Customer Reviews

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

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After Louisa May's success with Little Women she was financially secure for life. After so many years of tedious work and mounting family debt she was finally able to afford a leisurely trip to Europe. She, her younger sister May and Alice Barlett traveled together across Europe. The letters collected in this book are written by Louisa and her sister May. The letters are addressed to their parents, a few friends and their older sister Anna.

The ladies wrote home about their adventures, both big and small. These letters give a lot of detail into their daily lives. For instance, while they did go on a few outings it seemed that Louisa spent most days sitting around. She was quite ill at the time and was trying to get better. While I knew Louisa was tall it seems May was as well because she writes about an adventures where her clothes were wet and she was given some dry ones but the skirts were far too short. She also had difficultly sleeping on a bed because it was short (5'6) The girls write loving letters to their mother and both want gossip from home. I never envisioned Louisa taking an interest in such things, so this gave me another glimpse into her life. The girls also also talk about the war with France and its impact on Europe.

What really made me love this book was the letters from May. It gives the reader an interesting look into this young woman's life. We know so little about her, because she is eclipsed by her older sister, Louisa, but she was a fascinating person. After reading Little Women Abroad I wanted to learn more about May. Her sketches are in the book as well which I think was a nice touch and adds to the book.

I contacted Dr. Shealy about May and I asked if he would ever consider writing a book on her life. He said he would and is in the processes, but he does not know how long that will take. I'm glad to hear it, because she sounds like a fascinating woman.

I highly recommend this book to any Alcott fan. It is an interesting look at both sisters as they travel through Europe together.

I've always wanted more information about Louisa Alcott's sisters, and was always curious about May's ("Amy's") art. This book has a wealth of her drawings included.

Among the letters from the two sisters abroad are included some from Louisa talking about the death of her brother-in-law John, also something very hard to find.

Quite satisfying. Thank you Daniel Shealy!

I enjoyed this book enormously for the wonderfully intimate and entertaining letters of Louisa and May, for a rare view of May's highly talented drawings and for Shealy's expert guidance and comments.

The letters are so enjoyable because they were never intended for publication and therefore give delightfully honest, spontaneous - and always entertaining - insights into the sisters' thoughts. Whenever I re-read the first chapter of "Little Women" I always feel as though I am right there in the same room as the March sisters. These letters gave me the same feeling of accompanying these two remarkable Alcott sisters on their travels.

I was thrilled to see so many examples of May's drawings and to see just how talented she was. These illustrations also have a poignancy to them because May died so tragically young and at the height of her personal happiness and when her professional career was in its ascendancy.

Shealy's excellent continuity and relevant notes ensure that the reader enjoys these letters to the full.

Like many LMA enthusiasts I have always wanted to know more about Louisa and her family. This book provides just that for a specific time period in their lives. I very much recommend this highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable book. It is also a book which is very well produced, doing full justice to the sisters and their letters.