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Work: A Story of Experience
Wholesome and moralistic stories for children from the author of Little Women.
344 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1873
86 people are currently reading
2216 people want to read
About the author
Louisa May Alcott
3,916 books10.4k followersLouisa 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
October 6, 2017
Little Women it's not, but it does show the ability of Alcott to tackle serious, important social issues. In this case it's the independence of womem in the 19th century and their entry into work outside the home, contributing to their self support and the support of their families. It's the story of a young woman, Christy, who fit's the mold of a typical Alcott character, strong willed, smart, high moral values, and determined to succeed in a male dominated world. If you liked Alcott's other novels you will probably like this one as well.
June 25, 2025
3.5
As a child, I read my copy of Little Women multiple times and then checked out from the library the rest of Alcott’s writings for young people. As an adult, when Alcott's ‘sensation’ stories— originally published anonymously or under a pseudonym — came to light, I read those. I didn’t know of her novels for adults published under her own name until relatively recently: I read the first of these—Moods (written before Little Women) — last year and now this one (written after Little Men).
Though Christie, the main character, is not Alcott, I’m guessing she shares some of Alcott’s traits, including feeling irked at a young male character’s treating her paternally, and I know she shares much of Alcott’s own work experiences (the subtitle is important). Christie leaves her uncle’s home to earn her living, not an easy thing for a woman in the 19th-century of course. Christie becomes, in turn, a servant, an actress, a governess, a companion and a seamstress before finding a safe landing-place after some horrific experiences. Afterward, she is a florist, a Civil War nurse (as was Alcott) and an activist for working women not offering pity as an alms, but justice as a right and content to lay the foundation…whose happy success I may never see. Yet I had rather be remembered as those brave beginners are…
While the first half can be repetitive, the themes and how Alcott writes of them are what is most intriguing and ahead of its time. (Originally, this book was two volumes, the second of which was titled Beginning Again, a Continuation of Work.) The phrase “angel in the house” is stated once, but Christie becomes much more than that, especially as she is not of the class that this phrase is normally attributed to (Christie’s father was an impoverished gentleman, but her mother was a farmer’s daughter); later there is a distinction made between "ladies" and "(working-) women." In the second half, during the Civil War, within the story of an obligatory love triangle (reminiscent of the one in Constance Fenimore Woolson’s Anne), controversial ideas for the time abound. The husband of one of Christie’s friends asks why he should go fight for the sake of the enslaved (he calls them by another name) and his wife responds …ain’t you got no heart? can you…call them poor, long-sufferin’ creeters names? Later, a blameless male “hero” says he “owed” the potential sacrificing of his life to an enslaved woman he doesn't know. (The novel was published in 1873.)
As did Little Women’s Jo, Christie discovers that work can be a consolation during hard times, ultimately stating that she owes everything she can do to work and the efforts and the experiences that grew out of it, which is how she found independence, education, happiness, and religion. As far as that “religion” goes, orthodoxy is not at all what Alcott is espousing. And, yet, though Alcott professed to be tired of writing “moral pap for the young," some of this may feel that way to modern-day readers.
The most intriguing thing for me is how Alcott wrangles—as she did in Little Women (though in a different way)—a completely “feminine household” from her story before it is all over with: a loving league of sisters, old and young, black and white, rich and poor.
The book also contains one of my favorite quotes (said of Christie by an unsympathetic character):
She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.
As a child, I read my copy of Little Women multiple times and then checked out from the library the rest of Alcott’s writings for young people. As an adult, when Alcott's ‘sensation’ stories— originally published anonymously or under a pseudonym — came to light, I read those. I didn’t know of her novels for adults published under her own name until relatively recently: I read the first of these—Moods (written before Little Women) — last year and now this one (written after Little Men).
Though Christie, the main character, is not Alcott, I’m guessing she shares some of Alcott’s traits, including feeling irked at a young male character’s treating her paternally, and I know she shares much of Alcott’s own work experiences (the subtitle is important). Christie leaves her uncle’s home to earn her living, not an easy thing for a woman in the 19th-century of course. Christie becomes, in turn, a servant, an actress, a governess, a companion and a seamstress before finding a safe landing-place after some horrific experiences. Afterward, she is a florist, a Civil War nurse (as was Alcott) and an activist for working women not offering pity as an alms, but justice as a right and content to lay the foundation…whose happy success I may never see. Yet I had rather be remembered as those brave beginners are…
While the first half can be repetitive, the themes and how Alcott writes of them are what is most intriguing and ahead of its time. (Originally, this book was two volumes, the second of which was titled Beginning Again, a Continuation of Work.) The phrase “angel in the house” is stated once, but Christie becomes much more than that, especially as she is not of the class that this phrase is normally attributed to (Christie’s father was an impoverished gentleman, but her mother was a farmer’s daughter); later there is a distinction made between "ladies" and "(working-) women." In the second half, during the Civil War, within the story of an obligatory love triangle (reminiscent of the one in Constance Fenimore Woolson’s Anne), controversial ideas for the time abound. The husband of one of Christie’s friends asks why he should go fight for the sake of the enslaved (he calls them by another name) and his wife responds …ain’t you got no heart? can you…call them poor, long-sufferin’ creeters names? Later, a blameless male “hero” says he “owed” the potential sacrificing of his life to an enslaved woman he doesn't know. (The novel was published in 1873.)
As did Little Women’s Jo, Christie discovers that work can be a consolation during hard times, ultimately stating that she owes everything she can do to work and the efforts and the experiences that grew out of it, which is how she found independence, education, happiness, and religion. As far as that “religion” goes, orthodoxy is not at all what Alcott is espousing. And, yet, though Alcott professed to be tired of writing “moral pap for the young," some of this may feel that way to modern-day readers.
The most intriguing thing for me is how Alcott wrangles—as she did in Little Women (though in a different way)—a completely “feminine household” from her story before it is all over with: a loving league of sisters, old and young, black and white, rich and poor.
The book also contains one of my favorite quotes (said of Christie by an unsympathetic character):
She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.
December 31, 2007
This is the last book that L.M.A. penned before she died and it is one of my favorites. It is the story of a young woman named Christie who goes out to make her way in the world by working. The first half of the book is a bit disjointed; not tedious, exactly, but it doesn't feel as cohesive a part of the overall story as the last half. But it does provide context and shows that struggles Christie has as a single woman are what prepares her for the next chapter of her life, where she finds real friendship and love.
I love the way Alcott paints characters who prove that ambition and simple values aren't mutually exclusive; that it's possible to be independent and mix with the world without becoming a callous and selfish member of it. She shows the real obstacles that sometimes stand in the way of love and accomplishment, but that there is always hope in the road ahead.
I love the way Alcott paints characters who prove that ambition and simple values aren't mutually exclusive; that it's possible to be independent and mix with the world without becoming a callous and selfish member of it. She shows the real obstacles that sometimes stand in the way of love and accomplishment, but that there is always hope in the road ahead.
August 13, 2025
"W życiowych eksperymentach" poznamy bliżej Christie oraz to jak próbuje odnaleźć się w świecie. Dziewczyna wychowywana jest przez wujostwo i czuje się ciężarem. Postanawia wziąć sprawy w swoje ręce, wyprowadzić się oraz żyć na własny rachunek. Żadna praca nie hańbi, więc próbuje sił w różnych zawodach m.in. jako służąca, aktorka, guwernantka, towarzyszka, szwaczka. Wszystko byleby zarobić na życie.
"Życiowe eksperymenty" to lektura przy której możemy spokojnie stwierdzić, że spędzony z nią czas był bardzo owocny. Warto pamiętać, że powieść osadzona jest w XIX wieku, gdzie prawa kobiet zostawiały wiele do życzenia. Christie mogła stawać na głowie, ale często była to walka z wiatrakami. Jednak jest to kobieta zdeterminowana oraz nastawiona na to, że choćby nie wiadomo co to ona osiągnie swój sukces. Ma swój cel i ku niemu konsekwentnie dąży. Autorka stworzyła bohaterkę, której nie da się nie lubić i przez całą historię mocno jej kibicujemy, by odnalazła swoje szczęście. Wie czego chce, jest tego pewna, nie podejmuje dziwnych decyzji, nie wstydzi się swojej przeszłości oraz tego co robiła. Pomimo tego, że napotyka różne przeszkody oraz ma swoje wzloty i upadki to trzyma fason, dalej realizując swój plan. Przy okazji to jedna z tych bohaterek, która ma głowę na karku, więc nie zdażyło mi się żebym zirytowała się którąś z jej decyzji.
Konkretna pozycja to i konkretna ocena. Leci czwóreczka.
"Życiowe eksperymenty" to lektura przy której możemy spokojnie stwierdzić, że spędzony z nią czas był bardzo owocny. Warto pamiętać, że powieść osadzona jest w XIX wieku, gdzie prawa kobiet zostawiały wiele do życzenia. Christie mogła stawać na głowie, ale często była to walka z wiatrakami. Jednak jest to kobieta zdeterminowana oraz nastawiona na to, że choćby nie wiadomo co to ona osiągnie swój sukces. Ma swój cel i ku niemu konsekwentnie dąży. Autorka stworzyła bohaterkę, której nie da się nie lubić i przez całą historię mocno jej kibicujemy, by odnalazła swoje szczęście. Wie czego chce, jest tego pewna, nie podejmuje dziwnych decyzji, nie wstydzi się swojej przeszłości oraz tego co robiła. Pomimo tego, że napotyka różne przeszkody oraz ma swoje wzloty i upadki to trzyma fason, dalej realizując swój plan. Przy okazji to jedna z tych bohaterek, która ma głowę na karku, więc nie zdażyło mi się żebym zirytowała się którąś z jej decyzji.
Konkretna pozycja to i konkretna ocena. Leci czwóreczka.
July 12, 2010
I loved this book. I can forgive Alcott anything, and her preachiness is endearing to me - so mostly this book just feels like another old friend right off the bat. The lead character, Christy, is lovable and forgivable. Her friends, though frequently superficially rendered, still liven the world and prove L. M. Alcott a rebel. A radical preacher, an ex-slave, a prostitute, a washer woman -- they are the best teachers of this novel, while the rich/educated/privileged are left to learn from Christy as best they can. Good intentions or not, they can not teach Christy anything it seems. A criticism of luxury if ever there was one. And indeed, the book is pointedly that; entitled "work" it is a testament to what we gain and lose in its struggle, and the peace that can come for working towards something more important than wealth or one's own self-interest.
If you can take this as a work in the vein of "Little Women" -- both of its time and sentiment -- and if you loved "Little Women" -- you will appreciate and maybe adore this book. It is an adult novel in a way that "Little Women" is not, but it has the same heart.
If you can take this as a work in the vein of "Little Women" -- both of its time and sentiment -- and if you loved "Little Women" -- you will appreciate and maybe adore this book. It is an adult novel in a way that "Little Women" is not, but it has the same heart.
July 5, 2012
I cried so much! Also realized that I really appreciate and miss books where a main object of the story is striving to be a better person. Guess I should be reading more 'old-fashioned' things.
March 13, 2019
I, like many others, know and adore Louisa May Alcott for her Little Women novels. As a child I went on many adventures with Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth and I adored Alcott's depiction of idyllic family life and youthful romances in the 1800's.
Beside Little Women and the following novels about the March family, I haven't read much of Alcott's work. And this is why I picked up Work; I wanted to read more words by the woman who wrote one of my all-time favorites.
Work wasn't what I had expected. It's an equally tragic and comical tale of a girl who tries a series of different job positions (actor, governess, seamstress, servant to mention a few), and through trial and error finally finds her place in the world.
It's a coming-of-age-novel and more mature in its depiction of the world than the rosy Little Women ever was. The main character Christie endures many hardships and constantly fights for her right to be considered equal to other workers.
I enjoyed the novel for what it was. As other reviewers have noted, it's no Little Women but it does have some charm and wit in its own right.
Beside Little Women and the following novels about the March family, I haven't read much of Alcott's work. And this is why I picked up Work; I wanted to read more words by the woman who wrote one of my all-time favorites.
Work wasn't what I had expected. It's an equally tragic and comical tale of a girl who tries a series of different job positions (actor, governess, seamstress, servant to mention a few), and through trial and error finally finds her place in the world.
It's a coming-of-age-novel and more mature in its depiction of the world than the rosy Little Women ever was. The main character Christie endures many hardships and constantly fights for her right to be considered equal to other workers.
I enjoyed the novel for what it was. As other reviewers have noted, it's no Little Women but it does have some charm and wit in its own right.
November 9, 2009
Work uses many of Alcott's own experiences. She is specifically interested here in examining how women might find meaningful, fulfilling work. Her heroine, Christie, like Alcott herself, goes through a number of jobs -- seamstress, servant, companion, governess, actress (Alcott was never a professional actress, but loved to write and act in plays) -- before finding a place for herself in a domestic, idealistic, female-centered setting. Other bits and pieces of Alcott's life are echoed here, like her temptation to throw herself off a bridge in a particularly bad moment, and some of her characters are based on people she knew, like Thoreau and Theodore Parker. It's a little disjointed and episodic to start out, as Christie goes through her series of jobs, but the second half is more collected. Though Alcott does tend to moralize, her portrait of women helping each other is a hopeful one, and she doesn't pull her punches in her realistic examination of women's place in society in her time. In a way, her central concern isn't that different from Little Women, which is also much concerned with its heroines' search to find places for themselves as they grow up.
April 20, 2021
I'd never heard of this book until I bought it at a second hand shop recently. It seems that in a sober mood, Louisa May Alcott decided to write this story for adult readers rather than children and youth, which I took as a clue that I should prepare myself for plenty of frank, reflective passages.
Basically, we get a glimpse into the job seeking maze of the nineteenth century.
It's about a young woman named Christie Devon, who was an orphan living with her mother's brother. She suspects that Uncle Enos isn't thrilled about having her there and decides to strike out on her own to find work. Christie feels sensitive about wearing out her welcome and also sees only 'bad marriage, sour spinsterhood or suicide' before her if she stays. That's a pretty bleak attitude for a 21-year-old, but gives her a sort of gloomy optimism that however she fares in the wider world could be no worse than staying. This poor girl is knocked around by the world at large, but something about her quiet, steady and modest soul reminds me of Jane Eyre.
The first several chapters are named after different occupations, as Christie tries her hand at each of them and feels compelled to move on, for a series of legitimate reasons. (Servant, Actress, Governess, Companion, Seamstress, and so on.) The format reminds me a bit of those feel-good tales where young heroes try many alternatives before returning to where they started, convinced now it was the best. However, this is anything but that! Retreating home is not an option here, as Christie has burnt her bridges where Uncle Enos is concerned. She'll never go back.
There is a romantic thread, in the form of two contenders for her heart. First is Philip Fletcher, the brother of one of her employers, whose sole aim is to be a dilettante and kill time. That is, until he's inspired by Christie's fine nature. The second is David Sterling, the son of another employer, who is nursing some mysterious heartache of his own and devotes himself to his floristry business and a quiet life. (This guy may or may not have similarities to Alcott's family friend, Henry David Thoreau, but maybe it's just the name.)
This tale has a desperate, raw quality which never makes it into Alcott's juvenile fiction. Christie's world sometimes seems shrouded in darkness and the heavens seem like iron. 'What have I ever done to be so desolate and miserable, never to find any happiness however hard I try to do what seems my duty?' She even contemplates suicide and has to be drawn back from the brink. The old-timers from the nineteenth century surely knew about hardship, struggle and grief, so I read it with a sense that it behooves us to listen to them. There's always a feeling that when Alcott writes Christie back to mental and physical health, we'd do well to latch onto any solution she suggests.
And there are plenty to choose from. I found myself copying several quotes, but for the sake of staying fairly brief, I'll just give one of my favourites. It's this exchange between Christie and David.
Christie: You said you'd learned to feign happiness. I wish you would tell me how you do it, for it is such an excellent imitation, I shall be quite content with it til I can learn the genuine thing.
David: I did not love my work, but it was good for me and helped cure my sick soul. I never guessed why I felt better but dug on with indifference at first, then felt pride in my garden, then interest in the plants I tended, and by and by I saw what they had done for me and loved them like true friends. If I keep tugging, I may yet be the cheerful, contented man I seem.
Yeah, I dig that. David Sterling predates the maxim, 'Fake it til you make it,' but he sure enters into the spirit of it.
It's a very simple, yet profound story that stays in your mind. Sometimes it's pretty shocking, such as when the Civil War rocks the nation, and Christie's pious mentor Mrs Wilkins pays out her poor husband for hesitating to enlist and put himself in the firing line. She tells their 10-year-old son, 'I wish I could add ten years to your age and send you off to fight for your country like a man!' and then nags the dad until he caves in. I have to assume this sort of blind, fanatical fervour is Louisa's own, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But she was an author who sure could pick up a pen for a cause.
I'll finish with another convicting speech, this time from Christie's friend Rachel, an ex-prostitute who faces a group of judgmental fellow seamstresses, who used to be her friends and now wish to fling her out on her ear.
'It's no use for such as me to try. Better go back to the old life, for there are kinder hearts among the sinners than the saints and no one can live without a bit of love. Your piety isn't worth much, for though you read in your Bible how the Lord treated a poor soul like me, yet when I stretch out my hand to you for help, not one of all you virtuous Christian women dare take it and keep me from a life that's worse than hell.'
Bravo! On the whole, this book is definitely no barrel of fun. But it's one I'll still recommend. And might even dip into again down the track.
Basically, we get a glimpse into the job seeking maze of the nineteenth century.
It's about a young woman named Christie Devon, who was an orphan living with her mother's brother. She suspects that Uncle Enos isn't thrilled about having her there and decides to strike out on her own to find work. Christie feels sensitive about wearing out her welcome and also sees only 'bad marriage, sour spinsterhood or suicide' before her if she stays. That's a pretty bleak attitude for a 21-year-old, but gives her a sort of gloomy optimism that however she fares in the wider world could be no worse than staying. This poor girl is knocked around by the world at large, but something about her quiet, steady and modest soul reminds me of Jane Eyre.
The first several chapters are named after different occupations, as Christie tries her hand at each of them and feels compelled to move on, for a series of legitimate reasons. (Servant, Actress, Governess, Companion, Seamstress, and so on.) The format reminds me a bit of those feel-good tales where young heroes try many alternatives before returning to where they started, convinced now it was the best. However, this is anything but that! Retreating home is not an option here, as Christie has burnt her bridges where Uncle Enos is concerned. She'll never go back.
There is a romantic thread, in the form of two contenders for her heart. First is Philip Fletcher, the brother of one of her employers, whose sole aim is to be a dilettante and kill time. That is, until he's inspired by Christie's fine nature. The second is David Sterling, the son of another employer, who is nursing some mysterious heartache of his own and devotes himself to his floristry business and a quiet life. (This guy may or may not have similarities to Alcott's family friend, Henry David Thoreau, but maybe it's just the name.)
This tale has a desperate, raw quality which never makes it into Alcott's juvenile fiction. Christie's world sometimes seems shrouded in darkness and the heavens seem like iron. 'What have I ever done to be so desolate and miserable, never to find any happiness however hard I try to do what seems my duty?' She even contemplates suicide and has to be drawn back from the brink. The old-timers from the nineteenth century surely knew about hardship, struggle and grief, so I read it with a sense that it behooves us to listen to them. There's always a feeling that when Alcott writes Christie back to mental and physical health, we'd do well to latch onto any solution she suggests.
And there are plenty to choose from. I found myself copying several quotes, but for the sake of staying fairly brief, I'll just give one of my favourites. It's this exchange between Christie and David.
Christie: You said you'd learned to feign happiness. I wish you would tell me how you do it, for it is such an excellent imitation, I shall be quite content with it til I can learn the genuine thing.
David: I did not love my work, but it was good for me and helped cure my sick soul. I never guessed why I felt better but dug on with indifference at first, then felt pride in my garden, then interest in the plants I tended, and by and by I saw what they had done for me and loved them like true friends. If I keep tugging, I may yet be the cheerful, contented man I seem.
Yeah, I dig that. David Sterling predates the maxim, 'Fake it til you make it,' but he sure enters into the spirit of it.
It's a very simple, yet profound story that stays in your mind. Sometimes it's pretty shocking, such as when the Civil War rocks the nation, and Christie's pious mentor Mrs Wilkins pays out her poor husband for hesitating to enlist and put himself in the firing line. She tells their 10-year-old son, 'I wish I could add ten years to your age and send you off to fight for your country like a man!' and then nags the dad until he caves in. I have to assume this sort of blind, fanatical fervour is Louisa's own, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But she was an author who sure could pick up a pen for a cause.
I'll finish with another convicting speech, this time from Christie's friend Rachel, an ex-prostitute who faces a group of judgmental fellow seamstresses, who used to be her friends and now wish to fling her out on her ear.
'It's no use for such as me to try. Better go back to the old life, for there are kinder hearts among the sinners than the saints and no one can live without a bit of love. Your piety isn't worth much, for though you read in your Bible how the Lord treated a poor soul like me, yet when I stretch out my hand to you for help, not one of all you virtuous Christian women dare take it and keep me from a life that's worse than hell.'
Bravo! On the whole, this book is definitely no barrel of fun. But it's one I'll still recommend. And might even dip into again down the track.
June 29, 2025
I discovered this book less than ten years ago while visiting Orchard House--the home upon which Louisa May Alcott based the setting for Little Women. I had worked my way through all of Alcott's "young adult" books, as well as The Inheritance. (Thrillers + short stories aren't my usual cup of tea). But Ms. Alcott was so prolific! Here is an adult novel with many of the aspects that drew me toward her famous novels for young people: beautiful, intimate writing, a strong heroine with a great deal to learn, and a determination to make the world better.
Christy sets out for a life of work. She tries her hand at acting, caregiving, sewing, nursing, charity, even politics. Along the way, our heroine builds relationships, humility, & confidence. She faces the trials and tribulations of failure, illness, romance, and war. And she comes out stronger for the pursuit.
Christy sets out for a life of work. She tries her hand at acting, caregiving, sewing, nursing, charity, even politics. Along the way, our heroine builds relationships, humility, & confidence. She faces the trials and tribulations of failure, illness, romance, and war. And she comes out stronger for the pursuit.
September 30, 2022
If you asked me as I was reading this book if I liked it, it would have totally depended on where I was in the story. This one felt very much like a serialized novel.
I would say it is my least favorite work I've read of Alcott so far. Overall, it was sad, and even depressing at times. Yet, I think it was very valuable for the time it was written to show the struggles of women to make in a world that often didn't give them a fair chance.
Here were my major issues, but they will spoil parts of the book
I would say it is my least favorite work I've read of Alcott so far. Overall, it was sad, and even depressing at times. Yet, I think it was very valuable for the time it was written to show the struggles of women to make in a world that often didn't give them a fair chance.
Here were my major issues, but they will spoil parts of the book
July 17, 2019
Clunky. Blue-stocking do-gooder.
October 14, 2024
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November 1, 2018I don't want to give this book a rating because I'm still unpacking it--something that's proving to be quite a daunting task.
Alcott doesn't shy away from voicing different sides of gruesome conversations about topics like slavery, suicide, classism, and women's roles in society. To be honest, a couple of these exchanges didn't sit well with me, though in most cases, another character helpfully challenged the problematic opinion that had been voiced. Maybe I was expecting more of a challenge in some of the more extreme cases, but, either way, the often patronizing attitude that the narrative voice holds towards people of color is super uncomfortable to read. I get that in its contemporary time, the perspectives voiced in this work were progressive and radical, but it's also a bit unsettling to see Hepsey (an older woman of color in the story) sitting at the table surrounded by white women, knowing that the 19th century suffragettes these women are meant to embody undermined the rights of women of color to get their own more quickly. (If you're less familiar with the history there, you can check it out here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/op...)
However, at the same time, this book was alive. Christie's life is full of mistakes, good intentions, and barriers, and she continues to keep going through it all. I cried more than once. Like. I cried about five times. It's making me think critically about the kinds of stories that have the power to speak to a culture so deeply divided; this seems particularly relevant now. Alcott's unbridled appeal for productivity and the importance of helping others kind of shakes you awake and makes you think about how and where you spend your time and what more you could be doing in your local community.
Alcott doesn't shy away from voicing different sides of gruesome conversations about topics like slavery, suicide, classism, and women's roles in society. To be honest, a couple of these exchanges didn't sit well with me, though in most cases, another character helpfully challenged the problematic opinion that had been voiced. Maybe I was expecting more of a challenge in some of the more extreme cases, but, either way, the often patronizing attitude that the narrative voice holds towards people of color is super uncomfortable to read. I get that in its contemporary time, the perspectives voiced in this work were progressive and radical, but it's also a bit unsettling to see Hepsey (an older woman of color in the story) sitting at the table surrounded by white women, knowing that the 19th century suffragettes these women are meant to embody undermined the rights of women of color to get their own more quickly. (If you're less familiar with the history there, you can check it out here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/op...)
However, at the same time, this book was alive. Christie's life is full of mistakes, good intentions, and barriers, and she continues to keep going through it all. I cried more than once. Like. I cried about five times. It's making me think critically about the kinds of stories that have the power to speak to a culture so deeply divided; this seems particularly relevant now. Alcott's unbridled appeal for productivity and the importance of helping others kind of shakes you awake and makes you think about how and where you spend your time and what more you could be doing in your local community.
December 19, 2021
Calificación real: 5/5
En esta que fue la obra póstuma de Louis May Alcott antes de fallecer podemos finalmente ver y admirar el verdadero carácter de esta gran escritora: fuerte, independiente e idealista.
Lamentablemente Alcott se quedó en la mente de millones de lectores como alguien sentimentaloide por su obra más reconocida “Mujercitas”, la cual a pesar de todo tiene atisbos de su personalidad.
En “Trabajo. Un relato de vivencias” su autora nos ofrece la historia de Christie, una joven huérfana que vive con una tía que la cuida y quiere sinceramente y su tío que le tiene recelo por su manera de ser rebelde e insatisfecha por cómo la vida la ha tratado.
Christie entonces decide dejar la comodidad y la seguridad de un hogar e incluso la probabilidad de poder casarse, por la independencia y la libertad de una vida sin ataduras.
Es a partir de esto que sus vivencias se nos presentan por cada trabajo que va haciendo: sirvienta, actriz, institutriz, señorita de compañía, costurera y enfermera. Cada uno dejándole tantas buenas como amargas experiencias.
La idea de Alcott era también plasmar algo de su propia vida, ya que ella misma se dedicó a muchos de estos oficios, pero también era su objetivo el de visibilizar y dignificar el trabajo de las mujeres el cual era en su época, menospreciado.
Es una novela hermosa que nos muestra que Alcott fue, una feminista férrea que dejaba de lado las convenciones sociales de su época, para tratar de hacer su parte para mejorar las condiciones laborales tan pésimas que tenían que sufrir las mujeres. Una obra indispensable de leer para conocer más de esta gran escritora.
En esta que fue la obra póstuma de Louis May Alcott antes de fallecer podemos finalmente ver y admirar el verdadero carácter de esta gran escritora: fuerte, independiente e idealista.
Lamentablemente Alcott se quedó en la mente de millones de lectores como alguien sentimentaloide por su obra más reconocida “Mujercitas”, la cual a pesar de todo tiene atisbos de su personalidad.
En “Trabajo. Un relato de vivencias” su autora nos ofrece la historia de Christie, una joven huérfana que vive con una tía que la cuida y quiere sinceramente y su tío que le tiene recelo por su manera de ser rebelde e insatisfecha por cómo la vida la ha tratado.
Christie entonces decide dejar la comodidad y la seguridad de un hogar e incluso la probabilidad de poder casarse, por la independencia y la libertad de una vida sin ataduras.
Es a partir de esto que sus vivencias se nos presentan por cada trabajo que va haciendo: sirvienta, actriz, institutriz, señorita de compañía, costurera y enfermera. Cada uno dejándole tantas buenas como amargas experiencias.
La idea de Alcott era también plasmar algo de su propia vida, ya que ella misma se dedicó a muchos de estos oficios, pero también era su objetivo el de visibilizar y dignificar el trabajo de las mujeres el cual era en su época, menospreciado.
Es una novela hermosa que nos muestra que Alcott fue, una feminista férrea que dejaba de lado las convenciones sociales de su época, para tratar de hacer su parte para mejorar las condiciones laborales tan pésimas que tenían que sufrir las mujeres. Una obra indispensable de leer para conocer más de esta gran escritora.
May 14, 2023
Actually finished this book so long ago (I didn’t finish the last 10 pages for class) and actually was obsessed with it. Partially because it immediately inspired me to write, but also because it was simply good. It AMAZES me that this book isn’t more popular and we talked about the reasons possible why in class, but I believe it’s literally the Victorian era book that everyone is looking for. (For the time period) Christie Devon is the feminist and anti-racist heroine that we have begged for. She has aspirations that are separate from men and love and has true and honest friendships with women (although they should just be gay, but isn’t that every book). I loved the way so many different topics in this book were handled and that we actually saw characters deal with mental health and even a slow burn romance. I was genuinely so interested in this book and the characters and the plot and yet it still held so many of the typical tropes and conventions of this time period and style of novel
August 15, 2025
Much of the 19th-century literature I’ve read focuses on upper-class women and the marriage market, so it was refreshing to see a novel exploring working women’s lives.
Christy, the protagonist, seeks independence through various jobs—cleaner, cook, actress, governess, companion, nursery hand, and Civil War nurse—suggesting a varied and rich life for working women.
Alcott was raised in the Transcendentalist tradition, a bit of a weirdo, outlying sect at that time. She weaves its themes—intuition, individuality, nature— heavily into the story, going for the tedious, hard-sell -- especially in the melodramatic final third.
Her casual racism toward the Irish was jarring, contrasting oddly with her strong abolitionist and feminist views. It's a reminder that the past really is a different country.
It's a worthwhile read, if only to fill in some blanks left by my experience of 19th century literature.
Christy, the protagonist, seeks independence through various jobs—cleaner, cook, actress, governess, companion, nursery hand, and Civil War nurse—suggesting a varied and rich life for working women.
Alcott was raised in the Transcendentalist tradition, a bit of a weirdo, outlying sect at that time. She weaves its themes—intuition, individuality, nature— heavily into the story, going for the tedious, hard-sell -- especially in the melodramatic final third.
Her casual racism toward the Irish was jarring, contrasting oddly with her strong abolitionist and feminist views. It's a reminder that the past really is a different country.
It's a worthwhile read, if only to fill in some blanks left by my experience of 19th century literature.
June 11, 2011
I love Louisa May Alcott. WOMAN POWER! The heroine Christie Devon goes out into the world to make her living after being raised by an aunt and uncle. She spends time in most of the occupations open to women in the 1850s: seamstress, governess, housemaid, companion to an invalid, and eventually takes up nursing at the front lines during the Civil War. She's incredibly plucky and when life is difficult, women support each other in ways the men around them barely comprehend.
One jarring note, an artifact of the era I guess. Although Christie embraces friendships with a black woman (an escaped slave) and a 'fallen woman' (whose sin was not detailed but evidently took a lover without benefit of marriage), as well as other women of every age and social class, she apparently despises the Irish and there doesn't seem any hint that she sees this as inconsistent with her open and welcoming attitude to others.
One jarring note, an artifact of the era I guess. Although Christie embraces friendships with a black woman (an escaped slave) and a 'fallen woman' (whose sin was not detailed but evidently took a lover without benefit of marriage), as well as other women of every age and social class, she apparently despises the Irish and there doesn't seem any hint that she sees this as inconsistent with her open and welcoming attitude to others.
February 11, 2011
I went into this book expecting to feel as I usually do with Alcott novels - a kind of apathy. I was truly impressed with this read. Alcott is still didactic as ever, and there is a wee bit of condescension here, but that is overwhelmed by the truly wonderful aspects about this novel. There is a sweetness mixed with ideas on the verge of "radical", which make for an interesting read. The text seemingly contradicts itself and yet I feel like that there may be a kind of dialectic here? Maybe? I don't know, I am rambling...but I really think the book quite brilliant. I think it significant that the protagonist's life (the novel) does not end with marriage. It is intriguing and, as a last confession, it touched me. I cared about these characters.
March 20, 2015
While I grew up loving Alcott's fiction, I had to admit to myself that sometimes she was overly preachy and took a few too many opportunities to present an object lesson or praise her "ideal" character. That tendency was largely a reflection of her time, when the main purpose of literature for women and children was to encourage them to be "good." Nevertheless, I stuck with this book until the end - partly to avoid having another unfinished book weighing on my conscience, and partly because Alcott does have flashes of interesting character development. Also, the Civil War era is not so far removed from living memory, and it's intriguing to glimpse the views of a somewhat progressive woman of the time.
January 12, 2018
Christie is determined to be independent from her aunt and uncle so she goes to the city to get work. She starts out as a maid, then an actress and so on. The pride of being useful is sometimes obscured by the pain of poverty and the danger of a possibly "soiled reputation" (which can be gained by being kind to a prostitute or attracting the fancy of a male employer). Many more adventures follow.
The romantic elements of the book was a little boring, but I'm glad to have read this book. A quick and pleasant read.
The romantic elements of the book was a little boring, but I'm glad to have read this book. A quick and pleasant read.
October 5, 2024
Hospital Sketches used to be my favorite Alcott adult novel, but Work has taken its place. Here, Alcott shines as she attempts to address a range of social questions through the journey of her protagonist, Christie. There are some heavy- handed morals, but for the time, these are profound. Christie advocates for women to work in order to develop their character. She gets fired for befriending and defending a prostitute. She has unique views of religion, based on Alcott's Unitarian beliefs. She befriends a former enslaved person and helps her learn to read so she can find her enslaved mother. I especially loved the references to Jane Eyre- and the way Alcott twists the story, so Christie is anything but Jane. There's so much to unpack about Alcott and 19th century women's lives in this book. I'm already looking forward to a reread.
March 15, 2023
I liked this book very much! It may be my new favorite Alcott, though I have loved and reread “Little Women” and its sequels all my life. This novel, first published in two parts in 1872, fulfilled my desire to understand more of Alcott’s personal experiences beyond the domestic sphere, in transition to a time when it would become more common for middle class women to work outside the home. Please read Teresa’s outstanding review below (also 4 stars) because she describes the text well and comments on it eloquently.
April 26, 2024
I LOVED every single written word of this book. Christie’s character is described as “ strong minded, a radical and a reformer” and through this character Alcott depicts herself. As she writes about her independence as a woman and the goals a woman can aspire to I was completely engaged and uplifted and felt proud to be an independent woman too.
I can’t wait to read another book written by this wonderful author.
I can’t wait to read another book written by this wonderful author.
December 5, 2019
This was kind of all over the place but overall a good time. Definitely a book with an Agenda, or several actually, but LMA knows how to write about daily life in this way that feels almost like time travel, and I love it.
December 28, 2021
I’m adding this has finished but can’t make myself do it. Sorry Louisa, it’s not you, it’s just 19th century writing and me just don’t mix. But I do love the example of a young independent woman going out into the world for the time and matches sort if the spirit of Jo in the most recent Little Woman remake. Though the narrator is a bit too earnest for me (perhaps I’m too cynical?) The examples of sexism are unfortunately all too familiar and I do like her sense of outrage. In the need, would have been interesting to read in my twenties or a gender studies or labor studies class, maybe in another life.
April 29, 2025
Just as heartfelt as Alcott’s more well-known works, but it is meant for a slightly older audience. Every emotion, whether joy or grief, is full and tangible. There is definitely a more 19th century feminist approach here from Alcott, which makes it so captivating. Worth the read!
September 28, 2024
Creo que una de las cosas más bonitas de redescubrir a Alcott es que lo estoy haciendo en la adultez. Si hubiese leído sus novelas más “serias” y “oscuras” con la frescura aún intacta de sus obras más “juveniles”, habría sentido rechazo. Es difícil aceptar otro lado de un autor o autora cuando estamos tan acostumbrados a un cierto tipo de trabajo literario. Y creo que actualmente soy capaz de separar ambos lados y reafirmar que Louisa May Alcott fue una gran autora y que ya es hora de que la conozcamos como tal.
Christie es una joven huérfana, que vive con sus tíos, una a la que adora y otro con el que no se entiende del todo, está cansada de una vida vacía y rutinaria, por lo que decide dejar la comodidad de su hogar y salir al mundo, a conocer otras realidades y a ganarse el pan con el sudor de su frente. Llena de ideales, se lanzará sin dudarlo a un sinfín de trabajos, algunos comunes y otros bastante interesantes, cruzándose con diversos personajes y experimentando no solo la alegría, sino también las dificultades de ser una mujer independiente en el siglo XIX.
“Trabajo: Un relato de vivencias” es una novela más seria y hasta agridulce. Muchos en su momento creyeron que era la autobiografía oficial de la autora, pero no es así. Louisa nunca fue Jo March y tampoco es Christie, la protagonista de este libro. Aunque sí podemos asegurar que tomó varias de sus vivencias laborales y las plasmó en el papel. Lo triste es que, en su época, esta novela fue muy criticada, por no ajustarse a lo que se esperaba de la autora de “Mujercitas”, una enorme injusticia, ya que en su lectura encontré una historia muy atemporal y bastante identificable. Todos alguna vez hemos tenido que trabajar en cosas en las que no pensamos que nos tocaría hacer, por necesidad, pero el ser humano es adaptable, puede aprender y eso es lo que Christie nos va mostrando a lo largo de la primera mitad de la obra. Oficios como de sirvienta, dama de compañía y hasta de actriz, son algunas de las opciones que nuestra protagonista recorre. Y éste último fue el más interesante de leer, pues no es algo que las novelas de época suelen contar, la vida dentro y fuera del escenario. Hasta llegué a preguntarme qué clase de actriz habrá sido Alcott cuando tuvo que trabajar en ello. Claro que, en toda esta odisea, el objetivo de este libro era educar a los lectores, en especial a las mujeres, enseñarles que la vida no solo es el matrimonio, sino que pueden aspirar a una vida más independiente y realizarse a través del trabajo honrado y esforzado. Sin embargo, al comienzo del segundo acto se crea una ambigüedad entre lo que se quiere enseñar y lo que ocurre en la trama, lo que nuevamente hace que me pregunte si hubo presión editorial para cambiar algunas cosas en la vida de la protagonista. Christie es un personaje casi irreal, porque siempre es honesta, incorruptible y fiel a sus ideales, el prototipo de personaje que se esperaría en una novela sentimental de época. Al final, son los secundarios los que se me hicieron más sólidos, pues todo lo que vino después se sintió bastante forzado, en especial el romance. Aclaro que esto es una opinión mía y que no todos los lectores percibimos las cosas del mismo modo, por lo que espero que al leer el libro se hagan ustedes su propia opinión.
Antes de terminar, mis más sinceros agradecimientos a editorial Cátedra por el rescate de estos libros más desconocidos. Actualmente hay muchas ediciones de Mujercitas, pero muy pocas del resto de sus obras y todas merecen ser leídas por igual. A un autor hay que conocerlo no por su obra más famosa, sino por todas en general, pues éstas pueden esconder más de alguna sorpresa. Lo único malo es que entré spoileada a la trama, por el mini ensayo de casi cien páginas que suelen traer estas ediciones. Cátedra es una gran editorial, pero deberían colocar una advertencia en sus primeras páginas.
Christie es una joven huérfana, que vive con sus tíos, una a la que adora y otro con el que no se entiende del todo, está cansada de una vida vacía y rutinaria, por lo que decide dejar la comodidad de su hogar y salir al mundo, a conocer otras realidades y a ganarse el pan con el sudor de su frente. Llena de ideales, se lanzará sin dudarlo a un sinfín de trabajos, algunos comunes y otros bastante interesantes, cruzándose con diversos personajes y experimentando no solo la alegría, sino también las dificultades de ser una mujer independiente en el siglo XIX.
“Trabajo: Un relato de vivencias” es una novela más seria y hasta agridulce. Muchos en su momento creyeron que era la autobiografía oficial de la autora, pero no es así. Louisa nunca fue Jo March y tampoco es Christie, la protagonista de este libro. Aunque sí podemos asegurar que tomó varias de sus vivencias laborales y las plasmó en el papel. Lo triste es que, en su época, esta novela fue muy criticada, por no ajustarse a lo que se esperaba de la autora de “Mujercitas”, una enorme injusticia, ya que en su lectura encontré una historia muy atemporal y bastante identificable. Todos alguna vez hemos tenido que trabajar en cosas en las que no pensamos que nos tocaría hacer, por necesidad, pero el ser humano es adaptable, puede aprender y eso es lo que Christie nos va mostrando a lo largo de la primera mitad de la obra. Oficios como de sirvienta, dama de compañía y hasta de actriz, son algunas de las opciones que nuestra protagonista recorre. Y éste último fue el más interesante de leer, pues no es algo que las novelas de época suelen contar, la vida dentro y fuera del escenario. Hasta llegué a preguntarme qué clase de actriz habrá sido Alcott cuando tuvo que trabajar en ello. Claro que, en toda esta odisea, el objetivo de este libro era educar a los lectores, en especial a las mujeres, enseñarles que la vida no solo es el matrimonio, sino que pueden aspirar a una vida más independiente y realizarse a través del trabajo honrado y esforzado. Sin embargo, al comienzo del segundo acto se crea una ambigüedad entre lo que se quiere enseñar y lo que ocurre en la trama, lo que nuevamente hace que me pregunte si hubo presión editorial para cambiar algunas cosas en la vida de la protagonista. Christie es un personaje casi irreal, porque siempre es honesta, incorruptible y fiel a sus ideales, el prototipo de personaje que se esperaría en una novela sentimental de época. Al final, son los secundarios los que se me hicieron más sólidos, pues todo lo que vino después se sintió bastante forzado, en especial el romance. Aclaro que esto es una opinión mía y que no todos los lectores percibimos las cosas del mismo modo, por lo que espero que al leer el libro se hagan ustedes su propia opinión.
Antes de terminar, mis más sinceros agradecimientos a editorial Cátedra por el rescate de estos libros más desconocidos. Actualmente hay muchas ediciones de Mujercitas, pero muy pocas del resto de sus obras y todas merecen ser leídas por igual. A un autor hay que conocerlo no por su obra más famosa, sino por todas en general, pues éstas pueden esconder más de alguna sorpresa. Lo único malo es que entré spoileada a la trama, por el mini ensayo de casi cien páginas que suelen traer estas ediciones. Cátedra es una gran editorial, pero deberían colocar una advertencia en sus primeras páginas.
April 13, 2019
Sweet
A lovely tale with work the goal of a life well lived. Christie goes on a journey to find her life’s work, from the stage to nurse, to wife and lastly mother.
A lovely tale with work the goal of a life well lived. Christie goes on a journey to find her life’s work, from the stage to nurse, to wife and lastly mother.
January 3, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. Louisa May Alcott did a wonderful job of relating the tale of the trials a tribulations a young person may encounter when throwing themselves into the working world. Christie starts the story as a young woman of 21 and ends as an experienced, intelligent, and well rounded woman in her mid to late 40s. Her trials start out as the average trouble of finding a job, and a place to live in her new-found freedom. She ends up holding a total of 5 legitimate jobs, and she lives in 2 places in which she sort of works around the house to pay her way. All of her occupations challenges her to develop new skills to help her succeed in her job and in life. By being a maid to the she learns the basic functions in a household so that when she has her own she may know how to take care of it. Her career as an actress reminds her, and the reader, that life is not all about fun and games. One cannot forget that it takes hard work, and discipline to make it in society. All of her other jobs taught her similar life lessons. I found the book to be quite enjoyable as a whole because I liked being able to feel Christie going through her troubles. Louisa May Alcott makes her characters very easy to relate to, and Christie is no exception. Louisa illustrates Christie going through tough times, and shows the reader what is viable to happen during those times which could happen to any person. Christie says to her dear friend Rachel, " 'I have been ill; I worked too hard; I'm not myself to-night. I owe money. People disappoint and worry me; and I was so worn out, and weak, and wicked, I think I meant to take my life' "(Alcott 125). This happens at times, and it is an example of Christie's humanity. In some stories characters seem very inhuman and perfect, but this shows the character that Christie is the exact opposite. When she and David go off to war they both face the reality that one, if not both, of them may not survive the violence of the Civil War. When David passes away Christie is able to stay strong, but she is still struck down by the suddenness of his death. Although it was a blow to her she is able to stay strong through it. She was able to learn from her experiences as a working girl, and use them in her own life to be prosperous. I find the theme of this book to be a wonderful concept of hard work, determination, and love. I enjoyed it very much and hope to re-read it again sometime.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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