The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story

by Louisa May Alcott, C. Michael Dudash (Illustrator), Stephen W. Hines (Introduction)

Introducing a newly discovered original Christmas story from Louisa May Alcott -- the beloved author who has entertained generations of readers with Little Women, Little Men, and other enchanting tales. The Quiet Little Woman is about a lonely orphan girl named Patty, whose only desire is for a family to love her. Her tender story will warm the hearts of readers young and old alike. Two bonus stories -- Tilly's Christmas and Rosa's Tale -- are included in this exquisite edition. The message of hope and love makes this book an ideal Christmas gift, sure to become a family tradition and treasured keepsake.

Genres: Christmas, Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Holiday, Childrens

122 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May Alcott and Amos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Alcott's family suffered from financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used pen names such as A.M. Barnard, under which she wrote lurid short stories and sensation novels for adults that focused on passion and revenge.
Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, and Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt. The novel was well-received at the time and is still popular today among both children and adults. It has been adapted for stage plays, films, and television many times.
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She also spent her life active in reform movements such as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke in Boston on March 6, 1888, just two days after her father's death.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is astonishing how generous and clever people are when once awakened to duty, a charity, or a wrong."
- Louisa May Alcott,
The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story


Loved it. Patty was so sweet and yearning, such a dreamer. She reminded me of a little kitten. I just wanted to give her a hug.

This is a short story from Louisa May Alcott, from long ago!

It’s about a young girl who is Patty. All she wants is to be loved. All she wants is to be adopted by the right family.


I’m not going to give away what happens, but I will say that this little charmer of a book is perfect for the holidays. It reminds us, all of the joy of giving, of loving, selflessness, and the joy and love can come, when one least expects it.

[Carmen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cutest short stories and the perfect Christmas read✨🎄

[Isabelle (SimplyLovedBooks=etsy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was one of the sweetest little Christmas stories I’ve ever read! I 100% recommend reading this on Christmas Eve 🥰🥰🥰

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to Louisa May Alcott - a shocking admission, since it means I have yet to read the well-known and highly praised Little Women. This sweet collection of short stories includes The Quiet Little Woman, Tilly's Christmas and Rosa's Tale. It's the perfect short, cute little kind of book to read in front of the fireplace curled up in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate. The three stories are simple but heart-warming, and will make you believe in the magic of Christmas all over again. My favourite was Tilly's Christmas; it was adorable and had such a good message that I felt all warm and happy inside.

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story as always!

[Julie Durnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three sweet old-fashioned good stories with happy endings and moral lessons learned!

[kezzie ʚ♡ɞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the quiet little woman - ✩ 4 stars
tilly’s christmas - ✩ 3.5 stars
rosa’s tale - ✩ 3 stars

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Louisa was asked by several sisters to write them a short story to put in their newsletter. She accommodated and that's how these short little stories came about!

I thought the first two stories were nice but didn't care for the the third - it was kind of boring and from a horses point of view.

Ages: 8+

Cleanliness: "goodness" is said and people dance together.

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[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book has 3 stories in it.

The Quiet Little Woman
Such a tender story. Patty is an orphan and so sweet. I wanted to take her home with me and shower her with love. I was glad when Aunt Jane does–something. (I can't say what or it would give the story away.) Altogether a delightful, Christmas read.

Tilly's Christmas
I can't decide if this one or first story is my favorite. I absolutely loved Tilly and her kind heart. Such a sweet, little Christmas story!

Rosa's Tale
This is my least favorite of the 3 stories. I'm just not fond of stories where the animals talk. In this one the horse tells her story to someone on Christmas Eve. Yes, the girl listening does say she might have dreamed the whole thing, but I still didn't care for it. There was nothing wrong or objectionable in the story.

[Cathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three sweet Christmas stories!

[Serena Nottingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simple, sweet, and pure. You know how sometimes you read a book and you feel a little more human through its simplicity? This book was such. It is funny to me how simplicity and humility in stories often catch us off gaurd more than the extravagant. I was brought to tears with the elegant way in with Alcott molds the souls of her characters. Such a beautiful book.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading 'Little Women', Carrie, Maggie, Nellie, Emma and Helen Lukens, young girls from Massachusetts, founded a home produced magazine called 'Little Things.' While the magazine produced by the March women was written in their own hand using goose quill pens, these industrious sisters managed to find a printer to build their circulation.

Miss Alcott sent a letter of congratulations to the Lukens sisters. in fact her interest in this little newspaper, and it's ever growing circulation, was such that she penned a few short stories for the girls to use. At a time when Miss Alcott's stories were commanding prices of several hundred dollars apiece, her contributions to 'Little Things' were given in gratis "for love-- not for money" as she stated.

The individual stories are of girls who morally persevered, giving others hope and a moral compass with which to guide. This type of story was virtually unheard of during the time of Miss Alcott because children were to be seen and not heard. Giving them a voice as well as moral servitude opened the door for others to do the same.

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adorable tale of three little girls discovering the blessings of Christmas. I loved how each girl faced a realistic trial, while having a happy ending. Overall, a happy feels quick read.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its cute... kind of. Each narrative does have its appeal but over all, it felt like meh. Except for the 2nd story, Tilly's Christmas. I loved that one and it felt like it had the most potential to be something more, at least to me.

[Noseinabook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a precious set of short stories. Any fan of Louisa May Alcott would love them! What a great way to start off the Christmas season! 🎄

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I really wanted the Outlander book to be my 100th for the year, I guess a Louisa May Alcott book is not so bad. After reading a 900 page book, I needed something quick and Christmassy.

The Quiet Little Woman was a long lost story Louisa had written to some girls that had sent her fan mail. It was cute and I thought it was about a girl being adopted, but really the family "adopted" her for her to be their maid. It has a happy ending though.

Tilly's Christmas is a very short story about a girl who does a good thing and a good thing happens to her because of it. It was so familiar as I was reading it, and I realized when I watched the Facebook lives that Orchard House did during covid, that they read this story around Christmas time.

Rosa's Tale is about a horse that tells his adventures to a little girl. (Obviously Louisa did not like how horses were treated back then, and she probably wouldn't like it now still.)

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three short Christmas stories were once lost to time. Through them, we are reminded to remember the broken, the hurting, and the lonely, the orphan and the poor during the cold wintry months. But not only to remember them, but to make it our duty to go out of our way to help them have the best Christmas.

The first two stories do just that. The first about a little orphan girl who just needs a family to belong to. And the second about a dirt poor girl who goes out of her way to help a bird with a broken wing. The third however is just a little too out there for me! I mean, talking horses? It was a little too much like War Horse - the book, not the movie - and corny upon corny!

All three stories can be read within a day! And the best part is they are perfect for children who need to be reminded what this season is all about.

3.5 ⭐️

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an adorable little book (or should I say collection of a few short stories). This book was a collection of three short stories written by Louisa May Alcott and presented by Stephen W. Hines. I stumbled upon this book at our church library and knew from the author and the fact that it was a Christmas story, I would have to read it 😄. The three short stories were: The Quiet Little Woman, Tilly’s Christmas, and Rosa’s Tale. My favorite was Tilly’s Christmas. The Quiet Little Woman was about a 13-year-old girl in an orphanage wishing for a home. Tilly’s Christmas is about a very poor mother daughter duo who have nothing to share for Christmas but a loaf of bread. Rosa’s Tale is about a horses life. The horse can speak for one hour at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. These stories were simple but heartwarming. I loved all of these little stories and recommend them! ❤️❤️

[Froggles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were enjoyable, but the sanctimonious "moral lessons" the editor had the arrogance to concoct and append to a master storyteller's work, about how some people are not deserving of charity, will prevent me from sharing this particular volume with my young and impressionable nieces.

[Blessing Bloodworth (naptimereaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story about the powerful of love and care for another. Perfect as a read-aloud for ages 4-10!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little Christmas read that I finished within an hour! Very simple yet very profound. Louisa was one of a kind ❤️

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book edition is lovely. Despite looking it over, I find no note of the text being altered from the original, but it was indeed condensed a bit and slightly adapted.

[Mindy Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing return to strong, positive morals. Just have to keep in mind that stories like this are not meant to be realistic but to teach the ideal, and then they're very appreciated. The intro (a brief history of how these stories were written for a little family newspaper like the one in Little Women) was fascinating, and I nearly cried on every page of the first and second stories because of the sweet tenderness of the little girls. What good examples to us! I want to read other Louisa May Alcott stories now and see for myself what all the fuss is about. I imagine this author will deliver well and I have a lot to learn from her.

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a little story comes along, with a great moral delivered in a kindly and compassionate manner. And it hits you in the feels. I cried like a baby after reading Patty's story. A Quiet Little Woman preaches ever so gently the need for compassion, kindliness, and charity. That the weak, the poor, the lame, the frightened, the sad, they are well deserving of our love. Thhe greatest charity of all is the charity that is performed anonymously. When you help someone and nobody knows, then you did it for the right reasons.

[Suey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read these cute little Christmas stories that LMA wrote for a children's magazine.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love LMA's writing style. <3 The first two stories were so cute, and the points were really sweet. The last one was not my favorite. Talking animals are just not my thing.

[Chrys Fey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three heartfelt Christmas stories with great lessons that we should all remember during this time of the year. I teared up at least once while reading each of these short stories.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stories in this book. I had never read these stories before and I feel they convey good qualities in a person's character. This is a delightful book for all ages.

[Kara ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

These short stories are a good lesson in how a little acknowledgment makes all the difference.

I was reminded of Scrooge from A Christmas Carol changing his ways and outlook after seeing how his acquaintances live.

If Patty could have seen her future there, she would have found a long life spent in glad service to those she loved and who loved her. Not a splendid future, but a useful, happy one…

"He can give you the pleasure of doing good. That is one of the sweetest things in life, and it can be enjoyed by the poor as well as the rich."