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The Mysterious Key and What It Opened
When Paul spoke in that tone and wore that look, Lillian felt as if they had changed places, and he was the master and she the servant. She wondered over this in her childish mind, but proud and willful as she was, she liked it, and obeyed him with unusual meekness when he suggested that it was time to return.
Published
(first published 1867)
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I was a huge fan of the Little Women movie starring Winona Ryder and Christian Bale growing up (I didn't read the actual novel until I was 22), so a couple of years ago when I saw a smutty-looking thriller by Louisa May Alcott called A Long Fatal Love Chase for sale in a used book shop in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, I had to buy it. One of the story lines in Little Women is the "blood-and-thunder tales" Jo writes to get by as a writer, until her big break comes. Louisa May herself did the exact same t...more
The Mysterious Key And What It Opened by Louisa May Alcott
The story begins with the mysterious death of Sir Richard Trevlyn. All the reader knows is that Richard's wife, Alice, who is pregnant with their first child, listens through a keyhole in the library door to a conversation Richard has with a visitor. What she hears horrifies her, she faints, and a servant, Hester, finds her and helps her to bed. Alice insists Richard not be disturbed, but Hester is worried and goes to the library anyway t...more
The story begins with the mysterious death of Sir Richard Trevlyn. All the reader knows is that Richard's wife, Alice, who is pregnant with their first child, listens through a keyhole in the library door to a conversation Richard has with a visitor. What she hears horrifies her, she faints, and a servant, Hester, finds her and helps her to bed. Alice insists Richard not be disturbed, but Hester is worried and goes to the library anyway t...more
This is the first book I read on the Kindle I was given for Christmas. It's a short novel by Louisa M Alcott which I had never come across before - long out of print, and available free.
The story revolves around the mysterious death of Lillian's father, after he receives an unexpected visitor. Lillian grows up rather spoiled, but befriends Paul, who works as a servant but is evidently from her class - and, equally evidently to the reader, has some connection with her past.
It's an almost gothic...more
The story revolves around the mysterious death of Lillian's father, after he receives an unexpected visitor. Lillian grows up rather spoiled, but befriends Paul, who works as a servant but is evidently from her class - and, equally evidently to the reader, has some connection with her past.
It's an almost gothic...more
A fatal legacy and buried secret haunt the widow and daughter of a rich man who died after a visit from a mysterious stranger. What horrid news did the stranger impart to cause the man's sudden death? And does the young boy who miraculously appears and befriends the family know anything about it? Is his obvious devotion to the widow and young mistress as pure as it seems?
If you're at all familiar with Alcott's Little Women, you'll understand what I mean when I say that this story reminds me of t...more
If you're at all familiar with Alcott's Little Women, you'll understand what I mean when I say that this story reminds me of t...more
While the author, Louisa, is well known for her novel, "Little Women", this short story is a nice surprising side which I never knew about her. This story is based on mystery as the title indicates. I am amazed at the way she weaves clues into the story that keeps me guessing all the way to end of the story. At the ending, everything is explained and connected from the events and characters' motives. I am like WOW! That's what the mysterious key opens up to offer the readers as a complete surpri...more
Sep 01, 2011
Peggy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebook,
vintage-mystery
Louisa May Alcott wrote this mystery in 1867. It is a real departure from the books she is best known for. It was a decent little mystery. Fairly short, read it in one afternoon. It keeps your interest and makes it hard to put down and before you know it you are done! The characters were fairly simple didn't really hook me but the story was intriguing and you just had to find out what in the world had happened that was so terrible and what the key opened. I would recommend it and give it 3 stars...more
This is a lesser known book by Louisa May Alcott an it is relatively short. Basically,the story is set in England, late 1800s. A girls father dies after receiving a letter. The mother reads the letter and appears to burn it. A boy arrives years later and works, meanwhile searching...
A worthwhile read especially if you are looking for something not too long and not too deep that you are sure won't offend or disturb.
A worthwhile read especially if you are looking for something not too long and not too deep that you are sure won't offend or disturb.
This was a combination mystery/romance. Richard Trevlyn receives a visiter and then dies. His wife has overheard the conversation, and is very upset. Soon her daughter, Lillian is born. Twelve years later, an orphan, Paul arrives at Trevlyn to work. He and the young Lillian become very close, and then Paul suddenly leaves. The mystery of the relationship of Paul and Lillian is solved four years later.
This story was short but compelling--an interesting little novel with gothic trappings that keeps the reader engaged. The characters are types, but capture reader interest nevertheless, and the English-Italian contrast is an interesting one, if underdeveloped. The main flaw is the ending, which is too neatly resolved. A Gutenberg Project eBook read on the iBooks App.
This was a fun, short read. It was interesting to read something so different than the author's usual style (or the style I'm familiar with, I guess I should say. I'm used to books like Little Women and Eight Cousins). The ending was a little confusing, I had to reread the last few pages to make sure I understood, but other than that, I enjoyed it.
Although this is nothing like Little Women, this short novel is a really nice quick read. It has the charm of Little Women without delving into the lives of the characters as much. I really enjoyed reading this and, as it is free on Kindle, would recommend that others give this a read if you just have an hour to spare. A very nice novel.
Wow! Unexpected engaging mystery from a classic author! This book does not share the same style of writing as Little Woman and I am glad for it, as it shows a wonderfully different side to Louisa's creativity. The characters are uniquely intriguing and mysterious while being none other than themselves. Great work of fictional literature!
This is the first of Alcott's mysteries I've read and I loved it! The plot moved quickly, was intriguing, and was pretty easy to follow. I felt like there were a few unanswered questions after the last sentence--I may have missed something while reading--but I thoroughly enjoyed this particular journey.
Loved the characters in this one, and loved the ending! The story line is quite the mystery until the very, very end. I wish someone would make it into a movie. And guess what, it's free on the web (in case you want to read it...it's a short story)!
This little mystery is available for free to download. It is very short and quite different from the books that she is known for. I started reading it when I was waiting at an appointment and it really drew me in.
Free book on my kobo. I expected a book like Little Women but this was quite different. It took place in England. It was a pleasant enough read, but nothing I'd recommend.
I'm familiar with Little Women and the other books in that series but this was the first time I had read anyhting else by Louisa M Alcott. It was good and yet again dwelt on human behaviour and emotions.
I enjoyed reading this short story. It was predictable and cliche, but it was engaging. I was interested right away and couldn't stop reading.
I enjoy Louisa May Alcott's short works. This one just ends badly. It's a quick read and worth the read but the ending just did not appeal to me.
When I was young, I always wanted to be like Louisa May Alcott and write potboilers for a living and never get married. So I'm probably going to like this one, whether it's good or not.
Well... that was... interesting... lol, quite the romantic drama, 'twas. XD
I missed reading this one. Glad I took time on my vacation to read it now.
An unusual story-very dated and it must have been an early effort of hers
Pretty good book for the author known for her "Little Women."
May 22, 2012
Pat
added it
An interesting Gothic novel with a happy ending.
pretty cool, if a tad melodramatic
A charming, if predictable, story from Alcott. Some great descriptions of character.
lovely and fluffy
Classic
The book itself was okay - there weren’t really any bad parts and I enjoyed it overall. There did feel like something was missing, however. The characters didn’t seem quite real enough and though Alcott’s writing was good and well paced, I did not feel as though the atmosphere and desires of the characters were captured as well as they could have been.
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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
More about Louisa May Alcott...
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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