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The Journals of Louisa May Alcott
A companion volume to The Selected Letters of Louisa May Alcott, the journals are here published in their original, unabridged version for the first time. Entries which have previously been censored or altered are reinstated and corrected, providing a wealth of new material.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Louisa May Alcott
4,371 books11.1k 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 1, 2012
I don't think I'd say that Louisa May Alcott kept "copious" journals... most of what she wrote seemed succinct and to-the-point. She decribes herself as moody, but her entries are full of humor and fun. I often wished she had included a little more detail about the people she wrote about there - I wondered if there were some untold stories.
My favorite thing about reading this was watching her yearly income go up (she records how much money she makes at the end of each year). The first year, she makes about $50, mostly from teaching and sewing, but as she starts to write more and more, she gets an extra $10 here and there. Each year I was like, "Whoa, she made $150 this year!" and then, "Oh, this year wasn't such a good year for Louisa." Not to spoil the story or anything, but eventually, she wrote Little Women and became a thousand-aire, and that was pretty exciting - reading her journals, I felt personally invested in her success.
My favorite thing about reading this was watching her yearly income go up (she records how much money she makes at the end of each year). The first year, she makes about $50, mostly from teaching and sewing, but as she starts to write more and more, she gets an extra $10 here and there. Each year I was like, "Whoa, she made $150 this year!" and then, "Oh, this year wasn't such a good year for Louisa." Not to spoil the story or anything, but eventually, she wrote Little Women and became a thousand-aire, and that was pretty exciting - reading her journals, I felt personally invested in her success.
August 20, 2026
I read this in the weeks before and after visiting Orchard House and enjoyed it more than I expected. I’m not actually that much of a fan of Louisa May Alcott apart from “Little Women,” but I find her life fairly interesting especially because of its proximity to where I live now. It was fun reading this before touring her house and hearing anecdotes and facts that I’d learned from her journals, and then after touring her house being able to better visualize what she was writing about in her journals. Her actual journal writing varies greatly in its interest level for me, but I liked when she talked about writing “Little Women” and about her mental health. I was surprised to feel a little sad when I got to the last entry and realized she died several days after writing it, despite seeming to be recovering from her health issues at that time.
A few quotes that I enjoyed:
About the first half of “Little Women”: “Proof of whole book came. It reads better than I expected. Not a bit sensational, but simple and true, for we really lived most of it; and if it succeeds that will be the reason of it.”
About achieving renown after “Little Women” came out: “Fame is an expensive luxury. I can do without it. This is my worst scrape, I think. I asked for bread, and got a stone, — in the shape of a pedestal.“
About mental health: “I used to imagine my mind a room in confusion, and I was to put it in order; so I swept out useless thoughts and dusted foolish fancies away, and furnished it with good resolutions and began again. But cobwebs get in. I'm not a good housekeeper, and never get my room in nice order.”
and “So every day is a battle, and I’m so tired I don’t want to live; only it’s cowardly to die till you’ve done something… I know God is always ready to hear, but heaven’s so far away in the city, and I so heavy I can’t fly up to find Him.”
A few quotes that I enjoyed:
About the first half of “Little Women”: “Proof of whole book came. It reads better than I expected. Not a bit sensational, but simple and true, for we really lived most of it; and if it succeeds that will be the reason of it.”
About achieving renown after “Little Women” came out: “Fame is an expensive luxury. I can do without it. This is my worst scrape, I think. I asked for bread, and got a stone, — in the shape of a pedestal.“
About mental health: “I used to imagine my mind a room in confusion, and I was to put it in order; so I swept out useless thoughts and dusted foolish fancies away, and furnished it with good resolutions and began again. But cobwebs get in. I'm not a good housekeeper, and never get my room in nice order.”
and “So every day is a battle, and I’m so tired I don’t want to live; only it’s cowardly to die till you’ve done something… I know God is always ready to hear, but heaven’s so far away in the city, and I so heavy I can’t fly up to find Him.”
November 20, 2017
Some parts were very interesting or touching. Overall it was a sad read as she had so much hardship, worked terribly hard, and suffered decades of severe bad health. It is incredible to see how quickly she wrote during her periods of peak activity. There were moments of tender insight into her personal life such as when she writes about how she and her older sister Anna are very close despite being very different people with different temperaments, etc. Reading of the deaths of Beth and her mother were hard. Alcott's responsibility for caring for her family was very clear in this collection, as was her lack of adjustment to her wealth after Little Women. She definitely still had a depression mentality after she was well-to-do, partly because she was the sole breadwinner for the family.
I found the introduction full of poor interpretation, partly because I've read "Marmee & Louisa." The only part of the introduction I found useful was the explanation of her first biographer Cheney and how her choices affected the textual record and our understanding of Alcott.
I found the introduction full of poor interpretation, partly because I've read "Marmee & Louisa." The only part of the introduction I found useful was the explanation of her first biographer Cheney and how her choices affected the textual record and our understanding of Alcott.
January 13, 2008
The best thing about these is that Alcott went back later in her life and wrote in comments about old entries. The best, wonderful example: At 11, Alcott writes: ""I was cross to-day and I cried when I went to bed. I made good resolutions, and felt better in my heart. If I only kept all I made, I should be the best girl in the world. But I don't, and so am very bad." The later addition: "Poor little sinner! -- She says the same at fifty." The journals are a great look into a remarkably creative but sad life, burdened by hard work and sorrow. They are extensively footnoted as well. In my ideal world the journals would be accompanied by letters written around the same period, but you can't have everything.
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January 9, 2020Totally fascinating, totally devastating! Came here after watching the new Little Women movie, which is sort of a LMA biopic in disguise (I guess every Little Women adaptation is a LMA biopic in disguise, but this one even more so), because I read that Greta Gerwig used excerpts from these journals to flesh out her screenplay, and — yeah, wow.
Really interesting look at some of Alcott’s thoughts and ideas, but also a diligent record of all the money she ever earned. She thought about money a lot, and you can see why. Writing was a passion for Alcott, but it was more important to her as a career — she understood early on that she would have to be the one to earn money for her poor family, and that her writing was the gift that would allow her to do that. But when she did find success with it, it was from working in intense, wild bursts ("vortexes”) that wrecked her health and didn’t turn out work that pleased her.
She often expresses a wish that she could have all the time she wanted to flesh out her work to her satisfaction; I wish she’d had it, too.
"May — School finished for me, and I paid Miss N. by giving her all the furniture, and leaving her to do as she liked, while I went back to my writing, which pays better, although Mr. Fields did say, ‘Stick to your teaching, you can’t write.’ Being willful, I said, ‘I won’t teach, and I can write, and I’ll prove it.’
"Saw Miss Rebecca Harding, author of ‘Margaret Howth,’ which has made a stir, and is very good. A handsome, fresh, quiet woman, who says she’s never had any troubles, though she writes about woes. I told her I had had lots of troubles, so I write jolly tales, and we wondered why we each did so."
Really interesting look at some of Alcott’s thoughts and ideas, but also a diligent record of all the money she ever earned. She thought about money a lot, and you can see why. Writing was a passion for Alcott, but it was more important to her as a career — she understood early on that she would have to be the one to earn money for her poor family, and that her writing was the gift that would allow her to do that. But when she did find success with it, it was from working in intense, wild bursts ("vortexes”) that wrecked her health and didn’t turn out work that pleased her.
She often expresses a wish that she could have all the time she wanted to flesh out her work to her satisfaction; I wish she’d had it, too.
"May — School finished for me, and I paid Miss N. by giving her all the furniture, and leaving her to do as she liked, while I went back to my writing, which pays better, although Mr. Fields did say, ‘Stick to your teaching, you can’t write.’ Being willful, I said, ‘I won’t teach, and I can write, and I’ll prove it.’
"Saw Miss Rebecca Harding, author of ‘Margaret Howth,’ which has made a stir, and is very good. A handsome, fresh, quiet woman, who says she’s never had any troubles, though she writes about woes. I told her I had had lots of troubles, so I write jolly tales, and we wondered why we each did so."
January 13, 2018
Reading Aunt Louisa's journals again after 25 years brought new thoughts, new perspectives, new musings, like having a cherished friend or mentor sitting across from you with a hot cup of coffee (or tea) and exchanging ideas. These precious entries were conversations I can only dream of carrying on with her.
July 30, 2022
Such an interesting read as a Little Women fan.
June 28, 2019
This journal is not a gripping novel, because it is a real-life journal, with no storyline. It's not written to let readers know all the details. And it's full of trifles with few details: Someone called today, wrote a letter to someone else, paid this much money to somebody today...etc. Readers do not know who all these people are, because LMA referred to most of them by initials, and do not attempt to explain who they are or describe how these events took place. This is a compilation of LMA's actual journals, from when she was 13 or 14, to the year of her death. So, the journals should be read and understood as a first-hand account of LMA's history that reveals only snippets of her story. It has its limitations. But I really enjoyed reading it, because LMA's writing is good, even in her journal's short passages. And I like stalking LMA :P Okay, I'm kidding. But reading her journal is "kind of" like stalking LMA's FB wall and reading all her previous posts. You get all these sneak peaks into her thoughts and personal life, although you don't understand half of it. And I did enjoy piecing things together and reading between the lines. (For example, in the years after Little Women gave LMA fame and riches, why did her journal make her seem even more unhappy than before? What was this illness the plagued her for so long? Why was she so extremely devoted to all of her immediate family members?)
October 20, 2015
Interesting look into Louisa May Alcott's life, written by her own hand. Near the end, I could almost feel the agony she endured after years of neurological suffering due to a major illness earlier in life. She was a strong woman, independent, ahead of her time in many ways. She's always been my favorite author, and reading the details of her daily life only cemented her position at the top of my fave author list even further.
July 9, 2014
Reading the letters and journals of Louisa May Alcott is the nearest we in the 21st century can come to meeting the woman herself. The letters are pithy, filled with classic Alcott comedy and wit. The letters are also moving in the tender reality of joys and sorrows lived.
October 11, 2008
If you want a glimpse of the real Louisa, no Victorian romantic, read about her life in her own words.
July 3, 2019
I learned a lot about Louisa May Alcott. I visited the Orchard House last summer, and this is a good companion to the museum tour. What mattered most to Alcott was her family, and it was so beautiful how she financially made them secure. She lived a rich life with just that love. Unfortunately she later suffered from premature loss of family members, and her own heath dismissed to soon.
April 17, 2020
I loved the insight these carefully compiled journals provide into Louisa May Alcott's childhood and writing life, although the deterioration at the end of her short life was painful to see. Be warned though, this volume probably wouldn't make for fascinating reading to anyone except a die-hard Alcott fan or a devoted historian.
January 13, 2021
Insightful into the life of Louisa May Alcott and heartbreaking as well.
January 13, 2023
Again, I love LMA. This compilation of her journals felt like glimpsing at another sphere of her life and peering into the character of the author I have admired for almost a decade.
April 13, 2025
It was cool to see bits and pieces of her life, but a lot of it consisted of boring entries, or was just really sad. ☹️I know it just goes to show she lived a really hard life, and still did so much; it was just so sad. but it makes you feel like you know her a lot better. Idkk it was def an interesting read esp cause I never read stuff like this
March 23, 2009
Although some of the entries where quite boring and dull you where basically introduced to the words of the real "March sisters" especially the protagonist herself Louisa May Alcott who was the basis of the character "Jo March" it is a very interesting thing to read real people's journals especially if they were written in the 1860's.
January 7, 2012
I probably should have taken more time between reading L.M. Montgomery's journals and picking up another book of journals to read - LMM spoiled me with hers, I think! LMA's were fairly interesting, but pretty bare bones, listing her activities, in not a lot of detail, and keeping a record of her work and financial affairs. A worthwhile read, just not super gripping...
January 29, 2012
Towards the end of Louisa's life the journal becomes very tedious so I decided to leave it alone. I may come back to it at another time, but I had other books I really wanted to read. However, as a woman I am a big fan of LMA and Little Women is one of my favorite books
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January 27, 2013I can't find a read book option :(
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews