From the Publisher
A fresh and free-flowing character study of 'a real-life heroine.'. . . A grand tale for present fans and future ones, too.
—Kirkus Reviews
Rosenberg’s insights into [Alcott's] parents, her sisters, her unconventional upbringing, and the family dynamics are crucial to understanding the woman she became and the decisions she made along the way. An informative, thought-provoking biography.
—Booklist
Engrossing. . . there’s plenty of intriguing detail of a dysfunctional upbringing, of the rampant effects of mercury poisoning contracted, and of the tantalizing hints of a brief but scandalous Paris liaison.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
MARCH 2022 - AudioFile
Narrator Wendy Tremont King chronicles the life of Louisa May Alcott, with all its trials, successes, and failures. Her family struggled to make ends meet throughout her childhood. As a result, she was determined to make a living herself one day. She finally succeeds with her most famous work, LITTLE WOMEN. Alcott’s first book often reflects her own life, especially when it comes to the main characters, who were based on herself and her sisters. King’s slow pacing and frequently misplaced emphasis throughout the narration make for a difficult listening experience at times. Still, Alcott’s fans may enjoy this biographical work of the famous author, who has undoubtedly had a major influence on children’s literature. M.D. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2021-09-15
A richly detailed account of the life, family, and career of a renowned woman of letters.
Though she goes a little overboard in the sound-bite quote department—as biographers of this author are wont to do since the Alcotts and many of their friends were compulsive diarists and letter writers—Rosenberg generally avoids getting bogged down in fussy details. The result is a fresh and free-flowing character study of “a real-life heroine” gifted not only with versatile authorial chops, but a powerful sense of family responsibility and an uncommonly generous spirit. Family tragedies and Alcott’s own slow death from (probably) mercury poisoning get full play, but the overall tone is relatively bright; her experiences as a nurse in a Civil War hospital are quickly brushed in as source material for her Hospital Sketches, for example. Her various supposed (but never verified) romantic flings get so much speculative attention that Rosenberg’s prim “and in the end it is not our business” is amusingly disingenuous. Likewise, the profitable “gothic and romantic” works, which readers are frequently reminded the subject herself labeled rubbish, are described by Alcott as “gorgeous fancies” on a later page. Still, readers bemused by the contradictions will be no less moved for being entertained. Alcott’s progressive views (and a possible family connection with the Underground Railroad) are noted in the narrative. Chapters are prefaced by Sudyka’s full-page, naïve-style illustrations that evoke the historical setting.
A grand tale for present fans and future ones, too. (source notes, bibliography) (Biography. 12-15)
