The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Mar 19, 2010 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anyone who loved Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” will find “The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott” a delightful extension of the family atmosphere that made Alcott’s book such a treasure. In much the same way that the Jo March character in “Little Women” is based on Alcott’s own life and family story, so too, is this novel based in part on the real life of Louisa May Alcott.

Though the central story of Louisa’s romance with Joseph Singer during the summer of 1855 in Walpole, New Hampshire, is a...more Anyone who loved Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” will find “The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott” a delightful extension of the family atmosphere that made Alcott’s book such a treasure. In much the same way that the Jo March character in “Little Women” is based on Alcott’s own life and family story, so too, is this novel based in part on the real life of Louisa May Alcott.

Though the central story of Louisa’s romance with Joseph Singer during the summer of 1855 in Walpole, New Hampshire, is a fiction, many of the elements included in the story have been taken from what is known about that time period in Alcott’s own life. Descriptions of her own family and circumstances are taken from letters of the author and other research and incorporated seamlessly by Kelly O’Connor McNees into this charming tale of Alcott’s difficult choices on the road to becoming a writer.

The book and story line are so compelling simply because they reflect not only the historical time period in the country, its cultural bloom (the summer of Whitman’s then-controversial “Leaves of Grass”), but also of Alcott’s own family life. The story focuses on the traditional underpinnings of society’s expectations of women, and Alcott’s own struggle to be her own person and do what she loved, despite it all.

The story reveals much about the Alcott family’s circumstances as well. Alcott’s father, a well known philosopher of the day who mingled with the likes of Emerson and Thoreau, was also a man determined to live according to his own beliefs, even at the expense of his family, who suffered financially as a result. Louisa’s sisters and Marmee are included, but with more life-challenging struggles than appear in Alcott’s own fictional story, “Little Women.”

Yet despite the hardships facing the Alcott family, readers will cheer them on in this novel. Capturing the Alcotts’ lives for a brief summer and combining it with a romance between a young Louisa May (then on the brink of her life as a writer) with an honorable local boy, Joseph Singer, facing his own family crisis, this story is a delight to read. The choices laid out for Louisa between love and work, as well as devotion to family vs personal freedom, will resonate with readers. Just as Louisa finds herself conflicted between love and writing, so too will readers wish that she could “have it all.” True to the character of Jo March and Louisa May Alcott’s own life, author McNees seems to find the perfect balance within the story of “The Lost Summer.”

Most importantly, this novel remains true to the ideas and ideal of Alcott’s life and writing. Author McNees clearly is an Alcott fan, and her story is a tribute to the fine work of Alcott. Where someone else might have used the Alcott story to lesser ends, this novel does both authors justice. It’s a lovingly told tale, in the fine tradition of Alcott herself.(less)

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Feb 02, 2010 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kelly O'Connor McNees needs to brace herself for the storm of praise she will soon be smothered with. I received an advance copy of Lost Summer on Friday and read it by Saturday, I could not put it down.

Kelly builds a believable scenario about a person that I have held in incredibly high regard since I was a young girl, writer of Little Women Louisa May Alcott. Lost Summer revolves around one summer when the A...more

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May 04, 2010 Velma rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, arcs-galleys-proofs, historical-fiction, 2010-reads, chick-lit, bookcrossinged

What if Louisa May Alcott, renowned author of Little Women, spent the summer of 1855 engaged in romance, torn between her love of freedom and the love of an all too flesh-and-blood man, only to destroy any and all evidence of it at the end of her life? This is the premise of the debut novel from Ms. McNees, and a clever one at that. Too much romance for me, but the historical setting - the intellectual & political fervor of mid-19th Century Boston and it's environs, particularly the Transcen...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Beth Knight rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, contemporary-lit, own-it

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the pretty cover. No, I don't generally judge books by their covers but to this avid reader, a picture of a book on the cover of a book is irresistible.

This is a historical novel about Louisa May Alcott, part fiction and part based on research by the debut author Kelly O'Connor McNees. It is a gentle and old fashioned tale filled with colorful characters that came as a welcome break from the Holocaust/WWII books I just finished reading. There...more The first thing that attracted me to this book was the pretty cover. No, I don't generally judge books by their covers but to this avid reader, a picture of a book on the cover of a book is irresistible.

This is a historical novel about Louisa May Alcott, part fiction and part based on research by the debut author Kelly O'Connor McNees. It is a gentle and old fashioned tale filled with colorful characters that came as a welcome break from the Holocaust/WWII books I just finished reading. There is a little heartache in The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott it's not of the same intensity. Of particular interest to me were the members of Louisa's family, especially her father. It was also fascinating to read about other authors of that time period who were personally known by the Alcott family. The book inspired me to want to reread Little Women and also to do some of my own research on Louisa May Alcott.

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The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

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The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

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Apr 14, 2010 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was quite impressed with this book. The author proposes a love affair for the never-married LMA and answers the ever-intriguing question of Laurie's identity. The author's intense research yields a plot that is quite believable, even for LMA, and the writing style of the author reminds the reader of Alcott and the Victorian period. The novel also offers a lot of insight into the Alcott household and the philosophical but non-working father who condemned his family to poverty and the charity of...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I remember as a child reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and hoping I would follow a similar path as “Jo”, the independent, free-spirited heroine who balks at the conventional restraints of her time. In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees, readers get another chance to meet the iconic family this novel was based upon and take a closer look at Alcott during the summer of 1855. For anyone who was entranced with “Little Women,” this book is sure to delight. With fa...more

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May 10, 2011 Rebecca Brothers rated it 5 of 5 stars

his book calls to me, to every woman of every age, who has ever curled up in chair and read with all her heart pouring out onto the page for Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. This book is for all of us who cried and hoped and gasped for the Little Women who taught us so well what it's like to be a real girl; girls as pure as Beth were too good for this earth. Girls as steady as Meg would always find their way, if a bit predictably. Amy made us hate and forgive our own vanities. But it was Jo who captured...more

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May 13, 2011 Marcie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I spent a lot of time in my pre-teen years in love with the writing of Louisa May Alcott. Little Women was and still is a favorite of mine. I wanted to be one of the March girls. In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O' Conner McNees visits the 'what if ' possibilities of Louisa May Alcott's life. What if Louisa fell in love with a man. Would she be willing to give up everything she dreams about? Can she live by her pen alone? These questions are what lured me into this novel.
This book...more I spent a lot of time in my pre-teen years in love with the writing of Louisa May Alcott. Little Women was and still is a favorite of mine. I wanted to be one of the March girls. In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O' Conner McNees visits the 'what if ' possibilities of Louisa May Alcott's life. What if Louisa fell in love with a man. Would she be willing to give up everything she dreams about? Can she live by her pen alone? These questions are what lured me into this novel.
This book takes place in 1855, Louisa and her family move to New Hampshire. Louisa's father, Bronson is a well known transcendentalist. He didn't manage money very well so the Alcott's lived a life of poverty. Louisa is desperate to find her own wings and fly to freedom. She longs to be able to pursue her dreams of becoming a famous writer. She doesn't want anything or anyone holding her back. That is until she meets Joseph Singer. Joseph is a small town boy who is handsome, kind and charming. He's quite a catch and he has his sights set on Louisa. Will she be able to refuse him?
I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Kelly O'Conner McNees took care to add factual details to this wonderful story. I really liked the way McNees portrayed Louisa's struggles. She was going against the grain of society at this time and it was not easy. She had dreams other than being a wife and a mother. Then she finds someone who understands her, someone whom she can be herself with. Joseph Singer challenges Louisa in ways she didn't expect. He opens up her mind and heart to experiences she never dreamed of. This is a deeply romantic story that I fell in love with. My heart broke with Louisa's as she was forced to make decisions that would change the course of her future.
Overall this was a great book. This book is fiction, but I would recommend it for fans of Louisa May Alcott. It made me think of Little Women over and over again. I wonder how her life and the fictional life of Jo March paralleled. I though Kelly O'Conner McNees did a fantastic job of giving Louisa May Alcott's life a little romance. Well done.
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Mar 15, 2011 Katri rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book, but I had one major issue with it. I've recently read quite a few contemporary books of fiction that take facts from the life of a famous author and create stories that very well could have happened, but didn't. I don't think this should be done. If I were to be a famous author someday, I would HATE for some future author to make up stories about what they think I did with my life, and what they think I was like.

This is one of those books. I don't care how mu...more

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May 09, 2010 Misfit rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: get-it-from-the-library

"...Jo would have ceased to be Jo if she had agreed to marry Laurie."

This book is a "what if" account of the supposed "lost summer" of author Louisa May Alcott. The story begins in 1855 as the Alcott family moves to Walpole, New Hampshire after a relative offers them a home for the summer (Louisa's transcendentalist father Branwell had a rather unique view of working/sponging off of others for a living). Louisa meets Joseph Singer and Joseph *courts* her quietly - that is until his father drops...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Maryellen Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't know what page I'm on -- I'm close to the end but don't want to finish it. It's fiction and kind of written in the style of "Little Women" with lots of quotes in front of the chapters from LMA's works and other Transcendentalists. I grew up on LMA's books so this is a delight!

Well, I did finish it -- it was a very satisfactory ending and a delightful book! I highly recommend it.

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Mar 28, 2010 Athena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Update:
I've finished reading The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott and it was a highly entertaining book which brought me into the lives of Alcott's family and the possibilities of Louisa May Alcott's private life.
The book was very well researched and brings to life an authoress whose fiery personality and romantic disposition are usually only seen through her characters.

I've won a copy of this book through First Reads and I am very excited about reading it! I love Louisa May Alcott's writing and...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Eldra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So far, this is a wonderful look at the Transcendentalists and what it meant to be a young woman in that time period. Now that I've finished, I think that the book is an interesting blend of fiction and history. It was difficult to imagine a 48 year old Louisa as an arthritic woman having difficulty moving. All in all, a good read.

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Aug 23, 2011 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-classics

What's not to love if it's written like Alcott, or Austen. I am enjoying every page, especially as a fan of Little Women, since Louisa is compared (by her self) to Jo. Wishing her life might have turned out different though...

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Aug 09, 2011 Megan Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Apr 22, 2013 Myonlycookie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall enjoyment: 4
Writing style: 4

Ah, I'm a sucker for historical fiction.

Quick summary: A fictional "what if?" about the Alcotts' summer in Walpole, MA. Louisa is 22-years-old, fiery, passionate and stubborn. She spends her free time writing and reading, particularly Walt Whitman's new released, highly scandalous Leaves of Grass. She also meets Joseph Singer, the handsome, well-read and cheeky son of a general store owner. Throughout the summer, Louisa struggles between falling into a convent...more Overall enjoyment: 4
Writing style: 4

Ah, I'm a sucker for historical fiction.

Quick summary: A fictional "what if?" about the Alcotts' summer in Walpole, MA. Louisa is 22-years-old, fiery, passionate and stubborn. She spends her free time writing and reading, particularly Walt Whitman's new released, highly scandalous Leaves of Grass. She also meets Joseph Singer, the handsome, well-read and cheeky son of a general store owner. Throughout the summer, Louisa struggles between falling into a conventional life with Joseph, and her unconventional dream of independence as a writer.

Thoughts: The good first. The historical details are great, and the reader gets a good idea of what it was like to grow up in the Alcott family. (i.e. HARD.) McNees paints a realistic picture of domestic life back then, especially for a poor family, and how housework took up literally all of a woman's time. Most of Louisa's time is spent doing household chores with her mother and sister, and it is important to establish this routine as it is what Louisa struggles against throughout the whole book.

Louisa is also well characterized at 22. Regardless of if a person agrees with the portrayal of Louisa on the whole (since different accounts paint her later life differently), it is a very good study of a 22-year-old person. She's coming into her own, questioning/criticizing her parents, figuring out the path she wants in life. Also contemplating love and marriage, and what each of those terms means in her time period. Since we know the outcome of Louisa's life, this story is a stepping-stone to how she gets there.

Things I would've liked to see more developed: Joseph and Louisa's relationship. I know, I know, back in the day men and women didn't hang out together as much, but I wanted more interaction with them. (This is a usual gripe of mine.) If the reader is to think that Joseph understands Louisa's mind, I need more evidence than a few shreds of Whitman's poetry. They actually do spend time together (like, in the barn scene), but we don't get to see that scene fully play out. The climax of their relationship would've made more sense to me (no pun intended). Unless, of course, we're supposed to infer that Joseph doesn't really understand Louisa, because at their parting it certainly doesn't seem like it.

Also, I would've liked a fuller picture of Louisa's later life, even though that is not the focus of the book. It starts and ends with her later in life, and while certain details are filled in, they are scant. However, it does portray her tiredness and bitterness pretty well (although that's sad).

I did enjoy the book and am looking forward to more from this author.(less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Sheila DeChantal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While her sisters dream of love and romance and marriage, Louisa May Alcott dreams of freedom. As the family packs up to move their home under their fathers guidance, Louisa is unhappy with the decision and can not wait until she can afford to move away on her own and become the writer she knows she can be.

When Louisa meets the handsome Joseph Singer, she finds him irritating and does her best to ignore him, but Joseph is made of stronger stuff then that and is not so easily led away, much to Lo...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alcott, fiction

From the title I was expecting the time period to be 1867 (or so) the year of LMA's journey to Paris and one documented romance. I was surprised when I opened the book to see it in 1855 - a year in Walpole, MA.

With the Walpole place and time, and the creation of commonplace events and activities, author Kelly O'Connor McNees essentially writes more chapters for "Little Women" with the March family the basis for the Alcott family. Although McNees infuses Louisa with a more overt dose of feminism...more From the title I was expecting the time period to be 1867 (or so) the year of LMA's journey to Paris and one documented romance. I was surprised when I opened the book to see it in 1855 - a year in Walpole, MA.

With the Walpole place and time, and the creation of commonplace events and activities, author Kelly O'Connor McNees essentially writes more chapters for "Little Women" with the March family the basis for the Alcott family. Although McNees infuses Louisa with a more overt dose of feminism than Jo, the words and thoughts she gives to LMA and the quotes she gives to her sisters mirror those of the March daughters. McNees' Abba shows more strain than Marmee, but the family love, loyalty, charity and the sense of duty of its women is everywhere the same.

Bronson Alcott has a strong role in this novel although he is written out of the March family. While his role is fictionally portrayed here, it is true to what has been documented in Reisnen's "Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women" and elsewhere. There had to be a lot of hurt contending with his intrusive discipline and irresponsibility. Had LMA altered the March story to include her father, she would have had to review painful childhood memories of him each day. It was better to have the March family poor because their father was nobly absent than be hungry due to an idle pontificating patriarch which was closer to the truth. Similarly, including Bronson would open up the uncomfortable role of the over-educated Alcott Family in New England's genteel society, a concept that may not have been accessible to the 19th century's young readers. "Little Women" puts a happy face on the stark reality of the Alcott family life; "The Lost Summer... " may be closer to the actual experience.

Too often historical novelists have to stretch their story to fit their facts. Since this is a "lost year" (see the Author's Note) McNees could be free in imagining what happened. Despite this, the only straying from the known that I caught was that Amy married Laurie at the publisher's insistence according to Matteson in "Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father".

The book has a nice layout with excellent quality paper, period inspired graphics and appropriate quotes to introduce each chapter.

It appears that McNees is a first time author, and this book shows a lot of promise for her future. Perhaps she will imagine that Paris romance.
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Jul 14, 2012 Joal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 21, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book a couple of days ago and read it so fast, I didn't even have time to add it to my "currently reading" list! I really loved this book and having travelled in areas of New England where parts of the book are written, I was easily able to recreate the atmosphere easily in my minds eye. Of course it helps to read this when your own atmosphere and weather put you in a "curl up with a good book" sort of mood.

This story imagines a historical-fictionalized account of a relationship L.M.A...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Trish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historical fiction fans; New Hampshire fans; Alcott fans; well-written good reads

Recommended to Trish by: a library review newspaper

Please make this book into a movie! This was one of those books that once I started I couldn't put down but I didn't want it to end. Even though I knew The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott was a work of historical faction/fiction, I was hoping she would marry Joseph Singer, be happy & be able to be the writer she was meant to be. Alas...I found myself swept up in the life of the Alcott's: pitying Bronson, but feeling angry at him for his selfishness, putting his happiness ahead of his own fa...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

Oh, I loved this book so much!! In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O'Connor McNees tells the story of the author of Little Women. The main thing I knew about Louisa May Alcott prior to reading this book was that she wrote Little Women and that she never married. Now, I honestly don't know that I've ever read all the way through Little Women... I know I read the Great Illustrated Classics version for children when I was young, and later I read maybe half of the actual version but just...more Oh, I loved this book so much!! In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O'Connor McNees tells the story of the author of Little Women. The main thing I knew about Louisa May Alcott prior to reading this book was that she wrote Little Women and that she never married. Now, I honestly don't know that I've ever read all the way through Little Women... I know I read the Great Illustrated Classics version for children when I was young, and later I read maybe half of the actual version but just never finished it for whatever reason. But I still remembered most of the main points.

In the author's note at the end, McNees explains where she gleaned all her information from regarding Ms. Alcott. She appears to have thoroughly researched her life, including reading actual letters by her, and effectively incorporated the learned facts into a fictional accounting of Ms. Alcott's life. The title of this novel is also explained in the author's note, and I found the story behind it so intriguing! Basically what I'm saying, read the author's note when you're done... it adds a lot to the experience of this book and answered some of the questions I had.

It was so interesting to read about Louisa's life because there were, of course, may similarities to the characters in Little Women. Ms. Alcott was one of four children. She had a unique personality at the time in that she was very independent and wanted nothing more than to write even at the cost of her other desires. I found the character of Louisa easy to relate to. I related to her desire to always read and write. I related to her ambitions for autonomy. While I have always wanted to marry and have children, I can relate to her independence and the conflicts she feels in pursuing this as opposed to maintaining loyalties to her family. But the biggest conflict, one which Kelly O'Connor McNees imagines may have taken place, is the love affair Louisa experiences during that lost summer. Readers and scholars have questioned how Louisa May Alcott was able to write a book that encompasses so much love and relationship issues since she had never been married. And they've wondered who are these characters in Little Women based upon... specifically Laurie? In McNees's historically accurate, fictional accounting, Louisa did experience love. But you'll have to read this book to find out what happens and if Laurie is a representation of anyone or not.

Kelly O'Connor McNees did a fantastic job in putting this book together. And her writing ability is also not indicative of the debut novelist she is! This book definitely made me want to pull Little Women off the shelf for another read and also all the related books like March etc. AND I found myself wanting to read more of Walt Whitman's poetry (though poetry rarely interests me) because of the place his book, Leaves of Grass, has in Louisa's life. This was a love story in many ways that will be enjoyed by fans of Little Women, of historical fiction, of empowered women, or anyone who wants to read a good story.

Taken from my blog at www.takemeawayreading.com (less)

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May 25, 2011 Nicky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The more I read about Louisa May Alcott the more I wonder about her. This author apparently felt the same way, and was moved by her personal research to write this fictional account of a summer in her life, inventing a love story to fill some of the gaps in her journals and letters. This is not unreasonable, in that LMA was known to have burned and edited her personal papers, due to the unceasing interest in her personal life (early celebrity stalkers).
The book moved quickly, and provided a glim...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Susan Bailey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, the debut novel of Kelly O’Connor McNees, was the book that began my current reading binge last May. My husband, bless his heart, found this book and bought it for me and I will always be grateful. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott then led to my reading of Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen (something I had had on my bookshelf since February), and then this blog was born.

The reading of these two books was a watershed moment...more The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, the debut novel of Kelly O’Connor McNees, was the book that began my current reading binge last May. My husband, bless his heart, found this book and bought it for me and I will always be grateful. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott then led to my reading of Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen (something I had had on my bookshelf since February), and then this blog was born.

The reading of these two books was a watershed moment for me, opening up a world of reading I had not known since I was a child. I had gone on reading binges before, always about Louisa, but it usually stopped after just one book and I only read biographies. I had never read anything in her own words, mainly because of the archaic language and my own poor reading skills.

That changed after I read The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. For the first time, I felt like I was inside the head and heart of Louisa. Her voice began to speak to me in a new way. The book swept me along like a rushing river; it read so easily and pulled me under. I felt engulfed by it and when I finished, I felt empty with a tremendous longing for something more. I then read Reisen’s book which lead to Louisa’ Hospital Sketches and I was hooked: I had to read anything and everything Louisa had written and couldn’t wait to write about it myself.

Now I am reading Little Women and for the first time in my 54 years, I finally understand why this book is such a phenomenon (see my post on this late revelation).

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is a fictional account, a “what if” story taking place in the summer of 1855, in Walpole, MA where the Alcott family spent a summer. McNees had always wanted to write a novel and like so many of us Alcott enthusiasts, was deeply drawn into Louisa’s story, especially after reading Martha Saxton’s Louisa May Alcott A Modern Biography. A quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son, Julian, proved to be the trigger: “Did she ever have a love affair? We never knew. Yet how could a nature so imaginative, romantic and passionate escape it?”

McNees noticed in her research that despite the volumes of letters and journal entries, there was hardly any mention of that summer of 1855 in Walpole. She wrote, “The lack of historical information made it the perfect setting for the story: a lost summer in Louisa’s life.” The addition of the publishing of Walt Whitman’s classic Leaves of Green that summer set up her story perfectly.

In McNees’ story, Louisa is 22 and the family is living in Walpole thanks to the charity of a friend. Louisa meets Joseph Singer and the two (with many starts and stops) enjoy a brief and fiery romance. McNees allows us into the mind of Louisa as she wrestles with her desire for freedom to become a writer versus love and marriage, coupled with with all requirements of being a New England woman in the mid 19th century.

I found Louisa to be a difficult young woman – tremendously passionate, often angry, very emotional (yet very guarded too), sometimes rude and yet full of vitality and life. I’ve read McNees’ book twice, the first time having not read Little Women, and just now as I am finishing up Little Women. Having come to know Jo, I do see the very clear parallels between Jo and Louisa (not that that surprises me) and it made the reading of Lost Summer even more satisfying the second time around.

Just about all the book is very believable. I did have trouble with one part (which I won’t give away here) where I questioned whether or not Louisa would have acted that way. It was more believable in the second reading, but I still have my doubts.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is historical fiction in every sense. McNees carefully researched the era she wrote about, including many wonderful details about daily life such as candle making and cooking, along with the tremendous burdens of propriety that women had to live up to. I thought I heard her own voice every once in a while in the text which I found intriguing. Reading the hardcover version of this book is a wonderful tactile experience for the paper used is deliberately old-fashioned in appearance and touch.

I felt just as empty finishing the book this time as I did the last time. It really left me wanting more!

Be sure and pick up a copy of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott – this is a must read for fan of Louisa May Alcott.(less)

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Aug 25, 2010 Julie Laporte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! There's basically nothing I didn't like about this book. The pace was perfect. The characters were incredible. The setting was awesome. The book, although a fiction story about a romance of Miss Alcott's, was completely believable, and I took the bait hook, line, and sinker! Mrs. McNees (the bees' knees, I might add) learned L.M. Alcott inside and out through her research, and I feel I know her now myself.

Little Women is not only a favorite book of mine--it's like a religion...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Agatha rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one author's imaginative vision of how this one particular summer in Louisa May Alcott's summer may have transpired. The author wondered why LMA never married, then realized that there were no letters or diaries from this summer in LMA's life, conjectured that she could have had a love affair but then destroyed any paper evidence of it (letters, diaries, et al.), and then set out to describe such a summer, sprinkling in heavily other details of what life would have been like during that...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Aban (Aby) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fictitious account of a year in Alcott's life, when she and her family moved for the summer to Walpole, New Hampshire. The author invents a romance that Alcott might have had with a young man (also fictitious), Joseph Singer, who would be her inspiration for Laurie in "Little Women".

There were a few points in the novel that I found interesting. In McNees' book, Alcott is critical of her parents, even while loving them. In "Little Women", she depicted their counterparts of Mr. Marsh and...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees is the fictional account of a summer spent in Walpole, MA by LMA and her family. The novel is an interesting combination of history and fiction - the Alcott family did spend the summer of 1855 in Walpole and many other elements of the novel are historically accurate but the story told in the novel is the author's creation . . . and it is delightful!

The Alcotts arrive in Walpole in July 1855. Because Louisa's father, Bronson, is absorb...more The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees is the fictional account of a summer spent in Walpole, MA by LMA and her family. The novel is an interesting combination of history and fiction - the Alcott family did spend the summer of 1855 in Walpole and many other elements of the novel are historically accurate but the story told in the novel is the author's creation . . . and it is delightful!

The Alcotts arrive in Walpole in July 1855. Because Louisa's father, Bronson, is absorbed by his philosophical pursuits and does not perform traditional work, the family is frequently in financial straits and they move often. The Alcott girls quickly settle into life in Walpole making friends with contemporaries and even taking part in the preparation for the production of a play by the area youth.

Like the character Jo in Little Women, Louisa resists tradition and doesn't settle in as easily as her sisters. In many ways, Louisa seemed ahead of her time in opposing the traditional roles assigned to women and in wanting to pursue a writing career. Her strident independence could not co-exist with romantic love and that presented conflicts for her as she felt her love for Joseph Singer growing. I found her independence admirable and impressive but was struck by how black and white it all seemed - I am thankful that women can now integrate love, a career and a family and are not forced to make such a stark choice between love and career.

I will leave the sketch of the plot there so as not to reveal too much - since this is based on LMA's life, you may know a lot of the plot from books about her life but I would rather not ruin it for anyone that is not as familiar with her life story. This book was a true delight - it brought back many fond memories of Little Women from my childhood. I never realized that Little Women was so closely based on Alcott's own life so I was pleasantly surprised to see how much this novel reminded me of my favorite characters from the classic novel. It definitely reignited by passion for Little Women and I will be going back to re-read it!(less)

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Jun 22, 2010 Cindy Hudson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Louisa May Alcott is one of the most beloved literary figures in American history. Her book Little Women, has never been out of circulation, and it’s been adapted for the screen and stage many times. As Little Women is widely known to be somewhat autobiographical, it’s easy for readers to feel they know Louisa May as well as they know Jo, her fictional counterpart.

I would expect this familiarity would make writing a novel about Louisa and her real family daunting, especially for first-time novel...more Louisa May Alcott is one of the most beloved literary figures in American history. Her book Little Women, has never been out of circulation, and it’s been adapted for the screen and stage many times. As Little Women is widely known to be somewhat autobiographical, it’s easy for readers to feel they know Louisa May as well as they know Jo, her fictional counterpart.

I would expect this familiarity would make writing a novel about Louisa and her real family daunting, especially for first-time novelists. But I’m glad that author Kelly O’Connor McNees took up that challenge when creating The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. The book is full of enough facts about Louisa’s real life to make her situation come alive for readers, but those facts are woven into the story well enough that they remain interesting instead of becoming a boring list forced into a story line.

We see Louisa as a real women influenced by her own upbringing to reject romance and marriage for herself. We see the struggles she faced when deciding between accepting the reality of love freely offered to her and pursuing her dream of being a writer. Married women in Louisa’s time were mostly relegated to a life of drudgery and endless chores. Few had the option of pursuing anything other than domestic pursuits. Even those who by necessity worked, usually earned their money through sewing or teaching or cleaning.

Louisa’s father plays a prominent role in the book, as he did in her life. His unwillingness to earn money affected the whole household, making the family dependent upon friends and relatives for their support. It’s no wonder that Louisa developed a fierce drive to make money from her writing so she would not be forced into the same situation during her adult life.

Since we all know the real Louisa May Alcott never married, it’s no surprise how her romance in this book will end. But McNees weaves her words so well that you want to keep turning pages anyway, hoping against hope that the outcome will be different than you know it to be. The resolution, when it comes, feels true to Louisa, and satisfying to the reader as well.

Mother-daughter book club members who read The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott will have a lot to discuss including the writer herself, constraints on women of her time and family relationships. Also interesting to discuss will be how men of the times were just as constrained in many ways by the expectations of society. I highly recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 15 and up.(less)

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May 21, 2010 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most women can recall with fondness reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women when we were girls. I can still see the cover of my book: chocolate brown, with a color illustration of the March girls. Little Women was one of the first books I can remember reading that gave me a sense that female relationships were important, and that is was OK to be whomever you were.

Kelly O'Connor NcNees has taken the life of Louisa May Alcott and reimagined a pivotal period of her life in this historical novel Th...more Most women can recall with fondness reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women when we were girls. I can still see the cover of my book: chocolate brown, with a color illustration of the March girls. Little Women was one of the first books I can remember reading that gave me a sense that female relationships were important, and that is was OK to be whomever you were.

Kelly O'Connor NcNees has taken the life of Louisa May Alcott and reimagined a pivotal period of her life in this historical novel The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. All of the sisters are there, and McNees is clearly inspired by the style of Alcott, as in this passage describing sister Anna.
Anna practiced compassion like an art form. She knew how to apply it with a delicate hand, knew its gradations and nuances, could distinguish its authentic form from imposters like sympathy and voyeurism. It came naturally to her, almost like a physical impulse.
The writing here is exquisite.

The summer recounted in this novel is the one in which Louisa meets and falls in love with Joseph, a young shopkeeper. While I enjoyed the story of the Alcott family, I felt that the book really captured me when Joseph and Louisa's love started to bloom. This is ironic, given that when I was a young girl, I liked the March sisters' story much more than the romantic Jo/Laurie storyline. Maybe it is a factor of age?

It is interesting comparing the fiction of Little Women, which was based on Alcott's own family, with the historical fiction of the Alcott family in Lost Summer. McNees did a lot of research, read many biographies of Alcott, and I enjoyed how she weaved biographical information, historical information (such as the publication of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass) with her fiction of Alcott's life.

During a recent online chat with the author, much discussion arose about the father figure in the story. Louisa's father Bronson was a philosopher, and working for living to provide for his family was not something he was inclined to do. He believed that working for pay violated his conscience. He seemed to leave it to his wife and daughters to provide physically for the family so that he could live according to his beliefs.

Some bloggers felt that he was shirking his responsibilities, yet he was willing to live off the efforts of his wife and daughters. Others felt that he was living up to ideals. I fell into the camp that he was irresponsible, and it was hard to respect him. How can an able-bodied man sit in his study and read while his wife and children do the hard labor? Louisa questioned this as well.

If you have teen girls in your family, Little Women and The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott would make a great gift for them. Reading Lost Summer sent me to my Kindle to download a free copy of Little Women and remembering the summer I spent reading it on my porch.

This is another Amy Einhorn book, and again she has found another wonderful voice in McNees. I give it four stars.

Thanks to Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin? (www.heylady.net)/ TLC Blog Tours for providing a copy of the book for review.
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