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    The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
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    The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
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    The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

    Written by Kelly O'Connor McNees

    Narrated by Emily Janice Card

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In the bestselling tradition of Loving Frank and March comes a novel for anyone who loves Little Women.

    Millions of readers have fallen in love with Little Women. But how could Louisa May Alcott-who never had a romance-write so convincingly of love and heart-break without experiencing it herself?

    Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O'Connor McNees imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa's writing career-and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9781101154885
    Unavailable
    The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
    Author

    Kelly O'Connor McNees

    Kelly O'Connor McNees is the critically acclaimed author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, In Need of a Good Wife, and The Island of Doves. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.

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    Reviews for The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

    4/5

    209 ratings46 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book started out slow for me but got better and better. Even the writing improved as the story increased in intensity.
    • 5/5
      An absolute treasure for all of us who so fondly recall reading "Little Women" and other novels by Louisa May Alcott has we came of age. And may it inspire those who are reading "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" as their first introduction to this extraordinary woman to discover her novels.

      I rarely read novels more than once but I know that I will read this priceless gem again some day.
    • 5/5
      An absolute treasure for all of us who so fondly recall reading "Little Women" and other novels by Louisa May Alcott has we came of age. And may it inspire those who are reading "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" as their first introduction to this extraordinary woman to discover her novels.

      I rarely read novels more than once but I know that I will read this priceless gem again some day.
    • 3/5
      This fictionalized account tells the story of one fateful summer in Louisa May Alcott's life. It's the summer just before she moves to Boston on her own to begin her career as a writer. Much against her will, she falls in love with a young man. But he has promised to marry a woman he doesn't love so that he can pay off the debts of his father. Louisa has to choose between her dream of writing and the surprising feelings she has for this thoughtful boy.Sorry, this book is tedious. I made the mistake of reading a biography of Ms. Alcott prior to reading this fictional account. It just made the whole book seem far-fetched and revisionist. The love affair seemed forced, sudden, and anachronistically modern. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief.
    • 4/5
      Update:
      I've finished reading The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott and it was a highly entertaining book which brought me into the lives of Alcott's family and the possibilities of Louisa May Alcott's private life.
      The book was very well researched and brings to life an authoress whose fiery personality and romantic disposition are usually only seen through her characters.

      I've won a copy of this book through First Reads and I am very excited about reading it! I love Louisa May Alcott's writing and books about her. She was a fascinating woman who deserves examination.
    • 3/5
      A hisorical fiction story about the author of Little Women (which I have not read yet) that takes place during the summer before she leaves her family behind and moves to Boston to persue a writing career. During this summer she may fall in love and questions whether she should give up her dream of freedom and independence for a lifetime of catering to needs of others as the life of a wife at the time would call for. Great read, strong characters and made me want to learn more about Louisa May Alcott and become familar with her writing.
    • 4/5
      In the summer of 1855 the real-life Alcott family moved to Walpole, New Hampshire. Little historical information is available regarding this time in the lives of the Alcott’s, specifically regarding Louisa May Alcott herself. Which is why Kelly O’Connor McNees chose this time period to write an imagined piece of historical fiction about the unwed author, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott.Kelly O’Connor McNees spent a significant amount of time researching Louisa May Alcott’s life before embarking on the journey that is novel-writing. She paints Louisa as a head-strong, wildly independent dreamer and writer trapped in the travails of family duty and propriety. Having declared herself destined to be a writer alone, unencumbered by domestic obligation, Louisa dreams of the day when she can move to Boston to find residence in its stately brownstones, and spend her days writing and dreaming of being published. Into this story enters Joseph Springer, an imagined love interest on which the real Louisa May Alcott could have based Little Women’s Laurie.As with many classic love stories written in the nineteenth century, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott broaches contemporary topics of sickness and poverty, while placing two people in love into an impossible situation. Boy meets girl; boy and girl fall in love; but boy and girl cannot be together due to money/family/health/distance/time. Boy and girl must choose between duty and a dream, between love for each other and love for their families or passions. O’Connor McNees manages to evoke the romantic emotions of period literature, without getting mired in historical language. My only complaint is her use of foreshadowing to warn us of impending tragedy or drama. Having a close-third-person narrator step out of the present to warn us of the future interrupts the flow of the story, and is an oft-used tool of a novice writer. I think O’Connor McNees is better than that, and I hope the three parts I am thinking of are removed from the final publication. The impact of a dramatic moment is lessened when the reader is warned it’s about to occur.Having said that, The Lost Summer of L.M.A. fills the reader’s needs for a love story, a catharsis for romantics, whether the lovers end up together or not. This is the first kind of period spin-off that I’ve read from the rash of them which have surfaced in recent years. I’ve been hesitant to try one since I’ve been afraid they’ll never live up to the classics they’re based on. I was pleasantly pleased with Kelly O’Connor McNees’ debut novel; it is a breezy, gentle read, perfect for this warmer weather. Enjoyable as a stand-alone novel, not trying to be Little Women, but for an homage to the life of an author who lived her dreams, no matter the cost.Just shy of 4 stars.(I received this book from the publisher for review)
    • 3/5
      “…Jo would have ceased to be Jo if she had agreed to marry Laurie.”This book is a “what if” account of the supposed “lost summer” of author Louisa May Alcott. The story begins in 1855 as the Alcott family moves to Walpole, New Hampshire after a relative offers them a home for the summer (Louisa’s transcendentalist father Branwell had a rather unique view of working sponging off of others for a living). Louisa meets Joseph Singer and Joseph *courts* her quietly – that is until his father drops a bombshell that threatens any relationship the two could have had. A heartbroken Louisa eventually moves to Boston to further her writing career, but will Joseph offer her one more chance at happiness? Or will the lure of the pen lure her away from true love?Full disclosure – I am not a huge Louisa May fan and I honestly can’t recall if even read Little Women in my younger days – so I’m not as fascinated with her story as a true LMA junkie might be. That said, I still didn’t find this book all that enthralling. The book was very slow-paced and not much of anything happened outside of a visit to a circus and a local play, although you can’t expect much else in a small town in the 1850′s. My biggest problem is the lack of chemistry between Louisa and Joseph, they left me feeling a bit cold. I felt the characters could have been better developed, and I certainly didn’t pick up on any grand passion and dedication from Louisa for her writing career. In the end, it is a good book, just not a great one.
    • 4/5
      This book explores the fictional romantic life of Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. I’ve read a few books in this vein and some are better than others. We, as readers, tend to be fascinated with the private lives of authors, especially when they’re shrouded in mystery. This book has a bad case of Darcyitis in my opinion. What, you’re a strong-willed female who’s met a man who is insufferable? How awful! Hark, he’s not what he seemed at first and you might be falling for him? Totally unexpected!Let me be clear, I didn’t dislike this book; I actually enjoyed most of it. I think my main problem with it was that I felt like I’ve read many similar books. I also grew up loving Little Women and this didn’t add to that love, it kind of detracted from it. I loved Louisa’s strong will in the book, but not her stubborn pride and rude attitude. She refuses to listen when someone wants to explain themselves, she’s sometimes a real jerk to her sisters, and she thinks she’s better than everyone else because she’s a writer. ****SPOILERS****We’re supposed to be invested in the love story, but to me it made Louisa appear wishy-washy, which contradicted her otherwise strong personality. She wanted the man, but then she didn’t, but then she did, but not if that meant she had to marry him and give up her freedom. It’s hard to care about the relationship when it wasn’t her priority. I don’t think it’s bad, AT ALL, that it wasn’t her priority, I just didn’t want to read about the romance part. I get that man or writing is a hard decision, but I’d rather read about her time as a single woman writing in Boston and making a name for herself. Also, I could be mistaken, but I couldn’t find a single thing online that indicates Louisa’s older sister Anna had a beau that died, only that she met and married someone, just like Meg did in Little Women. If that’s the case, then it seems McNees just took Jane Austen’s sister’s story, killing off the author’s sister’s man before they have a chance to marry. ****SPOILERS OVER****In the end, I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was a historical fiction book that had nothing to do with Alcott. Actually I would have enjoyed reading a real biography of the author more than anything. I think her life was fascinating, but I didn’t like having to guess what was fact and what was fiction. I will say that this has made me re-read Little Women, but I can’t connect the Louisa in this with the one who wrote that sweet story. “Anticipation bent her like an archer’s bow.” 
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars really. McNees mixes historical fact with fiction and comes up with a winning story about Louisa May Alcott as a young woman, set just prior to the Civil War. It would make a great book club choice, as there are many possible discussion points - women's rights, the roles of men and women in marriage, child rearing philosophies, slavery, transcendentalism, etc. And of course Alcott's life and books as well as Thoreau's, Emerson's and Walt Whitman's, who feature in the novel as they do in the Alcotts' real life.Louisa lives with her 3 sisters and her parents. Her father Bronson is a famous transcendentalist possessing no money, no practical sense, but many philosophical ideas about how life should be lived. It's really kind of fascinating to read about, the family's lifestyle due to the father. The novel is full of interesting details about how daily life was lived back then, too, for example candle making, garden plotting, shopping, etc. Louisa is full of passion and fiery temper and a desire for independence. She is not in favor of marriage, due to her parents' example and her desire for time to write and her feeling that marriage shackles women, but during this "lost summer" that the author invents, Louisa meets a young man who might change her mind, and who serves as a future template for Jo's love interest "Laurie" in Little Women.
    • 4/5
      I spent a lot of time in my pre-teen years in love with the writing of Louisa May Alcott. Little Women was and still is a favorite of mine. I wanted to be one of the March girls. In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O' Conner McNees visits the 'what if ' possibilities of Louisa May Alcott's life. What if Louisa fell in love with a man. Would she be willing to give up everything she dreams about? Can she live by her pen alone? These questions are what lured me into this novel. This book takes place in 1855, Louisa and her family move to New Hampshire. Louisa's father, Bronson is a well known transcendentalist. He didn't manage money very well so the Alcott's lived a life of poverty. Louisa is desperate to find her own wings and fly to freedom. She longs to be able to pursue her dreams of becoming a famous writer. She doesn't want anything or anyone holding her back. That is until she meets Joseph Singer. Joseph is a small town boy who is handsome, kind and charming. He's quite a catch and he has his sights set on Louisa. Will she be able to refuse him?I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Kelly O'Conner McNees took care to add factual details to this wonderful story. I really liked the way McNees portrayed Louisa's struggles. She was going against the grain of society at this time and it was not easy. She had dreams other than being a wife and a mother. Then she finds someone who understands her, someone whom she can be herself with. Joseph Singer challenges Louisa in ways she didn't expect. He opens up her mind and heart to experiences she never dreamed of. This is a deeply romantic story that I fell in love with. My heart broke with Louisa's as she was forced to make decisions that would change the course of her future. Overall this was a great book. This book is fiction, but I would recommend it for fans of Louisa May Alcott. It made me think of Little Women over and over again. I wonder how her life and the fictional life of Jo March paralleled. I though Kelly O'Conner McNees did a fantastic job of giving Louisa May Alcott's life a little romance. Well done.
    • 4/5
      This one took me some time to get into, but I'm glad I stuck with it. This is a really enjoyable book about what might have been for Louisa May Alcott. An imaginatively clever weaving of events that may have influenced her writing and her life. I found it to be a real page turner after about page 100.
    • 3/5
      I'm a little embarrassed to say I don't know many of Louisa May Alcott's works. I mean, I know and love Little Women. I don't know how many times I've read it. And I know I read Little Men and Jo's Boys buy beyond that my knowledge of LMA is nil. Maybe it was a good thing going into listening to this novel I had no preconceived ideas about her.I've enjoyed this new concept of writing fictionalized stories involving real historical figures. Those of you who don't like, I totally understand. All I can say is I have a great ability to suspend disbelief which helps a lot.There were many things I looked up while listening to this because I wasn't sure what was true and what was fantasy. I didn't realize how many other authors and thinkers were contemporaries and acquaintances of the Alcotts-Ralph Waldo Emmerson and Henry David Thoreau to name a couple.But that's not really what this story is about. It is about a "what if", I love a story about a "what if" and this "what if" is pretty good. What if Louise May Alcott and a love affair. One that couldn't possibly work out in the end but one that influenced her life. This is a lovely little romance but with a fair amount of heartbreak. Even though I knew how it would have to turn out I couldn't help but hope love would conquer all.The Louisa McNees portrayed was one I would like to have met. She was strong and independent in a time when women were just starting to spread their wings. She did not have an easy life. The daughter of a father who used his philosophy to avoid supporting his family and a mother who seemed to sometimes put the needs of others above those of her families, Louise made the best of her difficult life. Let me tell you McNees seemed to be no fan of Bronson Alcott. I found myself getting so angry with his character.This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to what McNees does next. I believe it has been marketed as a Young Adult novel but I think everyone would get something out of it. Louisa is such a strong woman I really think she's a great role model for our girls. The American Library Association has included The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott to it's 2011 list of "well written and well illustrated books with significant feminist content" and I can see why-Louisa was a "you go girl" kind of girl and I'm glad I got to know her through this book.A quick note about the audio version of this book. It was read by Emily Janice Card and she did a bang up job. While she didn't do a lot of unique voices for each character her reading reminded me more of a bedtime story kind of reading and it really worked for this story. Also she wrote, directed and starred in The Jane Austen Fight Club and if you haven't seen it click over and watch. It's just about the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.
    • 4/5
      The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott was an easy read that takes the reader to a summer in the 1800’s in the life of Louisa May Alcott. Although not based on actual fact the book did give the reader insight into the life of Louisa May Alcott and her family. The Alcott girl’s were very poor throughout their lives but there was a sense that they enjoyed each day together. Reading this book made me want to re-read Miss Alcott’s books. I would recommend this book to people looking for a fun lighthearted novel about one of America’s great authors.
    • 2/5
      Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book. I just could not get into it. Sad to say and I remember reading Little Women over and over when I was younger and I thought since the time frame would be similiar to Little Women that I would have no trouble reading it. I thank Library Thing for the opportunity to read this book.
    • 2/5
      Mediocre at best, sorry to say. Not terribly gripping, but not bad enough to chuck into the river.
    • 4/5
      The book is based upon facts from Louisa May Alcott's journals and the imagination of the author. McNees does a great job in elaborating on the life we know about and adding what she thinks might be the missing links. It was totally believable and very enjoyable. Little Women is one of my all time favorite stories and it is easy to forget that it is based on a real family. It seems that the life of Alcott and her life portrayed as Jo in Little Women are very close. Certainly, anyone who has read Little Women and enjoyed it should be reading The Lost Summer too as it adds to the experience.
    • 5/5
      I don't know why it took so long to review this book. I loved it. I read about Louisa May Alcott when I was a teenager and her story was one of wonder then. Kelly O'Connor McNees, shares my passion for the writer and admits that after reading Martha Saxton's Louisa May Alcott: A Modern Biography she became even more obsessed. I can't remember the biography that I read as a child. It was one of those biography series for young adults. I know my mom used to treat me to new books often and Alcott was among them. I have read Little Women twice and have seen two versions of the movie. So, I was worried about reading a fictional story about the author. I quickly realized that my worries were for naught as The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott was a treasure. If anything it just enhanced my desire to revisit her biography as I noted the Saxton version on my wishlist. McNees invents a story of the years when Louisa May Alcott lived in Walpole, New Hampshire during 1855. When she discovered that there were gaps in the historical information available during the summer of that year, her story began to materialize. McNees shapes a character of Louisa May Alcott that feels genuine and at times you need to remind yourself that it is a historical fiction version. The life Alcott chooses to lead and the decisions she makes are believable because her personality is not compromised in this fictional story. Biographies depict her strength and views on women's roles and marriage which are played out in McNees' novel. Through the author's research she inserts familiar historical events to create a realistic setting for her story. The Fugitive Slave Act and the Anthony Burns trial, Women's Rights, Walt Whitman's publication of The Leaves of Grass, Nathanial Hawthorne's presence as a neighbor, all enhance the plausibility of the story. While her mother shows her support for Louisa's dreams, her father is disappointed. Louisa is driven to make money to survive as a single woman, making her own way. If you love Little Women, and have a curiosity about Louisa May Alcott, please read a biography of her life. Once you have done that, treat yourself to Kelly O’Connor NcNees’ historical fiction story that honors her memory with warmth and imagination. Disclosure: Sent to me by the publisher, Amy Einhorn Books/G.P.Putnam's Sons© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].
    • 4/5
      I find the goings-on amongst the Transcendentalists much more interesting than Alcott's prose in Little Women. I can certainly sympathize with Louisa May Alcott's difficulty in finding her literary voice when she had to overcome a dysfunctional, self-absorbed father and limited opportunities for women. (On the plus side, she had Emerson, Thoreau, & the Boston elite to facilitate her career.) Alcott, like Dickens, was writing to earn a living, rather than for artistic self-expression. I think that's one reason she set Little Women during the Civil War and banished her problematic father to the battle lines for most of the book. (In reality, Louisa was 30 years old when she served as a nurse in the Civil War.) Another historical fiction account of the Alcott's is the excellent "March" by Geraldine Brooks, which primarily tells the story from of "Mr. March's" service during the Civil War and includes some of the factual events from Bronson Alcott's life along with the imagined events.
    • 5/5
      "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" follows Alcott and her family as they move to Walpool, New Hampshire in the summer of 1855. Louisa arrives in Walpool ready to leave her family and head to Boston to continue her writing career at the first opportunity. But soon she finds herself intangled with a local boy, Joseph Singer, who she finds understands her better than any other man she's ever met. Louisa ultimately must choose between Joseph and her dreams of freedom, but she won't reach a decision without a few bumps along the way. This book is an absolute must read for fans of "Little Women" and Louisa May Alcott. Kelly O'Connor McNees does a wonderful job of imagining Alcott's world, her family, and the firey life and dreams of a young woman who would go on to create some of the most beloved literary characters of all time. Although you can see pieces of Jo March in the character of Louisa, there are key differences that make the story interesting and keep the reader engaged. I enjoyed revisiting my earlier readings of "Little Women" through this piece of imagined history.
    • 4/5
      Earlier this year, Trish from Hey Lady Whatcha Readin'? held an online book club for The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees. I was one of the lucky people chosen to participate and I was very excited. I have loved Louisa May Alcott for just about as long as I can remember. The only author who has been close to my heart longer is Laura Ingalls Wilder. When Trish posted about the book club I realized that I knew very little about Louisa herself other than that Little Women was somewhat autobiographical. I've never even picked up a biography. When the ARC arrived, I finished up my current read as soon as I could so that I could get started. I was not disappointed. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott painted an interesting and human portrait of the entire Alcott family, most specifically Louisa and her parents.There were times when I was furious with Mr. Alcott for being so selfish in clinging to his principles instead of caring financially and emotionally for the family he chose to have. Counterbalanced with him was Louisa's mother. She, too, had made choices and her love for her husband came at a high price. Still, I don't believe she would have had it any other way. While there may have not been much physical comfort to her because of the way her husband wanted to live, it was apparent that she found moral and spiritual comfort in their life and valued that more highly. Likewise, Louisa wouldn't have been the woman she was had her family setting not been as it was. While her life was by no means horrible, her art is a testament to the fact that where there are trials, deeper beauty and meaning can be found.My Final ThoughtsI would highly recommend this book to anyone who has loved Little Women or who has always wanted to read it. Who says that a spinster's life is necessarily boring?
    • 4/5
      The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is a great introductory read for anyone who likes Little Women and wants to know more about Louisa May Alcott via a novel. Although it is fiction, this book contains a lot of good biographical information about Louisa May Alcott; hitting the highlights of her life.The fictitious elements of the story deal with a romance between Louisa May Alcott and a young man she meets one summer. Although there is no record of her having such an affair, in real life there was mention of a young European man with whom she might have had a relationship. The book plays a bit with this theme, and the European man gets a mention before the end of the book. It's hard for anyone to know if she really had any other relationships since she burned letters and diary pages that she didn't want anyone to read. I really don't blame her for that either - it must have been difficult knowing that everything she had written would be picked over once she died.The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is a fun speculation on what might have been for Louisa. I found the first half of the book to be a bit slow-moving, and I think that is probably because I had recently read an in-depth biography of Louisa May Alcott, so everything I read in this book was a simplified version of the biography. Since I already knew a lot of the details from reading the biography there weren't a whole lot of surprises.If you haven't read an in-depth biography of Louisa May Alcott then I think chances are that you will very much enjoy this book as an introduction to her life. Even if you do know a lot about her life the story is still an enjoyable one.
    • 4/5
      The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees is the fictional account of a summer spent in Walpole, MA by LMA and her family. The novel is an interesting combination of history and fiction - the Alcott family did spend the summer of 1855 in Walpole and many other elements of the novel are historically accurate but the story told in the novel is the author's creation . . . and it is delightful!The Alcotts arrive in Walpole in July 1855. Because Louisa's father, Bronson, is absorbed by his philosophical pursuits and does not perform traditional work, the family is frequently in financial straits and they move often. The Alcott girls quickly settle into life in Walpole making friends with contemporaries and even taking part in the preparation for the production of a play by the area youth.Like the character Jo in Little Women, Louisa resists tradition and doesn't settle in as easily as her sisters. In many ways, Louisa seemed ahead of her time in opposing the traditional roles assigned to women and in wanting to pursue a writing career. Her strident independence could not co-exist with romantic love and that presented conflicts for her as she felt her love for Joseph Singer growing. I found her independence admirable and impressive but was struck by how black and white it all seemed - I am thankful that women can now integrate love, a career and a family and are not forced to make such a stark choice between love and career.I will leave the sketch of the plot there so as not to reveal too much - since this is based on LMA's life, you may know a lot of the plot from books about her life but I would rather not ruin it for anyone that is not as familiar with her life story. This book was a true delight - it brought back many fond memories of Little Women from my childhood. I never realized that Little Women was so closely based on Alcott's own life so I was pleasantly surprised to see how much this novel reminded me of my favorite characters from the classic novel. It definitely reignited by passion for Little Women and I will be going back to re-read it!
    • 4/5
      Like almost all girls, I first read Little Women in my early teens, and I have read it numerous times in the years since. It is nearly impossible to avoid falling in love with the March sisters, and you will find yourself doing the same with the characters in The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. Kelly O’Connor McNees manages to make the real life Alcotts as relatable and charismatic as the characters Louisa created herself.It’s long been known that Louisa based Little Women on her own life and childhood, which has left readers wondering for decades – if the March sisters are based on the Alcott sisters, who is Laurie based on? This book weaves a wonderful story of the passionate love of a summer long ago, where Louisa meets Joseph Singer, the fictional inspiration for Laurie.The truth is that we may never really know who the real Laurie was, as the author details how much trouble Louisa went to at the end of her life to keep her private life private. But just as Louisa herself created a lovely fantasy family based on her own, Kelly O’Connor McNees gives us a wonderful fantasy Laurie…although Laurie will always be Christian Bale in my mind.While knowing that the relationship between the actual Laurie and Louisa did not work out, the true heartbreak in this book for me is seeing the real life the Alcott family lead. The March family of Little Women went through many struggles, and you feel the truth, the realness, in reading their tale. To know the family they are based on had a much more sad and difficult life brings home the truth of what it was to be a part of this period in our history. The romanticized version in Little Women is sad enough – the true story behind it makes you feel very much for these people, and I for one yearn to be able to help them.This is a lovely story and truthfully, the only thing which prevented me from reading it in one sitting was that pesky thing called work. It was exactly the kind of book I was looking for – a beautiful and charming story, with the truth of a life one doesn’t tend to make up. I was lost in the book, immersing myself with the characters, finding that just like I identified very much with Jo in Little Women, I felt even more of a kindred spirit with Louisa herself in this book. Her rebellion against societal norms, the wish for independence and need to get away from a family who loved, but needed her too much, all rings very true to me.If there is one book I could recommend thoroughly this summer, it is this one!
    • 5/5
      This was a thoroughly enjoyable book that gives some context to Louisa May Alcott as the author and tells an entertaining and heartbreaking fictional story of love lost.As we know, Louisa never married, and yet so much of her life was borrowed for the stories in Little Women. Who was the real Laurie? This book poses the question, what if he were real, and what if they were in love? What would have happened that prevented or stopped them from getting married?The result is this novel, rich in historical detail. I'm not an expert on the real life of Alcott, but judging from the one book I have read (Little Women), the character created here seems like she could be similar to the real Louisa.The Louisa in this book struggled with many competing values. She adored her father, but at the same time, did not like being poor (due to his ethics, he would not work for money). Louisa loved her independence and hated the obligations of marriage, yet she was in love.I could relate to Louisa so much. I know what it is like to be fiercely independent, to have goals and not want to be tied down to another person's expectations.Even though we know from history that Louisa never married, the way the events unfolded to me was entirely unpredictable.This book had everything, real characters, rich historical context, a good plot, and a deep emotional connection to me. I highly recommend this book.
    • 2/5
      Didn't much like it. It seemed very repetitive and kept leaking into Anna's (read: Meg) point of view. Didn't find the romance believable, either.
    • 4/5
      In summer 1855, the Alcotts are on the move again, this time to Walpole, NH, where an uncle has kindly given them use of his empty house. It's tough to separate oneself from the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy--many of the events that we have come to know from Little Women make small appearances here and there in this story. I was really interested in McNees' take on Bronson Alcott, the trancendentalist. His views on life and what one truly needed for sustenance didn't always mesh with what a family with four children would need. I really enjoyed spending a summer with Anna, Louisa, Lizzie and young May. McNees has writtten a really nice piece of historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      McNess did a great job "filling in the gap" of a summer of Alcott. She did extensive research and her story is realistic in the scope of Alcott's life that we know. It is a heartbreaking and interesting novel. For an uncorrected proof, I found no typos, which was nice. I think this will be a very popular book upon release.I particularly like the quotes from LMA's books at the beginning of each chapter that really give a sense of her feelings at that (fictional) time in her life; great connection!
    • 5/5
      There is nothing that Louisa May Alcott wants more than independence and the opportunity to prove herself as a writer. She yearns for a small room all her own and stacks of paper waiting to be covered with ink. What she gets is a rundown house, housework, a father who is blind to the basic needs of his family, a depressed mother, and resentment. She chafes against societal conventions --- marriage, love, and the idea of a woman's place. When she finds herself feeling emotions for a man, she struggles to balance those feelings with her dreams and wonders if it would actually be possible to have both.The character of Louisa May Alcott was all I expected her to be in this book. She's strong-willed, fitful, passionate, witty, and observant. She sees the sham of a marriage her parents are engaged in and refuses to let herself fall into that same trap. She wants, and craves, freedom above all and stays true to her dreams. Which can be infuriating to read sometimes since she does preach and selfishly believe that what she wants is right and that no one can, or will, stop her from having what she wants in the end. She gets what she wants, but she does pay a price for it.Her father is uncaring and generally stupid to his own family's needs. When I say needs, I don't mean in terms of frivolous things such as ribbons for adornment --- it's food, clothing, and shelter that he seems to think will just fall out of the sky. He has put their lives in danger and at one time even suggested an open marriage and divorce using some flimsy transcendentalist thought that made no sense to anyone but him. He's infuriating and in many ways I wanted his family to leave him yet they persist in caring for him throughout their lives. Little Women is one of my favorite books. I've been wanting to re-read it for some time now and thanks to this book I think I will be doing that very soon. McNees is a good writer and I hope to read more of her books in the future. She did a great job here and while I know that the imagined life of an author can be a difficult thing to write, I think she did a stand up job. She brought to life a person, and a family, with grace, good humor, and some great writing.
    • 4/5
      Two female authors from past centuries, different as their personal lives were, still command extreme loyalty and interest from their readers. Jane Austen, because so little is known about her life and personality, lends herself easily to the current craze in speculative fiction about authors from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Louisa May Alcott, though, is Austen's opposite when it comes to what is known about her personal life. Alcott used so many of the real-life experiences of the Alcott family in her own fiction that her loyal readers already feel that they know everything worth knowing about her. That aside, first-time novelist Kelly O'Connor McNees now offers a tale about a supposed "lost summer" during which Alcott experienced the passionate, though short-lived, romance of her lifetime. The summer in "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" begins when 20-year-old Louisa moves with her family from Boston to Walpole, New Hampshire, because her father is once again dependent on the goodwill of friends to provide a temporary home for his large family. Louisa does not expect much good to come from the move and she intends to escape to Boston (where she hopes to kick her writing career into high gear) as soon as she feels the family has successfully settled into its new lifestyle. But, as is so often the case, life happens first, and Louisa finds herself reconsidering her plans - a most shocking turn of events because it involves her romantic feelings for a young man, feelings Louisa fights hard to ignore. On a trip to the town's general store to purchase material for new curtains, Louisa and her sister meet Joseph Singer, a young man clerking in the family business for his desperately ill father. Louisa feels a strong attraction to Joseph but denies it even to herself. Joseph, on the other hand, feels the same attraction to Louisa and is determined to court her despite whatever obstacles she might throw his way. Louisa's "lost summer" will be one filled with tragedy, misunderstanding, passion, anger, tenderness, tears, laughter, sadness and sacrifice - even an amateur stage production. But although this short summer will forever change Louisa May Alcott and Joseph Singer, it will not, as Alcott's fans already know, divert her from her path toward spinsterhood. Louisa's strong desire to live her life as an independent woman beholden to no man would not so easily be overcome. "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" does a nice job of capturing the atmosphere of small-town America in the decade just prior to the American Civil War. The Walpole of 1855 is portrayed as the kind of place in which everyone knows everyone else, a town in which those of courting age still do so much as described in the novels of Jane Austen - but also a town in whom much is going on just below the emotional surface of many of its residents. As Louisa will learn, family connections are important and marriages are still sometimes arranged by fathers strictly for financial reasons. "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" is a rather straightforward historical romance novel, but it is an interesting one because of its main character. I particularly recommend it to those readers who already have a built-in fascination for anything to do with Ms. Alcott - for them, despite it not offering an alternate history, this one will be like reading about an old friend. Rated at: 3.5