stories and dreams of making her living with her pen, but her father’s situation necessitates a move to the tiny town of Walpole, New Hampshire. Her family is forced to live on the charity of others due to her father’s refusal to work, but the four Alcott girls are still welcomed by the local townspeople. The young people, naturally, form their own groups, and within them a number of love stories take place. For Louisa, the young shopkeeper Joseph represents a different life, but she struggles to fit her love for him in with her aspirations as a writer.
I expected to love this book since it seems almost everyone I know has. I did enjoy it, but I definitely failed to fall in love with it. I loved Little Women as a child; it was the first novel I ever managed to read and I’ve read it countless times since then. I still hadn’t had any idea that the family was based on Alcott’s own, in some respects, but I clearly recognized many of the characters and enjoyed that connection in particular. I was, of course, one of the many girls who couldn’t understand why Jo didn’t marry Laurie (yep, I was a romantic when I was eight years old), but I could understand Louisa’s decisions here.
Louisa’s father Bronson was easily the most irritating character of the book for me. He lectures his daughters and his wife on proper behavior and tries to inspire his “values” in them, but despite his perfectly able-bodied status he refuses to work and instead spends days in his study reading and writing. Not for profit, of course; work is somehow not appropriate for him but it’s fine for his daughters to go off and earn money to support his lifestyle. It all made me quite angry, especially that the women were in such a position that they couldn’t leave him to suffer along on his own as they should have done.
I liked the romances and the community of young people; I thought it was all sweet and well done, even if I already knew how it was all going to end due to knowing a little about Alcott’s life. Knowing the ending of the book had no influence on how I felt about the middle bit, even if I did wish Louisa would run off to be with Joseph. I really wanted more of the genuine historical background; I understand that Alcott burned her letters
To be honest I’m not sure why I didn’t love it; I felt it was lacking something, but it’s hard to put my finger on it. I feel I should have enjoyed more a book with such strong literary and historical ties. Though I can recommend The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, especially to fans of Little Women, I wish I had felt towards it what everyone else seems to.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the Amazon Vine program.
I am sorry you didn’t like this one as much as you expected to. I have it checked out from the library so hopefully I will get a chance to read it before it is due back.
Stephanie´s last post …Book Review: Rubyfruit Jungle
I read this and really liked it. I also hated Bronson with a passion and thought he was a very selfish and egotistical man. I know that his wife couldn’t really leave him, but dang it, I wish she would have!! Great review. I am sorry to hear that the book was not an unqualified success with you though.
zibilee´s last post …Heart of Lies by M.L. Malcolm — 336 pgs
I almost, almost bought this one yesterday….don’t know what stopped me, but I feel better knowing that I didn’t pass on the next Pulitzer winner.
Michele@ A Reader’s Respite´s last post …Cuteness Aside, You Still Need a Plot….
You almost can’t even believe a guy like Bronson Alcott. You hope he is a character in a book but it is so galling to think of what they had to put up with. I am really enjoying though. But I know you can’t love them all.
Nicole´s last post …Picture the Dead, by Adele Griffin & Lisa Brown – Book Review
So I am guessing this is an actual biography of Louisa May Alcott, and not a fictional account, right?
I don’t know why, but I always thought this was fiction.
Nishita´s last post …The Case of the Missing Servant – A Book Review
Sorry to see you didn’t love this one. I’ve been looking forward to it since Little Women is one of my all time favorite books.
Sorry to see this didn’t work for you entirely. I have it out from the library at the moment, but hard to say when I will get a chance to read it!
Kailana´s last post …The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy (Skulduggery Series, Book 3)
YOu might have been suffering from too high expectations. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t read it. I need to let the buzz die a bit so I can read it with a more open mind.
Beth F´s last post …Audiobook Week: Quick Meme
I’m shocked! I really enjoyed this book, and actually Bronson was my favorite character. Not because he was likable, but because I found it fascinating how uncompromising he was and the role he played in the society the Alcotts frequented. I thought the writer did a great job of showing us the ambiguity of his character.
To be honest, in some ways I found Marmie more annoying than Bronson. She enabled Bronson to not do shit all day while she slaved away trying to make their home livable and put food on their table, and she taught her daughters marriage is never an equal partnership and means slavery for the woman. If she’d put her foot down or left the guy, things would probably have turned out a lot better all around.
heidenkind´s last post …Chicago 40 by Chloe Neill Giveaway-
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love it! I’m very curious to read it, especially after having read March earlier this year.
Nymeth´s last post …The Sunday Salon – The Ones I’m Leaving Behind
Honestly, the way you feel about this book seems to be the consensus. Most of the reviews I have read have said something along the lines of liked it but didn’t love it. Still, I’m definitely intrigued by the storyline of this book.
Jennifer´s last post …Review- Enchanted- Inc
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