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The Inheritance
(Wheeler Large Print (Feature Selection))
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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6153 people want to read
About the author
Louisa May Alcott
3,957 books10.4k followersLouisa 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 805 reviews
October 2, 2009
Only a seventeen year old could write this book. The fact that it is Louisa May Alcott only explains why a seventeen year old is writing books, but that is as far as it goes because this is no “Little Women.”. Alcott scholars were so excited to find the manuscript of her first book, “The Inheritance” during the summer of 1988. Up until then, it had never been published. There was a reason for that. The heroine, Edith Adelon, is so sweet and good that she makes the Disney princesses look like brats. Edith’s tears makes Demi Moore’s tears in “Ghost” seem like mere mist. Edith’s sweetness tames and conquers all living things around her including thieves, haughty aunts, and jealous and conniving cousins. The hero, Lord Percy, is as idealistic as his heroine so at least they can live in La La Land together. Honestly, if one of my daughters came home and introduced me to a man who treasured away a sacred medallion that contained a faded flower from his mother and the portrait of his dead sister-in-law, I would say, “Run away!! Run away!!”
Just to give a taste of a young idealistic author, here is a quote from the climatic scene. I’m not giving anything away because you see it coming from page one.
“Lady Edith,” said a low voice near her, and she started, for he stood before her with all his untold love shining in the earnest eyes that looked so tenderly upon her. “Forgive me that I dared to follow you, but my heart bid me come, and I am here to ask you if the love I have cherished long and silently can be returned. I never thought to tell it, but the sorrow my departure caused you woke a new hope in my heart, and I could silence it no longer. Do not think your newfound wealth and rank have tempted me, for God knows I would most joyfully have won you when most poor and friendless, for I had learned the priceless worth of a pure heart, rich in woman’s truest virtues and most holy faith. But you had said you could not give your hand to one above you in rank and wealth, and from the hour my love was hopeless, but it never died. Each day some new deed of tenderness and care, some gentle look or word of yours made it stronger and more heavy to be borne. We now are equals in mere worldly riches. Can you give your heart to one who so ill deserves the blessing you bestow and trust me with the precious gift that shall be held most sacred until death?
“I can.” And, with her tearful eyes turned trustingly to him, Eidth laid her hand in his and pledged her love. “I can bring you nothing but a grateful heart, whose constancy and deep affection can never pass away. Take me poor and erring as I am, and teach me to be worthy of the great happiness I have won.”
It’s no wonder that Alcott never married. Who could live up to that?
Just to give a taste of a young idealistic author, here is a quote from the climatic scene. I’m not giving anything away because you see it coming from page one.
“Lady Edith,” said a low voice near her, and she started, for he stood before her with all his untold love shining in the earnest eyes that looked so tenderly upon her. “Forgive me that I dared to follow you, but my heart bid me come, and I am here to ask you if the love I have cherished long and silently can be returned. I never thought to tell it, but the sorrow my departure caused you woke a new hope in my heart, and I could silence it no longer. Do not think your newfound wealth and rank have tempted me, for God knows I would most joyfully have won you when most poor and friendless, for I had learned the priceless worth of a pure heart, rich in woman’s truest virtues and most holy faith. But you had said you could not give your hand to one above you in rank and wealth, and from the hour my love was hopeless, but it never died. Each day some new deed of tenderness and care, some gentle look or word of yours made it stronger and more heavy to be borne. We now are equals in mere worldly riches. Can you give your heart to one who so ill deserves the blessing you bestow and trust me with the precious gift that shall be held most sacred until death?
“I can.” And, with her tearful eyes turned trustingly to him, Eidth laid her hand in his and pledged her love. “I can bring you nothing but a grateful heart, whose constancy and deep affection can never pass away. Take me poor and erring as I am, and teach me to be worthy of the great happiness I have won.”
It’s no wonder that Alcott never married. Who could live up to that?
December 30, 2020
This is a sweet little "novelette" - Louisa May writing as a blossoming teenager, testing her pen and experimenting with words and ideas before she matured into the talented writer that delivered us Little Women.
Clearly influenced by gothic fiction (there are strong overtones to Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre style) but also a splash of Austen innocence and a smidge of Elliot's tone. While the story line is immature, predictable and a little "rose tinted glasses", kudos must be given to the young writer for her imagination and gumption.
Edith, our heroine is typically highly morally centered, altruistic to the point of the extreme and sometimes too kind and forgiving - sometimes, I wish these girls would be a tad more selfish and self centered!!! But alas, 'tis were the times.
In the end, all ends well - she bags the man, miraculously inherits a fortune and becomes the leading lady of her own life. It was a short and sweet read, and since we can only enjoy Mr Darcy so many times over, it's good to know we can find a similar dark and brooding hero in Mr Percy!
Clearly influenced by gothic fiction (there are strong overtones to Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre style) but also a splash of Austen innocence and a smidge of Elliot's tone. While the story line is immature, predictable and a little "rose tinted glasses", kudos must be given to the young writer for her imagination and gumption.
Edith, our heroine is typically highly morally centered, altruistic to the point of the extreme and sometimes too kind and forgiving - sometimes, I wish these girls would be a tad more selfish and self centered!!! But alas, 'tis were the times.
In the end, all ends well - she bags the man, miraculously inherits a fortune and becomes the leading lady of her own life. It was a short and sweet read, and since we can only enjoy Mr Darcy so many times over, it's good to know we can find a similar dark and brooding hero in Mr Percy!
Read
September 5, 2022One of the few reads I leave without rating on purpose.
I actually found it terrible (terribly banal, clichéd and nauseatingly sweet) and yet I knew I should have stepped back and kept a little distance from this as one of Louisa May Alcott's juvenilia, where she (subserviently) copied the style, characterisation and plot of mediocre works that nevertheless payed well.
Buddy-read with Ange without whom I would not have finished the book.
I actually found it terrible (terribly banal, clichéd and nauseatingly sweet) and yet I knew I should have stepped back and kept a little distance from this as one of Louisa May Alcott's juvenilia, where she (subserviently) copied the style, characterisation and plot of mediocre works that nevertheless payed well.
Buddy-read with Ange without whom I would not have finished the book.
to-buy
August 4, 2017In 1997, The Inheritance was made into a film and it's one of my favorites! It's written by Louisa May Alcott who wrote Little Women.
A 19th-century woman Edith Adelon, companion to a blue-blooded New England girl Miss Amy Hamilton, falls for an aristocrat, James Percy, but a jealous cousin to the family, a Ida Glenshaw, tries her best to destroy every chance poor Edith might have of winning James's heart!
A 19th-century woman Edith Adelon, companion to a blue-blooded New England girl Miss Amy Hamilton, falls for an aristocrat, James Percy, but a jealous cousin to the family, a Ida Glenshaw, tries her best to destroy every chance poor Edith might have of winning James's heart!
November 19, 2023
Truly atrocious stuff. Exactly what a seventeen-year-old's first novel ought to be. It should never have seen the light of publication day and I had a blast.
July 5, 2019
Edith Adelon is comfortably provided for by her beloved friends, the Hamiltons, who, though she was but a lowly Italian orphan when they discovered her, have treated her with more kindness and generosity than she could have ever hoped to claim from them. The two young Hamiltons, Amy and Arthur, treat her as a beloved sister, and Lady Hamilton, though not as warm as her children, expresses a degree of affection that she deems stately. The only member of the household who dislikes Edith is Cousin Ida who, scheming and ambitious herself, detests Edith’s gentle, artless kindness.
When Lord Percy arrives, Ida’s passive dislike for Edith develops into outright hatred. A selfless, noble man himself, he is attracted to Edith’s character and awards her with his interest despite Ida’s constant attempts to capture him for herself. When Frederick Arlington arrives and is also captivated by Edith, who finds his heavy-handed attention oppressive, Ida’s rage heats to a boiling point.
Will Edith’s character be destroyed by Ida’s machinations? And when the secret of Edith’s birth becomes known, will she be accepted for who she is?
Discussion.
Quite by accident, I managed to read The Inheritance the day after I finished William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The contrast between the two could not have been more striking. One was a masterful exposition of the deep horrors of human nature, forged in fire and written with rapier skill. The other is an effusion of sentimental melodrama, bred on cotton candy and carnations and written with the clumsy hand of an obvious amateur. One examined the depth of human depravity while the other boasted characters whose only thoughts were those of angelic purity. Reading the two back to back was like stepping out of an oven into a refrigerator. Simply shocking.
Louisa May Alcott wrote this novel when she was seventeen. I think it likely that her young age combined with her lack of experience as a writer, love of melodrama, and transcendentalist ideals are responsible for the simplistic characters she created in The Inheritance. Because that is the single adjective which describes every element of the story – simplicity. Simplicity in plot. Simplicity in theme. And strongest of all, simplicity in character.
Edith is beautiful, dark-haired, and pale faced, “with an angel’s calm and almost holy beauty, [she] bore within as holy and as pure a heart – gentle, true, and tender. Few could bear the burden of a lonely life as patiently as she.” [pg. 14] Her bright eyes often fill with tears at the kindness or meanness of others, and she inspires instant admiration in all who see her. She is described as “one who bore so meekly all the sorrows that must try a gentle heart and was so rich in pure and sinless feelings and so beautiful in all a woman’s noblest gifts.” [pg. 90]
Lord Percy is a selfless, melancholic nobleman who, “careless of the wealth and honor that might be his... prized far more the purity and worth of noble human hearts, little noting whether they beat in high or low.” He chiefly occupies his time admiring Edith’s unquenchable virtues and defending or pitying her when anyone is unkind to her. Formerly disappointed in love (upon discovering that his younger brother loved the same woman as he “he nobly put away his own joy and strove to win for his younger brother the heart he so tenderly loved himself.” um wot), he soon develops a “most holy love” for Edith, yet forbears from proposing to her lest he “should wrong the friendship she so frankly gave [him] if [he] could pain her by vain offers of a love she never could return and by rank and riches that cannot buy a noble woman’s heart.” [pg. 122] Also, “His calm, pale face and serious eyes are far more beautiful than mere comeliness and grace of form, for the pure, true heart within shines clearly out and gives quiet beauty to his face, such as few possess.” [g. 8] (Added bonus, he is also “tender as a woman”.)
Lady Ida, the only truly evil character, is beautiful, brilliant, proud, cold, and unmarried. With a hilarious lack of self-deception, she admits to Edith that she hates her because “You [Edith] are young and lovely, and in spite of poverty and humble birth, you win respect and admiration from those above you.” When she perceives that Lord Percy and Frederick Arlington both admire Edith, she attempts to disparage Edith’s character with a degree of clumsiness that would embarrass a half-grown puppy. Her disdainful dislike for Edith is so unskillfully displayed that everyone is able to see through her schemes and thus do not fall for them.
Frederick Arlington is “selfish, passionate, discontented” and unreasonably attracted to Edith’s selfless, meek, and unassuming character. His selfish behavior consists of paying her unwanted attentions, bending admiring glances toward her blushing face, and declaring his love to her when she does not wish to hear it. But even he feels “the passion in his breast grow calm beneath the light of” Lord Percy’s “sad, earnest eyes,” and by the end of his story arc he “[feels] deeply all the sorrow he had given and the tears his selfish passion caused [Edith]”. Uh huh.
Amy and Arthur are both amiable to a child-like degree. They, both beautiful and intelligent, are themselves happy and cannot imagine why anyone else would not be. They look upon Edith as a sister, and the only times their anger is roused is when someone slights Edith.
None of the characters undergo any kind of character development (except Arlington – he realizes he’s annoying). But, if you think about it, there was no way they could have grown – could Edith progress beyond angelic calm and holy beauty? Could Percy, of whom it is said “few could lead so pure a life as he”, really get any better? The answer is “no” and so our characters, instead of overcoming interesting faults, instead must sadly languish under the faults of Lady Ida and Arlington.
In fact, Alcott went so overboard in making Edith perfectly self-sacrificial, that she actually made her contradictory. In one scene, after Lady Ida has declared her hatred in response to Edith’s plea for friendship, Edith responds,
“I have no other home but this and no friends to take me in or, much as I love Amy, I would leave her and trouble you no more.” Edith said sadly. [pg. 60]
So, Edith just said she would leave Amy if another home was offered her right? Right. Fast forward eight pages to the moment that rich Lord Percy asks her to live as a companion with his aging mother and this is what we get.
Edith, while the bright tears lay upon her cheek, answered sadly, “I am deeply grateful for this kindness, and were it not for Amy and the love and gratitude I owe her, I would gladly be to your mother as a faithful, loving child.” [pg. 68]
In both situations Edith professed the most self-sacrificial attitude available. But in doing so, she contradicted herself with selflessness! Agggggh.
Also difficult to comprehend is Lady Hamilton’s attitude when money is stolen from her and Edith is accused of being the thief. Lady Hamilton had previously stated that she regards Edith as “a friend to whom I owe a debt that I never can repay and, as a small return for the precious life she saved, I shall do all I can to make her happy.” [pg. 58], but when evidence provided by Lady Ida seems to indicate that that Edith is the thief, Lady Hamilton says,
“Yes, Edith, you have sinned past my forgiveness. You have forfeited my love, my confidence, and my protection, for, in return for years of warm affection and most watchful care, you have repaid me by deceit and great ingratitude.” [pgs. 150-151]
When Edith protests that she did not steal the money, but cannot tell who she believes did steal it (a bit of stupidity on her part, I grant), Lady Hamilton responds.
“I can no longer give a home to one who thinks a promise given to screen guilt more binding than the gratitude of years.” [pg. 157]
But later, when a servant admits to stealing the money, Lady Hamilton expands,
“My poor boy, I do forgive you, led astray by others whom you trusted. ‘Tis an easy thing to sin. Your youth and your repentance have won my pardon.” [pg. 164]
So, let me get this straight. When Ida, who everyone knows hates Edith, provides evidence against a beloved member of your household, you accept her testimony and prepare to evict the beloved member without mercy, but when an insignificant servant boy admits to the same crime, you graciously forgive and excuse him? Good GRACIOUS.
I may sound like I’m coming down too hard on this story. The truth is, it’s harmless enough for young readers who want a bit of fairy tale fluff. But it just doesn’t have the vim to be considered classic literature.
Conclusion. Good for those interested in the works of Louisa May Alcott or for those looking for “safe”, sinless literature.
When Lord Percy arrives, Ida’s passive dislike for Edith develops into outright hatred. A selfless, noble man himself, he is attracted to Edith’s character and awards her with his interest despite Ida’s constant attempts to capture him for herself. When Frederick Arlington arrives and is also captivated by Edith, who finds his heavy-handed attention oppressive, Ida’s rage heats to a boiling point.
Will Edith’s character be destroyed by Ida’s machinations? And when the secret of Edith’s birth becomes known, will she be accepted for who she is?
Discussion.
Quite by accident, I managed to read The Inheritance the day after I finished William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The contrast between the two could not have been more striking. One was a masterful exposition of the deep horrors of human nature, forged in fire and written with rapier skill. The other is an effusion of sentimental melodrama, bred on cotton candy and carnations and written with the clumsy hand of an obvious amateur. One examined the depth of human depravity while the other boasted characters whose only thoughts were those of angelic purity. Reading the two back to back was like stepping out of an oven into a refrigerator. Simply shocking.
Louisa May Alcott wrote this novel when she was seventeen. I think it likely that her young age combined with her lack of experience as a writer, love of melodrama, and transcendentalist ideals are responsible for the simplistic characters she created in The Inheritance. Because that is the single adjective which describes every element of the story – simplicity. Simplicity in plot. Simplicity in theme. And strongest of all, simplicity in character.
Edith is beautiful, dark-haired, and pale faced, “with an angel’s calm and almost holy beauty, [she] bore within as holy and as pure a heart – gentle, true, and tender. Few could bear the burden of a lonely life as patiently as she.” [pg. 14] Her bright eyes often fill with tears at the kindness or meanness of others, and she inspires instant admiration in all who see her. She is described as “one who bore so meekly all the sorrows that must try a gentle heart and was so rich in pure and sinless feelings and so beautiful in all a woman’s noblest gifts.” [pg. 90]
Lord Percy is a selfless, melancholic nobleman who, “careless of the wealth and honor that might be his... prized far more the purity and worth of noble human hearts, little noting whether they beat in high or low.” He chiefly occupies his time admiring Edith’s unquenchable virtues and defending or pitying her when anyone is unkind to her. Formerly disappointed in love (upon discovering that his younger brother loved the same woman as he “he nobly put away his own joy and strove to win for his younger brother the heart he so tenderly loved himself.” um wot), he soon develops a “most holy love” for Edith, yet forbears from proposing to her lest he “should wrong the friendship she so frankly gave [him] if [he] could pain her by vain offers of a love she never could return and by rank and riches that cannot buy a noble woman’s heart.” [pg. 122] Also, “His calm, pale face and serious eyes are far more beautiful than mere comeliness and grace of form, for the pure, true heart within shines clearly out and gives quiet beauty to his face, such as few possess.” [g. 8] (Added bonus, he is also “tender as a woman”.)
Lady Ida, the only truly evil character, is beautiful, brilliant, proud, cold, and unmarried. With a hilarious lack of self-deception, she admits to Edith that she hates her because “You [Edith] are young and lovely, and in spite of poverty and humble birth, you win respect and admiration from those above you.” When she perceives that Lord Percy and Frederick Arlington both admire Edith, she attempts to disparage Edith’s character with a degree of clumsiness that would embarrass a half-grown puppy. Her disdainful dislike for Edith is so unskillfully displayed that everyone is able to see through her schemes and thus do not fall for them.
Frederick Arlington is “selfish, passionate, discontented” and unreasonably attracted to Edith’s selfless, meek, and unassuming character. His selfish behavior consists of paying her unwanted attentions, bending admiring glances toward her blushing face, and declaring his love to her when she does not wish to hear it. But even he feels “the passion in his breast grow calm beneath the light of” Lord Percy’s “sad, earnest eyes,” and by the end of his story arc he “[feels] deeply all the sorrow he had given and the tears his selfish passion caused [Edith]”. Uh huh.
Amy and Arthur are both amiable to a child-like degree. They, both beautiful and intelligent, are themselves happy and cannot imagine why anyone else would not be. They look upon Edith as a sister, and the only times their anger is roused is when someone slights Edith.
None of the characters undergo any kind of character development (except Arlington – he realizes he’s annoying). But, if you think about it, there was no way they could have grown – could Edith progress beyond angelic calm and holy beauty? Could Percy, of whom it is said “few could lead so pure a life as he”, really get any better? The answer is “no” and so our characters, instead of overcoming interesting faults, instead must sadly languish under the faults of Lady Ida and Arlington.
In fact, Alcott went so overboard in making Edith perfectly self-sacrificial, that she actually made her contradictory. In one scene, after Lady Ida has declared her hatred in response to Edith’s plea for friendship, Edith responds,
“I have no other home but this and no friends to take me in or, much as I love Amy, I would leave her and trouble you no more.” Edith said sadly. [pg. 60]
So, Edith just said she would leave Amy if another home was offered her right? Right. Fast forward eight pages to the moment that rich Lord Percy asks her to live as a companion with his aging mother and this is what we get.
Edith, while the bright tears lay upon her cheek, answered sadly, “I am deeply grateful for this kindness, and were it not for Amy and the love and gratitude I owe her, I would gladly be to your mother as a faithful, loving child.” [pg. 68]
In both situations Edith professed the most self-sacrificial attitude available. But in doing so, she contradicted herself with selflessness! Agggggh.
Also difficult to comprehend is Lady Hamilton’s attitude when money is stolen from her and Edith is accused of being the thief. Lady Hamilton had previously stated that she regards Edith as “a friend to whom I owe a debt that I never can repay and, as a small return for the precious life she saved, I shall do all I can to make her happy.” [pg. 58], but when evidence provided by Lady Ida seems to indicate that that Edith is the thief, Lady Hamilton says,
“Yes, Edith, you have sinned past my forgiveness. You have forfeited my love, my confidence, and my protection, for, in return for years of warm affection and most watchful care, you have repaid me by deceit and great ingratitude.” [pgs. 150-151]
When Edith protests that she did not steal the money, but cannot tell who she believes did steal it (a bit of stupidity on her part, I grant), Lady Hamilton responds.
“I can no longer give a home to one who thinks a promise given to screen guilt more binding than the gratitude of years.” [pg. 157]
But later, when a servant admits to stealing the money, Lady Hamilton expands,
“My poor boy, I do forgive you, led astray by others whom you trusted. ‘Tis an easy thing to sin. Your youth and your repentance have won my pardon.” [pg. 164]
So, let me get this straight. When Ida, who everyone knows hates Edith, provides evidence against a beloved member of your household, you accept her testimony and prepare to evict the beloved member without mercy, but when an insignificant servant boy admits to the same crime, you graciously forgive and excuse him? Good GRACIOUS.
I may sound like I’m coming down too hard on this story. The truth is, it’s harmless enough for young readers who want a bit of fairy tale fluff. But it just doesn’t have the vim to be considered classic literature.
Conclusion. Good for those interested in the works of Louisa May Alcott or for those looking for “safe”, sinless literature.
March 10, 2017
It is a sweet, lovely story written by seventeen-year-old girl. Louisa May Alcott was a wise and observant writer from the beginning. Her first novel isn't very subtle. Mostly it is a love story and the story about how much a human needs another human to love. It is rather easy to predict (save one surprising event). Nonetheless, I have had a nice time like I was listening a pretty, enjoyable melody. The melody I was hearing for the first time although her familiarity have warmed my heart. Perhaps, this book simply touches our purest needs, dreams and faith in a human being.
August 11, 2020
Το αγαπώ!!!!
April 22, 2024
3.5 ⭐
Well done for a 17-year-old (LMA's age when she wrote it), but the plot is a little too convenient and the characters a little too one-sided/one-dimensional. It definitely gives dreamy young adult vibes. A fun little story, and essential reading for any Alcott fan.
Well done for a 17-year-old (LMA's age when she wrote it), but the plot is a little too convenient and the characters a little too one-sided/one-dimensional. It definitely gives dreamy young adult vibes. A fun little story, and essential reading for any Alcott fan.
September 9, 2023
In 1996, two professors going through Louisa May Alcott’s letters and journals discovered a previously unknown and unpublished manuscript. The Inheritance was Louisa’s first novel, written when she was 17. I have to keep telling myself this, she was 17 when she wrote this book. I can barely stand to have a conversation with a teenage girl much less read a book she wrote. But since neither the professors who found this nor anyone else could find any other information about the novel, they decided to have it published, and that happened in 1997.
The heroine of the story is Edith Adelon. She was a poor orphan in Italy until Lord Hamilton took pity on her and brought her home. There she became a companion to Hamilton’s daughter, Amy. Sounds like fun. When we begin Edith is a young woman and Amy is a teenager. Not a teenager again. Edith teaches Amy music, painting, Italian, and some other stuff I can't think of at the moment. She doesn't sound like a companion, she sounds like a teacher. Besides, she isn't allowed to go out in public and mingle with their guests, Lady Hamilton doesn't approve, so I'd say she's somewhat less than a companion. But for the most part she seems happy in the Hamilton family, even if she isn't quite one of them. Then there is Ida Clare, the niece or cousin, I forget which, of Lady Hamilton, there is no love for Edith from Ida. Ida hates her, especially when Lord Percy comes around. Lord Percy ignores Ida, but never ignores Edith, while Edith wishes the aristocrats interested in her, yes, there are two, would leave her alone since with her unknown parentage she can never be happy with Lord Percy, and she would never have been happy with the other guy no matter what. We learn Lord Percy's background how he and his brother loved the same woman, but when he found out, he stepped back and let his brother win the woman which was very sweet of him I guess. Also we're told more about Sir Percy:
“Careless of the wealth and honor that might be his, he prized far more the purity and worth of noble human hearts, little noting whether they beat in high or low.” He visited the “poor and suffering” and still kept a hope that he “might win a beautiful and noble wife to cheer life’s pilgrimage and bless him with her love”.
Ida thinks she is that noble person who will make Lord Percy's life like paradise. Lord Percy doesn't seem to think so. But Lord Percy and Edith can never have a life together can they? He is a wealthy Lord and she is an orphan and knows nothing of her background. So they will never have a life together. Then again, the title of the novel is The Inheritance and it was written by a 17 year old girl, how could it not have a happy ending? Happy reading.
The heroine of the story is Edith Adelon. She was a poor orphan in Italy until Lord Hamilton took pity on her and brought her home. There she became a companion to Hamilton’s daughter, Amy. Sounds like fun. When we begin Edith is a young woman and Amy is a teenager. Not a teenager again. Edith teaches Amy music, painting, Italian, and some other stuff I can't think of at the moment. She doesn't sound like a companion, she sounds like a teacher. Besides, she isn't allowed to go out in public and mingle with their guests, Lady Hamilton doesn't approve, so I'd say she's somewhat less than a companion. But for the most part she seems happy in the Hamilton family, even if she isn't quite one of them. Then there is Ida Clare, the niece or cousin, I forget which, of Lady Hamilton, there is no love for Edith from Ida. Ida hates her, especially when Lord Percy comes around. Lord Percy ignores Ida, but never ignores Edith, while Edith wishes the aristocrats interested in her, yes, there are two, would leave her alone since with her unknown parentage she can never be happy with Lord Percy, and she would never have been happy with the other guy no matter what. We learn Lord Percy's background how he and his brother loved the same woman, but when he found out, he stepped back and let his brother win the woman which was very sweet of him I guess. Also we're told more about Sir Percy:
“Careless of the wealth and honor that might be his, he prized far more the purity and worth of noble human hearts, little noting whether they beat in high or low.” He visited the “poor and suffering” and still kept a hope that he “might win a beautiful and noble wife to cheer life’s pilgrimage and bless him with her love”.
Ida thinks she is that noble person who will make Lord Percy's life like paradise. Lord Percy doesn't seem to think so. But Lord Percy and Edith can never have a life together can they? He is a wealthy Lord and she is an orphan and knows nothing of her background. So they will never have a life together. Then again, the title of the novel is The Inheritance and it was written by a 17 year old girl, how could it not have a happy ending? Happy reading.
June 12, 2012
I love all of the Little Women books, so I was excited to read Louisa May Alcott's first novel. The ONLY reason this book gets two stars is because it was written by a seventeen-year-old girl.
I have never liked Jane Austen, and this was like the worst Jane Austen fanfic ever.
Edith, our heroine, is the most beautiful, perfect, sweet, gentle, selfless character ever devised. She has zero faults. She even loves the people who hate her. She cries silent, bright tears when her fragile emotions are hurt, but she never lets anyone see. I was picturing her as a dark-haired Cinderella. I told my husband that she probably farts butterflies. For god's sake, she sneaks off to cheer sick people. She saved Amy from falling off a cliff, then sadly realizes she has to leave her scarf dangling from a tree because they have to get Amy back to the house. (Not because it's too dangerous to go get it, mind you, but that they don't have TIME.)
Lord Percy also has no faults, to the point that Edith's other suitor is practically demonized for expressing his feelings. Percy never intends really to tell Edith he loves her. They both walk around in a selfless daze helping the poor and pretending not to like each other.
Amy is a goofball. A kind, sympathetic, loveable goofball.
Lady Ida is as one-dimensional as the rest, but even she feels guilty for hating such a kind, sweet creature as Edith.
All of the incidental characters rave over how lovely and giving she is. It made me want to vomit. Midway through the book, I started to root for Lady Ida.
And, of course, poor, rankless Edith turns out to be the unknown daughter, making her the heiress, but because she is so kind and gentle, she attempts to destroy all evidence of it so that the others will never know, so she can save them pain.
Ugh.
As I said, this book only gets two stars because Alcott wrote it as a teenager, and it was her first book. Otherwise, it would be little better than Twilight.
I have never liked Jane Austen, and this was like the worst Jane Austen fanfic ever.
Edith, our heroine, is the most beautiful, perfect, sweet, gentle, selfless character ever devised. She has zero faults. She even loves the people who hate her. She cries silent, bright tears when her fragile emotions are hurt, but she never lets anyone see. I was picturing her as a dark-haired Cinderella. I told my husband that she probably farts butterflies. For god's sake, she sneaks off to cheer sick people. She saved Amy from falling off a cliff, then sadly realizes she has to leave her scarf dangling from a tree because they have to get Amy back to the house. (Not because it's too dangerous to go get it, mind you, but that they don't have TIME.)
Lord Percy also has no faults, to the point that Edith's other suitor is practically demonized for expressing his feelings. Percy never intends really to tell Edith he loves her. They both walk around in a selfless daze helping the poor and pretending not to like each other.
Amy is a goofball. A kind, sympathetic, loveable goofball.
Lady Ida is as one-dimensional as the rest, but even she feels guilty for hating such a kind, sweet creature as Edith.
All of the incidental characters rave over how lovely and giving she is. It made me want to vomit. Midway through the book, I started to root for Lady Ida.
And, of course, poor, rankless Edith turns out to be the unknown daughter, making her the heiress, but because she is so kind and gentle, she attempts to destroy all evidence of it so that the others will never know, so she can save them pain.
Ugh.
As I said, this book only gets two stars because Alcott wrote it as a teenager, and it was her first book. Otherwise, it would be little better than Twilight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this one but it was pretty melodramatic and unrealistic. It makes sense that Jo from Little Women is supposed to have written it.
January 5, 2013
Throughly enjoyable! This was my first Allcot and I was given it for Christmas by a wonderful friend and I am so glad she did!
The hero who was so kind and loving and caring! The heroine was sweet and the whole story was delightful. There were some very dislikable characters (who had me shouting at the book!) and some bubbly characters who were great to read about! There were a few events in the plot that were left hanging or that seemed to sort themselves out rather quickly but it didn't matter :) she was only 17 when she wrote this - I would not be able to do anything half so good as this!
The hero who was so kind and loving and caring! The heroine was sweet and the whole story was delightful. There were some very dislikable characters (who had me shouting at the book!) and some bubbly characters who were great to read about! There were a few events in the plot that were left hanging or that seemed to sort themselves out rather quickly but it didn't matter :) she was only 17 when she wrote this - I would not be able to do anything half so good as this!
February 13, 2024
Ben comprensibile la curiosità su questo volumetto a lungo inedito in Italia, prima opera di Louisa M. Alcott; poco più di cento pagine per la storia di Edith Adelon, giovane dalle sfortune economiche ma dall'innato talento e bellezza. Colpevole forse di averlo idealizzato (è vero che la scrittura è acerba, ma l'autrice era diciassettenne), "L'eredità" mi è piaciuto moltissimo; opera sì forse inesperta ma piena di sbocchi di riflessione, nonché lettura godibile e assimilabile in un paio d'ore.
L'edizione Jo March inoltre propone sempre interessanti introduzioni e appendici.
L'edizione Jo March inoltre propone sempre interessanti introduzioni e appendici.
June 29, 2019
There are two of Louisa May Alcott's novels that were published posthumously -- much to the delight of her modern readers. Both were released to the public in the 1990s -- ages after Louisa's death. As I had read one of those novels last June during the L.M.A. reading challenge (A Long Fatal Love Chase), I decided to read the other title (The Inheritance) for this year's challenge.
This one is, after all, Louisa's very first novel. While she didn't get it published, it is something we can relish in now. Perhaps the writing style has some ameteur moments, but I must say that it seems rather well put together. It's a bit like seeing tidbits of the infancy of Little Women -- and that being one of my favorite classic novels, this excites me.
It is such a sweet story, with some quality morals filtered in. We have good vs. evil. We have little twinges of romance. We have a decadently British setting, with some Italian flair thrown in. Plus a cast of peculiar characters akin to ones that Dickens himself might create. All this from an American 17-year-old who lived back in the 19th century! Louisa had an amazing imagination, even when she'd hardly begun piecing together stories.
Edith Adelon is one of my favorite new heroines. I adore her pure and pleasant spirit, and her servant's heart. (I say the latter not in regard to her position held in the Hamilton household, but spiritually, emotionally, in her she conducts her decisions. She thrives by pleasing others.) And she is a lovely girl that anyone should be happy to call on as a friend.
Minimum age to enjoy: 10 to Adult.
I'm so glad that The Inheritance was located by just the right people, even so much time after Miss Alcott's death, and shared for the world to enjoy. It is a pleasure to read.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
This book was read during the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge found on:
https://inthebookcase.blogspot.com
This one is, after all, Louisa's very first novel. While she didn't get it published, it is something we can relish in now. Perhaps the writing style has some ameteur moments, but I must say that it seems rather well put together. It's a bit like seeing tidbits of the infancy of Little Women -- and that being one of my favorite classic novels, this excites me.
It is such a sweet story, with some quality morals filtered in. We have good vs. evil. We have little twinges of romance. We have a decadently British setting, with some Italian flair thrown in. Plus a cast of peculiar characters akin to ones that Dickens himself might create. All this from an American 17-year-old who lived back in the 19th century! Louisa had an amazing imagination, even when she'd hardly begun piecing together stories.
Edith Adelon is one of my favorite new heroines. I adore her pure and pleasant spirit, and her servant's heart. (I say the latter not in regard to her position held in the Hamilton household, but spiritually, emotionally, in her she conducts her decisions. She thrives by pleasing others.) And she is a lovely girl that anyone should be happy to call on as a friend.
Minimum age to enjoy: 10 to Adult.
I'm so glad that The Inheritance was located by just the right people, even so much time after Miss Alcott's death, and shared for the world to enjoy. It is a pleasure to read.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
This book was read during the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge found on:
https://inthebookcase.blogspot.com
February 23, 2021
2.5 stars
In the version I read (Penguin Classics) the first quarter of the book was an introduction and while the part about Louisa May Alcott’s life was interesting, the writer decided to pretty much explain and analyze the entire plot of the story. So if you read this version, skip the introduction until after you read the book. Unless you want the story spoiled. (And some things described one way that didn’t feel that way in the actual book.)
It was pretty easy telling this story was written by a young writer. While the overall plot was interesting, and some things were good, there was a feeling of drama, and exaggeration that kept me from fully enjoying the story. And I got really tired of reading about people with pale faces. That was used over 44 times in the book to describe people’s faces. I was starting to wonder if they were all in ill health. And the way they talked to each other was a bit over the top.
Overall, the story was okay, but needed some serious rewriting. I liked the Featured Films for Family movie version much better than the book.
In the version I read (Penguin Classics) the first quarter of the book was an introduction and while the part about Louisa May Alcott’s life was interesting, the writer decided to pretty much explain and analyze the entire plot of the story. So if you read this version, skip the introduction until after you read the book. Unless you want the story spoiled. (And some things described one way that didn’t feel that way in the actual book.)
It was pretty easy telling this story was written by a young writer. While the overall plot was interesting, and some things were good, there was a feeling of drama, and exaggeration that kept me from fully enjoying the story. And I got really tired of reading about people with pale faces. That was used over 44 times in the book to describe people’s faces. I was starting to wonder if they were all in ill health. And the way they talked to each other was a bit over the top.
Overall, the story was okay, but needed some serious rewriting. I liked the Featured Films for Family movie version much better than the book.
September 22, 2015
From IMDb:
At the lush Evenswood estate in Concord, Massachusetts, Edith Adelon, a beautiful orphan, lives as the paid companion to the daughter of the wealthy Hamilton family, although they regard her as one of their own. Years ago, Henry Hamilton saved Edith from an Italian orphanage at the request of his long-deceased brother. Now, Edith is his daughter Amy's prized friend and confidante. As the Hamiltons await a trio of visitors for the annual Greens Cup horse race, Beatrice Hamilton asks for Edith's help in finding a suitable husband for a cousin, Ida Glenshaw, with one of two visiting eligible bachelors. But when it becomes clear that both the young men have affection for Edith and not Ida, jealousy soon develops, leading to malicious conniving and brutal backstabbing.
A movie was made based on this book and it is available at YouTube.
Believed to be the author's first work, written in 1849.
At the lush Evenswood estate in Concord, Massachusetts, Edith Adelon, a beautiful orphan, lives as the paid companion to the daughter of the wealthy Hamilton family, although they regard her as one of their own. Years ago, Henry Hamilton saved Edith from an Italian orphanage at the request of his long-deceased brother. Now, Edith is his daughter Amy's prized friend and confidante. As the Hamiltons await a trio of visitors for the annual Greens Cup horse race, Beatrice Hamilton asks for Edith's help in finding a suitable husband for a cousin, Ida Glenshaw, with one of two visiting eligible bachelors. But when it becomes clear that both the young men have affection for Edith and not Ida, jealousy soon develops, leading to malicious conniving and brutal backstabbing.
A movie was made based on this book and it is available at YouTube.
Believed to be the author's first work, written in 1849.
November 15, 2017
È una bella favola, al pari delle più famose e classiche. Una storia piacevole e che allieta il cuore.
February 24, 2017
My friend Erin gave me this movie for Christmas when we were in high school. At some point, I learned it was a novel first and I've wanted to read it ever since. Last spring, I ran across a copy at a thrift store and this month, my book club decided to read it together. At first I wasn't sure what to think. I've watched the movie so many times that there wasn't much going on in the book that came as a surprise. The plot and characters were simple and predictable. The bad guys were deplorable and the good ones were angelic. I put it aside to read other things...
Then, I picked it back up and flew through the second half. In those pages, something happened. I began to appreciate the depth of motives and thoughts that Alcott understood as she proved in the lines she gave to several of the characters. It's been said that she was 17 when she wrote this. It shows at times, but at other times, it reminds us that age truly is only a number.
The last chapter alone is beautiful. It bumped it up to a four star book for me. No spoilers, but there couldn't be a better ending. I'll say this...It's better than the ways Austen tied up both P & P and Persuasion.
Get yourselfva copy of this little novel. Read it, enjoy it, and tell your friends about it. Oh, and THEN watch the movie.
April-Mayish
Then, I picked it back up and flew through the second half. In those pages, something happened. I began to appreciate the depth of motives and thoughts that Alcott understood as she proved in the lines she gave to several of the characters. It's been said that she was 17 when she wrote this. It shows at times, but at other times, it reminds us that age truly is only a number.
The last chapter alone is beautiful. It bumped it up to a four star book for me. No spoilers, but there couldn't be a better ending. I'll say this...It's better than the ways Austen tied up both P & P and Persuasion.
Get yourselfva copy of this little novel. Read it, enjoy it, and tell your friends about it. Oh, and THEN watch the movie.
April-Mayish
June 22, 2023
I can COMPLETELY understand someone not loving this book. It’s simple, pretty heavy on the cliches, the characters are extremely one dimensional (Edith is perfect, and everyone agrees.) Also, a seventeen year old wrote it, and you can definitely in some instances tell a seventeen year old wrote it.
However.
I. ATE. IT. UP. This story is so easy to read, and pretty quick to read too! It’s just sweet. It’s pure and wholesome and just undeniably simple in a good way.
I definitely think you should read Little Women before reading this, Knowing that this is Alcott’s first book means that this is the book referenced in Little Women that Jo March writes. Which, just gives this just really gives a fun insight to the character Jo March (who, full circle, is Alcott herself). This book helped me to see the beginnings of Alcott’s writing style, and Inheritance just clearly has the same charm that Little Women has. Through it, I could feel such a deeper connection to Alcott as an author and Jo March as her character.
Also, given the fact that Alcott was seventeen, she writes SOME BANGER lines. I saved a few quotes, but even at a young age, it’s so evident that Alcott was meant to be a writer. Her wording is eloquent and effortless, like come on, “Take me poor and erring as I am, and teach me to be worthy of the great happiness I have won.” THAT IS JUST, C’MON.
I love it.
However.
I. ATE. IT. UP. This story is so easy to read, and pretty quick to read too! It’s just sweet. It’s pure and wholesome and just undeniably simple in a good way.
I definitely think you should read Little Women before reading this, Knowing that this is Alcott’s first book means that this is the book referenced in Little Women that Jo March writes. Which, just gives this just really gives a fun insight to the character Jo March (who, full circle, is Alcott herself). This book helped me to see the beginnings of Alcott’s writing style, and Inheritance just clearly has the same charm that Little Women has. Through it, I could feel such a deeper connection to Alcott as an author and Jo March as her character.
Also, given the fact that Alcott was seventeen, she writes SOME BANGER lines. I saved a few quotes, but even at a young age, it’s so evident that Alcott was meant to be a writer. Her wording is eloquent and effortless, like come on, “Take me poor and erring as I am, and teach me to be worthy of the great happiness I have won.” THAT IS JUST, C’MON.
I love it.
December 23, 2014
I laugh only to keep from crying....
I thought the movie was bad. Well, at least the book has the excuse that it was written by a 17 year old. (What is the movie's excuse?)
Sugar sweet perfect characters whose eyes well up with tears at the sight of...a painting. Beautiful scenery. Good deeds. Innocent heroine who dislikes being complimented...or proposed to. Hero who stays for like months?
Well...to say something nice, it was well paced. Just not something I'll likely reread.
I thought the movie was bad. Well, at least the book has the excuse that it was written by a 17 year old. (What is the movie's excuse?)
Sugar sweet perfect characters whose eyes well up with tears at the sight of...a painting. Beautiful scenery. Good deeds. Innocent heroine who dislikes being complimented...or proposed to. Hero who stays for like months?
Well...to say something nice, it was well paced. Just not something I'll likely reread.
May 16, 2023
As a fan of Alcott I decided to pick this one up. It's cheesy, cliché, and hilarious. If you keep the facts in perspective, (that she was seventeen and grew up to write Little Women, a fantastic novel), it's quite funny and enjoyable.
Read
September 21, 2017So interesting. Louisa May Alcott is a treasure, and it was fascinating to read this very short novel, which is projected to have been penned when Alcott was just 17 years-old. You can tell that she was very young when she wrote it, and - being the highly autobiographical writer that she tended to be - she integrated much of her own feelings and passion into it. Worth a read...and it's amusing to note that the words "pale," "pure," and "cheek," were used on at least every page.
This book was never published while Alcott was alive, I don't think. So it seems like a story that a teenage girl wrote for fun...which was exactly what it was! That really makes it fun to read, and impossible to criticize!
This book was never published while Alcott was alive, I don't think. So it seems like a story that a teenage girl wrote for fun...which was exactly what it was! That really makes it fun to read, and impossible to criticize!
June 3, 2008
This was Alcott's first novel, written when she was 17. Had I not known that, I don't think I would have been able to get through it. But I was interested in seeing how her earlier works of fiction compared to Little Women, and later books. I think the point made to Jo in Little Women, that you should write about what you know, may have been learned by Louisa in early attempts at writing, such as this one. This book was just so sterile--none of the characters seemed real and the storyline was very predictable. Night and day compared to Little Women.
June 19, 2018
Absolutely love this novel this is one of my all time favourites I cannot believe I do not have this book already recorded on this site!!!! No joke if I could I would give this novel 10 million stars!!!!!! So nostalgic it’s fun at the best feeling whenever I read this I’m right down memory lane I just absolutely love Louisa May Allcott & her whole writing style as well as the time period it is set in just everything is amazing!!!!
February 5, 2017
It's obvious this book is no Little Women, but Alcott wrote this at 17. 17! I could never have written a novel this charming (or at all) at 17. The characters are all pretty one-dimensional and the plot is fairly predictable, but it is absolutely delightful. I adored it.
October 9, 2020
I love the movie that was based on this book. Honestly, it was better. This isn't really that surprising as this was the authors first book and has a lot of flaws. Yet, it is also sweet and fun to see one of my favorite author's first books.
November 4, 2019
3.5 stars. I loved reading Louisa May Alcott's first book, written at age 17! It was a quick read...the villainess was truly horrible...the story very simple. All in all a good book.
April 8, 2024
2.5 🫣
June 14, 2024
This made my heart happy. It was so wholesome and pure. A similar feel to classic children's fiction.
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