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69th out of 100 books
—
2 voters
Behind a Mask, Or, a Woman's Power
Originally published in 1866 under the pseudonym "A. M. Barnard." Louisa May Alcott's novel of romance and sexual intrigue is one of her lesser-known gems. Its tone and characterizations strike a markedly different chord from her best-known works, such as "Little Women" and "Little Men," and it remains a popular addition to her oeuvre.
Hardcover, 120 pages
Published
September 10th 2005
by Wildside Press
(first published 1975)
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Most people will either love Alcott for her "Little Women" and "Little Men" or hate her for it. If you have fallen into the hate camp, as I have, because "Little Women" is too sweet, you will love this side of Alcott. She is saucy, witty, and tough. Alcott's governess makes Jane Eyre look as though she has dropped out of a Jane Austen novel, and as all students of literature have learned, Bronte hated Austen for her unrealistic view of life.
Alcott beautifully delivers a sick and twisted tale of...more
Alcott beautifully delivers a sick and twisted tale of...more
Feb 27, 2012
Barbara
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
6-classics-for-2012,
2012,
classics,
catch-up-classics,
e-book,
fiction,
historical-fiction,
mysteries
OK, so, by and large I did not like this. It's not that it's not a good story. The fact that the protagonist enraged me so indicates that it really is. But...the rating is based on whether I liked it....
The ONLY thing that got it two stars from me was:
"Yes; but oh, remember that I have no friend but you! Promise me to be faithful to the last--to believe in me, to trust me, protect and love me, in spite of all misfortunes, faults, and follies. I will be true as steel to you, and make your life a...more
The ONLY thing that got it two stars from me was:
"Yes; but oh, remember that I have no friend but you! Promise me to be faithful to the last--to believe in me, to trust me, protect and love me, in spite of all misfortunes, faults, and follies. I will be true as steel to you, and make your life a...more
BEHIND A MASK (aka ‘A Woman’s Power’) is a novelette by Louisa May Alcott and completely different from her ‘Little Women’ series. This is a story of secrets, betrayal, deception and sexual intrigue.
Jean Muir is a delicate and demure governess who, on recommendation of a family friend, has come to stay with the Coventry family and tutor the only daughter, Bella. Before the introductions are barely over she manages to gain the affections of Mrs. Coventry, her charge Bella, the youngest son Edwar...more
Jean Muir is a delicate and demure governess who, on recommendation of a family friend, has come to stay with the Coventry family and tutor the only daughter, Bella. Before the introductions are barely over she manages to gain the affections of Mrs. Coventry, her charge Bella, the youngest son Edwar...more
$0.0
This book has been a real surprise. I expected some sweet stories, but Alcott has created a person that while you are rooting for, you know you shouldn't be. This is very much unlike Little Women and other books that you have probably read by her, but I am surprised that I liked it.
The Coventry family, nobility in England, hire 19-year-old Miss Jane Muir to be a governess for the youngest child, Bella. Although nobody really knows her background, they have been told that she is from Scotland...more
This book has been a real surprise. I expected some sweet stories, but Alcott has created a person that while you are rooting for, you know you shouldn't be. This is very much unlike Little Women and other books that you have probably read by her, but I am surprised that I liked it.
The Coventry family, nobility in England, hire 19-year-old Miss Jane Muir to be a governess for the youngest child, Bella. Although nobody really knows her background, they have been told that she is from Scotland...more
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When I decided to read Louisa May Alcott’s Behind a Mask for Transcendentalist Month, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The brief blurb claimed it was so unlike the usual Alcott-fare most people are familiar with — the likes of Little Women, Eight Cousins and An Old-Fashioned Girl. Apparently it was to be dark and mysterious…the kind of material that no one, not knowing Alcott except through her well-known works, would ever have suspected. The story is this. A young woman comes to the Coventry...more
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Très décevant. Je n'en attendais pourtant pas grand-chose : dès les premières lignes, j'ai su à quoi m'attendre (roman à l'eau de rose prévisible, personnages très gentils et niais qui se feront avoir par une méchante et hypocrite gouvernante) et espérais seulement que la fin ne serait pas trop "gnangnan" (du style "j'ai été très méchante, mais je m'en repens, parce que vous êtes les premiers à m'aimer malgré ma pauvreté" et force larmes de la part de la méchante-pas-si-méchante comme des "genti...more
This book was quite a surprise. I've read a number of literary works from the same time period as Alcott's but I don't recall any that is this daring and wicked. Behind a Mask is literally what its title says. Instead of the usual demure, soft, and pretty heroine that graces most 19th century novels, Behind a Mask boasts a tough, determined and willful protagonist who hides her colorful, hard past and selfish intentions behind an act as a governess of good background and character. But beware! U...more
One of the things I found intriguing in the Reisen biography was that Alcott wrote pulp fiction. It paid well and seemed to be one of the places she was able to explore the world outsides the boundaries placed on her by society, her family, possibly herself. Its not particularly 'pulp' compared to today's standards, so reading what was considered a bit racy is interesting. The plot is somewhat obvious and comfortable - if that is possible in this type of tale - but there are some twists that lea...more
This was my first experience with Louisa May Alcott outside of Little Women. What a wonderful surprise! This story strays so far from the intense morality of Little Women. Jean Muir, the protagonist, is so delightfully deceitful and simultaneously vulnerable. We end up somehow both disgusted with her actions yet wishing her to succeed. It is always wonderful to read a story of a strong woman, especially a strong, poor woman, in a time when they were nearly the most powerless people in society. I...more
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I first read this fantastic little novella for my Literature degree back in the mid nineties and this I remember being incredibly surprised by the "Alternative Alcott" (for that is the name of the anthology my copy appears in) I was presented with having only ever really associated her with "Little Women" previously.
This is an utterly delicious story and so deftly and delightfully woven it literally made me grin to reread it. This is Alcott having fun, and it's wicked and theatrical and I still...more
This is an utterly delicious story and so deftly and delightfully woven it literally made me grin to reread it. This is Alcott having fun, and it's wicked and theatrical and I still...more
I can't tell you how amazing this book is (on so many levels) without giving away the ending. So, I'll just say this. Miss Alcott created a story, an experience, that is captivating, intriguing, exciting, and unpredictable! I didn't see the ending coming. All the way to the last three pages I was uncertain what would happen. Even when I realized what would inevitably happen, I still couldn't believe it. Not until the very last sentence did I accept the outcome. Very well written and what well de...more
My only "complaint" is that I wish Alcott had not opened with the hint that Jean Muir may not be who she claims to be. I think it would have added a layer of suspense to the story had she simply opened with her arrival at the Coventry home. Despite that, taking into account when it was written and the style of writing, I rather enjoyed reading this example of "the darker side" of Miss Alcott.
I don't see why this book was touted as a book of sex, love, betrayal and murder. There was love and betrayal but still pretty victorian. At most the main character Miss Muir is a sneaky con artist and quite the coquette. She was no murderess. It was a good little novella and it had its twists exactly what is expected from a thriller novella from the 19th century.
I assigned my students the first two chapters of this as a part of a critical literacy lesson. They, along with their teacher, NEEDED TO KNOW what happened next to quirky Jean Muir and her .. employers? Lovers? Prey? Thank goodness I didn't have to wait for the weekly installments that Louisa May Alcott's original fans did!
The story was captivating and almost hypnotizing.
The book is full of relationship drama.
I liked the whole book until, well I won't say when...
If you read it, you'll know what I mean.
It's a really well written novel by Louisa May Alcott.
Not her typical topic.
Chelsea Merkley
The book is full of relationship drama.
I liked the whole book until, well I won't say when...
If you read it, you'll know what I mean.
It's a really well written novel by Louisa May Alcott.
Not her typical topic.
Chelsea Merkley
Before Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, she tried writing the kind of romances and mysteries that her heroine Jo March would later write. This is one of them. Very short and simple, but an entertaining read. It's easy to imagine Jo writing this.
Five stars for a fascinating, subversive novel. This short novel might be described as Austen-meets-Thackeray--a novel of manners, but with far less-than-lovable, morally ambiguous characters. And with its obliquely feminist overtones, this novel isn't your mama's Louisa May Alcott.
I loved this book! A story of a Woman's acting skills and how she fools a family and breaks apart betrothed people. This woman is so conniving she even fooled me! Again a lve triangle or square rather, in this book.
At the beginning this is presented as a sappy marriage plot type of book, which Louisa May Alcott does tend to do a lot of, but this one takes a different path. A bit of a mustache-twirling, melodrama vibe.
Jun 19, 2012
Becky
added it
It was not at all like Little Women. I enjoyed it very much. It gave a great picture of human nature. The main character is a bad guy and wins the day. But everyone involved realizes their own culpability in the farce.
A real departure from the more familiar LITTLE WOMEN novels, this is a great story for those who like the idea of the anti-heroine (along the lines of Becky Sharp in VANITY FAIR). It's a quick read and a well-told story of intrigue and unexpected twists.
A spectacular thriller, a "5" as far as thrillers go (and if I liked thrillers more)...Very unexpected from Alcott!
What a fun find! Written by the author of Little Women...this is quite different :)
A very different Louisa may Alcott indeed! A quick read; an hour at most.
Louisa! Who knew you could write something so deliciously wicked?
Thin, Only the least engaging in the last 30 pages. Not a genre or timeframe that I generally enjoy reading about. Reminded me of a Jane Austen novel, and I am not a fan.
Jan 23, 2011
Priya
added it
What a read! What a woman! Whew!
I liked the story line for the most part, but towards the ending it deteriorated greatly. I felt bad for the men who fell in love with her that she cruelly used in her scemes. I liked the part when she was doing a play with one of them though. I wish it would have had a happier ending for the men she tricked, like having her marry one instead or deceiving all including the man she marries.
I'm actually rereading this, but I realized it's not on my shelf. I LOVE this book. Short, simple, intense, straightforward and yet layered. I'm always suspicious of things written long ago, but this feels modern to me in its sensibilities.
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Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. She and her three sisters, Anna, Elizabeth and May were educated by their father, philosopher/ teacher, Bronson Alcott and raised on the practical Christianity of their mother, Abigail May.
Louisa spent her childhood in Boston and in Concord, Massachusetts, where her days were enlightened by visits to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s...more
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Louisa spent her childhood in Boston and in Concord, Massachusetts, where her days were enlightened by visits to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s...more
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