Little Women Abroad: The Alcott Sisters' Letters from Europe, 1870-1871

by Louisa May Alcott, May Alcott Nieriker, Daniel Shealy (Editor)

In 1870, Louisa May Alcott and her younger sister Abby May Alcott began a fourteen-month tour of Europe. Louisa had already made her mark as a writer; May was on the verge of a respected art career. Little Women Abroad gathers a generous selection of May’s drawings along with all of the known letters written by the two Alcott sisters during their trip. More than thirty drawings are included, nearly all of them previously unpublished. Of the seventy-one letters collected here, more than three-quarters appear in their entirety for the first time. Daniel Shealy’s supporting materials add detail and context to the people, places, and events referenced in the letters and illustrations.By the time of the Alcott sisters’ sojourn, Louisa’s Little Women was already an international success, and her most recent work, An Old-Fashioned Girl, was selling briskly. Louisa was now a grand literary lioness on tour. She would compose Little Men while in Europe, and her European letters would form the basis of her travel book Shawl Straps. If Louisa’s letters reveal a writer’s eye, then May’s demonstrate an eye for color, detail, and composition. Although May had prior art training in Boston, she came into her own only during her studies with European masters. When at a loss for words, she took her drawing pen in hand.These letters of two important American artists, one literary, the other visual, tell a vibrant story at the crossroads of European and American history and culture.

Genres: Classics, Biography, Nonfiction, Travel

376 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2008

About the author

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May Alcott and Amos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Alcott's family suffered from 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 pen names such as A.M. Barnard, under which she wrote lurid short stories and sensation novels for adults that focused on passion and revenge.
Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, and Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt. The novel was well-received at the time and is still popular today among both children and adults. It has been adapted for stage plays, films, and television many times.
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She also spent her life active in reform movements such as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke in Boston on March 6, 1888, just two days after her father's death.

Reviews

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an interesting book; if you have read Alcott's "Shawl Straps", this is required reading. It even provides a map of their journey, something I tried unsuccessfully to construct myself. The illustrations, which are mostly May Alcott's artwork, gives us a good insight in her growth as an artist. The book is a mix of Louisa May's letters and May's letters. It's fascinating to see how Louisa May used the letters to create "Shawl Straps". May was quite a writer herself.

So step back in time to 1870, with 37 year old Louisa May and her sister, 29 year old May, and their friend, Alice Bartlett, and enjoy the journey.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more May now!

[Audrey Ashbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Women Abroad: The Alcott Sisters' Letters From Europe 1870-1871 is a lovely collection of the letters sent by Louisa and May to their mother 'Marmee,' their father, Bronson, their older sister, Anna, her husband John Pratt, and publishers and friends while the Alcott sisters and their dear friend, Alice Bartlett, traveled to France, Italy, Switzerland, and England. 

Louisa May Alcott, who published Little Women to much acclaim in 1868, finally had the financial means to support her parents and sisters, and to travel abroad, a great dream of her and May's. I loved reading Louisa and May's letters home and hearing about their travels. Filled with pages of notes and explanations for subjects, places and people mentioned in the letters, this is a wonderful collection.

So much so, I cried when Louisa wrote to her sister, Anna, offering her condolences for Anna's husband John Pratt's death on November 29, 1870. John Pratt inspired the character of John Brooke, and the way that Louisa and May described him and how dear and kind he was to them, was so touching. Louisa writes that John "did more to make us trust and respect men than any one I know and with him I lose the one young man whom I sincerely honored in my heart" (251). 

Louisa then wrote Little Men, the sequel to Little Women, in the following months while she was abroad, so that Anna and her two young sons could be provided for. 

May and Louisa are witty, hilarious, ambitious, and sweet. I loved their voices and reading how they described things. I enjoyed hearing about their adventures abroad. What fascinating women! I also loved that the editor included dozens of May's drawings that she did on their travels. She was a talented artist. The editor, Shealy, notes that this extended trip sparked May's love of Europe, so much so that she returned only twice more to Orchard House (or "Apple Slump" as she calls it) during her lifetime, spending the rest of her life abroad. (In 1877, one of May's still life paintings was selected for the Paris Salon Exhibition. She married a Swiss man the following year and had a baby girl, Louisa May, in 1879 but passed away a few weeks later.) 

I liked reading about how they traveled around, what they ate, what they saw, and what they bought, especially the jewelry and dresses. I would have loved to read the letters they got back from their family as well. 

It was also great to see Louisa enjoy her success and hard-earned money, the 'lioness' authoress from Concord, but it pained me to read about her struggles with the pain in her leg. Louisa was a Civil War nurse for only a few weeks in 1863 when she contracted typhoid pneumonia and was dosed with calomel, a poisonous mercury used during the time to cure sickness, and dealt with the terrible effects of it her entire life after. It was good that the European adventure, and the warm weather, helped immensely at the time. 

I can't wait to learn more about the Alcotts in future reading. 

I'll be keeping an eye out for the places they visited in France: Brest, Morlaix, Dinan, Le Mans, Tours, Amboise, Blois, Orleans, Bourges, Moulins, and Lyons.

[bethany m. planton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't do better than the synopsis. "Little Women Abroad gathers a generous selection of May's drawings, along with all of the known letters written by the two Alcott sisters during their trip. Daniel Shealy's supporting materials add detail and context to the people, places, and events referenced in the letters and illustrations. These letters of two important American artists, one literary, the other visual, tell a vibrant story at the crossroads of European and American history and culture." Louisa May Alcott is one of my favorite authors, so I always enjoy a book where I can learn more about her.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of letters written by Louisa May Alcott and Abby May (“May”) Alcott during their yearlong travels in Europe. Their letters give a glimpse into the social and political life of the countries they visited— among them, France, Switzerland, and Italy— and the descriptions of the landscapes were dazzling and filled me with wanderlust. I read this right after re-reading Little Women, and since LMA poured so much of her and her family into Little Women, this felt very much like a “behind the scenes” sequel of Jo’s and Amy’s adventures (May, an accomplished artist, served as inspiration for Amy’s character in Little Women. Her sketches and drawings are featured prominently in this book). The editor, Daniel Shealy, includes an introduction that highlights the parallels between LMA’s life and the characters and events of Little Women and Little Men. LMA’s feelings about her newfound fame, and her desire for rest and recuperation in Europe, were apparent across her letters and shed further light on the state of the accomplished author’s mental and physical health, as well as her values and priorities. An enjoyable read and nice nonfiction companion to LMA’s works of fiction.

[Lorraine Tosiello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful look at the escapades of the Alcott sisters in Europe in 1870 through their letters to their adoring family at home. They are a mix of the mundane and historical, but mostly a real window into the brilliant, lighthearted, nonchalant way Louisa and May Alcott approached the Continent. They were charmed but not overly impressed. The book has a lovely introduction by Daniel Shealy, whose annotations are prolific. The illustrations are mostly sketches by May Alcott.

[Truly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pingin beli tahu kok ragu-ragu.
Akhirnya malah menemukan versi ebook di online database yang dilanggan kantor.
Unduh segera, baca kemudian hi hi hi. Prinsipnya ada dulu.
Semacam kumpulun surat abatar Louisa May Alcott dengan keluarganya. Tambahan aneka ilustrasi yang indah guna memperjelas maksud surat makin membuat buku ini menjadi spesial
Mereka yang mengangumi penulis, akan menyukai buku ini.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indispensable volume to Alcott studies. Louisa and May Alcott's letters written during their 1870-1871 trip to Europe, have been annotated and published by one of the foremost scholars in the field, Daniel Shealy. Filled with wit, humor, pathos, and autobiographical richness, this collection is a treasure.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also great for the illustrations which are hard to find and the old photos of Concord.

[Janine Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only wish I could have read the letters that we sent to them as well.