Time for today's installment of "Gossip about people who have been dead for approximately 150 years"! (It's a new thing I'm trying to make happen.)
Y'all. The author of book #12, Ednah Cheney, was rumored to have an affair with Bronson Alcott. When he was at least twice her age. I...don't know what else to say about that, except that it explains a lot about the remarkably deferential tone of her book.
So. That book was written by someone who knew the Alcott family (some of them better than others. Which is as innuendo-laden as I'm willing to get here) and this book was written by someone related to the Alcott family. A descendant of Louisa's maternal uncle, Samuel Joseph May, Eve LaPlante focuses not just on Louisa, but on Louisa's greatest inspiration: her "Marmee", Abigail May Alcott.
And it is fascinating reading. Not married until she was thirty and possessing a strong belief in some fairly radical opinions for her time, Abigail was a born writer and revolutionary who was stifled by her society, culture and (at least from what I read here) husband. And seeing Louisa's upbringing in this new light leads me to the conclusion that her famous "Little Women" heroine Jo is based not on herself (as is usually supposed) but on Abigail.
People often ask you to name a person, alive or dead, you would most want to meet. I (to the surprise of absolutely no one, I'm sure) have a long list of such people, headed by my paternal grandfather and including Mary Todd Lincoln, Douglas Adams, Julie Andrews and Hugh Jackman. And after reading this book, I'll add Abigail May Alcott to that list.
Author: Eve LaPlante
Potentially objectionable content: Nothing comes to mind
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