gbaty's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
lindasdarby's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much. I think i need to go and buy a hard copy just so i can mark all of my favorite passages. It made me sad for Louisa May Alcott. She had a difficult life. Loved this book and highly recommend it.
tjazz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
kfedwards88's review against another edition
3.0
This was a refreshing entry in the chick lit genre. It sucked me in to an earlier time in the Americas and reminded me why Louisa May Alcott's biography was one of my favorites as a girl. If I had been McNees editor, I would have pushed her on some of the rather simplistic characters, especially given how much historical information is available on the Alcotts and their friends. If you're looking for a short romantic escape from today's world, this is right up your alley.
sonia921's review against another edition
2.0
Love the subject matter and the view point but super predictable and I also don't think LMA would be as stupid as she is sometimes portrayed.
literary_lady602's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
mokey81's review against another edition
4.0
I actually really enjoyed this book. It's an interesting genre, giving a history to someone who we don't exactly know a lot about. The actor who read it was wonderful. It's a great story. Very much like Little Women, but a little more bittersweet.
schill27's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this book! Now I need to read Little Women.
nina1117's review against another edition
3.0
"She taught us how to love... But who taught her?"
This is a 3.5 star book. As soon as I read the title, I knew I would want to read this book. Though I cannot proclaim to be a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott's works, I am a huge fan of historical novels about female writers, so I began it with high expectations and much enthusiasm. Who wouldn't want to read the love story of the vivacious woman Jo March was modeled after?
I did, indeed like the story very much; mid-1800's Walpole, New Hampshire came alive in my eyes through McNees' carefully written details. I also enjoyed reading the little parts about Emerson, Thoreau and the whole Transcendentalist following; I must admit I had forgotten much of what I learned about it in high school, so it was nice to have a refresher. Also, though I am no poetry fan myself, the lines from Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" were well placed and helped make my heart skip at all the right times. I find myself wanting to pick it up and read it again.
However, the main arc of the story is obviously about Alcott herself. We are thrown into the struggle of her daily life; her unwillingness to concede to society's demands and her father's unwillingness to work to feed the family. Her story is no fairy tale, and yet McNees is able to create a romance that sweetens her life for one summer.
So why is this a 3.5 star book instead of a 5 star book? Because, despite my yearning to like her, I rather despised Alcott's character. Though I can understand being strong-willed and stubborn, Alcott comes off as a crotchety old woman in a young person's body. She takes offense at anything and everything, and often strikes out at the ones who love her when she does not get what she wants. How could Joseph Singer fall in love with a woman like that? Does brilliance mask personality flaws? I highly doubt it. In the end, at her best, Alcott was portrayed as a woman who understood what she wanted and who she really was despite the disappointments that came along with it. Her acceptance to choose the life she knew she was meant for was admirable, though sad.
The book's conclusion itself was a peaceful and enjoyable one, bittersweet as it was. But her character still left me a little bit dissatisfied.
In the end, I would definitely like to read another work from McNees in the future.
This is a 3.5 star book. As soon as I read the title, I knew I would want to read this book. Though I cannot proclaim to be a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott's works, I am a huge fan of historical novels about female writers, so I began it with high expectations and much enthusiasm. Who wouldn't want to read the love story of the vivacious woman Jo March was modeled after?
I did, indeed like the story very much; mid-1800's Walpole, New Hampshire came alive in my eyes through McNees' carefully written details. I also enjoyed reading the little parts about Emerson, Thoreau and the whole Transcendentalist following; I must admit I had forgotten much of what I learned about it in high school, so it was nice to have a refresher. Also, though I am no poetry fan myself, the lines from Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" were well placed and helped make my heart skip at all the right times. I find myself wanting to pick it up and read it again.
However, the main arc of the story is obviously about Alcott herself. We are thrown into the struggle of her daily life; her unwillingness to concede to society's demands and her father's unwillingness to work to feed the family. Her story is no fairy tale, and yet McNees is able to create a romance that sweetens her life for one summer.
So why is this a 3.5 star book instead of a 5 star book? Because, despite my yearning to like her, I rather despised Alcott's character. Though I can understand being strong-willed and stubborn, Alcott comes off as a crotchety old woman in a young person's body. She takes offense at anything and everything, and often strikes out at the ones who love her when she does not get what she wants. How could Joseph Singer fall in love with a woman like that? Does brilliance mask personality flaws? I highly doubt it. In the end, at her best, Alcott was portrayed as a woman who understood what she wanted and who she really was despite the disappointments that came along with it. Her acceptance to choose the life she knew she was meant for was admirable, though sad.
The book's conclusion itself was a peaceful and enjoyable one, bittersweet as it was. But her character still left me a little bit dissatisfied.
In the end, I would definitely like to read another work from McNees in the future.