Hunger For Home

by Sarah Elbert, Louisa May Alcott

Examines the life of the nineteenth century American writer and feminist, discusses her major novels and stories, and looks at the issues of her day

346 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elbert's work considers the life of Louisa May Alcott in the context of the Alcott family's involvement in nineteenth century reform, and in particular feminism. Using this lens, she further analyses Alcott's literary writings as feminist documents, and argues that in both her life and her writing, Alcott was torn between a desire for domesticity and independence. While some of her criticisms of the Alcott family dynamics stem from a twentieth-century feminist perspective, Elbert's discuss of Alcott's novel "Moods" at the core of this study stood out as noteworthy. Her attention to changing roles of American women in Alcott's lifetime highlight the nuanced shifts between private and public life that Alcott encountered in both her personal life and public career.

[Macy Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book combines Biographical Material of Louisa May Alcott with critical readings of her texts. Because of the amount of material covered in this book, lots of the information presented and the analysis feels surface level compared to others I've read this semester, but the Elbert does effectively tie together Alcott's life with her works.

[Erin]

Keep picking up and putting down this particular book - will eventually get to it.