Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) was an American novelist and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott in New England, she also grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Alcott's family suffered financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used the pen name A. M. Barnard, under which she wrote novels for young adults. Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Hillside, later called the Wayside, in Concord, Massachusetts and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters. The novel was very well received and is still a popular children's novel today, filmed several times. Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She died in Boston on March 6, 1888.
Gr 7 Up-Although Louisa May Alcott is best known for classics such as Little Women and Little Men, Rose in Bloom also boasts a lively cast of characters growing up with 19th century social conventions and expectations. A sequel to Eight Cousins, this story finds 20-year-old Rose, the only female cousin, coping with the demands of being an eligible heiress, and her feelings about her widely diverse boy cousins. Blessed with common sense and compassion, Rose and her adopted sister, Phoebe, mature through loss, hard choices, and finally end up with the men that complete them. Barbara Caruso's considerable narration skills are apparent as she conveys exuberance, prim respectability, and sadness. The sound quality is good. Smaller libraries may have to pass on this pleasant addition to their Alcott works in audio format, but public and school libraries that do purchase Rose in Bloom will find it's a refreshing rendition of a lesser known classic.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
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