Spinning-Wheel Stories

by Louisa May Alcott

By the author of the classic book, "Little Women," this long out-of-print collection of heart-warming tales by Louisa May Alcott show why her stories continue to endear this truly great American author to children all over the world.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, American, Fiction

311 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1884

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

[Melody Schwarting]

I was thrilled to find a copy of this book at an antique store, because I've always wanted to have "Tabby's Table-Cloth" (which I knew from an anthology) in its original state in my library. This is not Alcott at her best, but I would have enjoyed this in my peak Alcott era, and there are a few better stories. It's fairly evenly divided between "girls" and "boys." (The premise is a group of children jockeying for stories they will like, and the book makes this division.) I wouldn't call it good enough for a read-aloud (Alcott's A Garland for Girls is a better Alcott short story collection that I often enjoyed on audio as a teen) but it's a fine choice for Alcott fans who want a deep cut.

[Alyssa]

Spinning-Wheel Stories is a collection of short stories. I liked some aspects of the stories and disliked others. I felt like some of the themes were very forward-thinking considering when the stories were written. Many of the female characters have a lot of strength and bravery, which was refreshing. What I disliked about the stories was the introductions to them. The children seemed unrealistic because they seemed too perfect. For me, they were the embodiment of the "good values" that permeated early young adult literature. I have to admit that they definitely got annoying. The stories, though, were fun, and I enjoyed reading them and would recommend them.

[Kristi]

In this collection of short stories by the author of "Little Women," a grandmother tells moral tales to her visiting grandchildren when a storm keeps them indoors. The stories have a pronounced alternating gender focus, between domestic and "boys" adventures, each with a pointed moral lesson mixed in with Alcott's amusing style. I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but I can never go wrong when I read Alcott.

[Lynne]

A delightful collection of tales from the author of Little Women. Some of them may seem quite dated in their outlook now, but I suspect the views on women in particular were quite advanced for the time.

[Valerie]

Filled with her usual charm.

[Candi]

The stories were mildly interesting. Good for a session of reading at a time. The most interesting aspect for me was the pictures into life during the 1800s.

[Linda Orvis]

Spinning Wheel Stories was a brief, enjoyable respite from the last few books I've read lately. It's restorative to take a journey back to a very different time in our country. (the copy I have was written in 1884 and this version was published in 1908). A group of children are trapped by a storm at their Grandmother's house during the holidays (I assume Christmas) and are entertained by listening to stories told by their grandmother while she instructed the girls how to use the very old spinning wheel. After the grandmother is exhausted, a maiden aunt (I'm sure a character similar to Louisa herself) reads some of the stories she's collected in her portfolio. The stories are classic Alcott, with some adventures, struggles, and tinged heavily with morals. Alcott is one of my "pet" authors and I'm progressing through a lengthy reading list. As I've gone along, reading many of her books that are out of print, I've learned a lot about the author. I've also read her life story. The things I've discovered are not all flattering to her, but she definitely deserves her place as an American icon. She started the women's movement in her time by championing little girls in her stories. She and Frances Hodgson Burnett (who, unlike Louisa, actually chose to live as a liberated female) deserve much of the credit for how women see themselves in today's world.

[bethany m. planton]

Having to be inside for several days, these grandchildren stumble upon a spinning wheel in the attic. When they ask their Grandmother about it, she teaches the girls to spin while telling them stories.

[Misty Meos]

Wonderful little stories

I quickly found myself drawn into the story, transported back in time to sit with the children and listen to Granny's stories in that cozy sitting room. I strongly recommend this book to all who enjoy reading stories to children.

[Cathy Houston]

classical uplifting Alcott tales

[Darcia Douglass]

Charming little stories with a moral.

[Marcy]

A delightful collection of short stories!