La borsa delle cianfrusaglie di zia Jo

Aunt Jo's Scrap Bag #3

by Louisa May Alcott, Francesca de Luca (Translator), Caterina Pollio (Translator)

Il terzo volume della serie, divisa in sei tomi e intitolata La borsa delle cianfrusaglie di zia Jo, contiene dieci racconti brevi: Cupido e Bon-Bon, Mirtillo, L’ospedale di Nelly, La squadra della nonna, I grembiuli magici, Il piano della mamma, La scelta di Kate, Le creature di muschio, Gli amici di Fanny, Un’allegra festa al mare. Anche se non è stato del tutto confermato, ogni storia voleva intrattenere i nipoti della Alcott, con l'intento di portare lezioni di morale, di carità e benevolenza verso il prossimo, portando anche gli adulti a fare una riflessione sulla società, sulla vita e su ciò che realmente conta durante la nostra breve esistenza sulla Terra.

Genres: Classics

132 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1873

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

[Tarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine collection of short stories penned by Louisa May Alcott.

Cupid and Chow-Chow: A kind-hearted boy and a naughty little girl. To be, or not to be? "Chow-chow was very quick at spying out the weaknesses of her friends and alarmingly frank in proclaiming her discoveries."

Huckleberry: Our protagonist herein befriends a stray dog and "named him Huckleberry on the spot." It's a cute, heartwarming story. But beware that the last couple of pages may rip your heart, as they did mine.

Nelly's Hospital: A beautiful story of the kindness of one girl for the injured and broken.

Grandma's Team: How a grandma never misses a church service in twenty years, thanks to her family's efforts.

Fairy Pinafores: Easily one of my top favorites of this collection. A Cinderella-inspired story, wherein our beloved Fairy Godmother is in need of a new task, now that Cinderella's fate is taken care of. Such a charming story!!

Mamma's Plot: A quaint story of how to work-around the strict rules at the girls' school. Mamma knows how to make her Kitty feel better.

Kate's Choice: Beautiful!! This is one I think we should all read every once in a while and remember to spend time with our loved ones while we can. As it states, "joy seldom kills"; in fact it's quite the opposite. We should all make Kate's choice.

The Moss People: Another little fairy tale-esque story. With a fun, quirky, and imaginative plot, I'm sure many young readers will enjoy this one too. I loved the name of 'Marnie' for our little heroine.

What Fanny Heard: In a similar to The Moss People, only this time it's the flowers that come to life and speak our heroine in this story. Lovely.

A Marine Merry-making: Very reminiscent of a particular chapter of 'Alice in Wonderland' wherein an undersea quadrille takes place. This one is a fabulous plot with a comical romance at the heart of it.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typically Classic novels are thought of as difficult to understand or comprehend, but Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag is written so that anyone can understand. If you’re looking to get into more Classic novels but don’t know where to start, Alcott’s short stories are a wonderful place for your journey. Depending on the edition, you’ll get a few or several short stories, each once able to be read in isolation but once taken together, allow you to see a common theme that weaves the stories together. Each short story is able to bleed seamlessly into the next, so even if you read all of the short stories one after another with no break in between, you won’t be completely lost once the new story starts.

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Believe it or not Cupid is a little boy; and, Chow Chow is a little girl. I expected them to be animals or fairies. A single short story of the relationship of two children with their parents as supporting characters. Meh.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I loved how the first story showed the problems of feminism! The stories were all sweet & funny—typical Alcott. The only story I disliked was the one that was full of magic—“Fairy Pinafores.” “The Moss People” does talk of fairies but the little girl dreams it. I love how Alcott points out the folly of her era—and shows us what it was like.

A Favourite Quote: “Years ago a little girl lived here, who made this the happiest home ever seen, by her gentle ways, her loving heart, her cheerful voice, and willing hands. Every one loved her, and she was always happy, for duty was pleasant. The world was bright, and she was never out of tune.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Oceanicus looked as dark, fierce, and melodramatic as half-a-dozen Byrons, and quite electrified the audience by knocking down the stately papa, exclaiming, ‘Tyrant, I defy thee! Ha! ha! she is mine!’ and rushing from the stage with Lily on his arm. This thrilling display of tragic power produced round after round of tumultuous applause, and cries of ‘Lob! Lob!’ from all parts of the house. The curtain rose, but no one appeared except Columbus, still on the ground, having been half-stunned and wholly bewildered by the attack, that not having been planned beforehand. He lay staring blankly, and looking so forlorn that the wags who had pulled up the curtain dropped it, and raised him instead.”

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these stories and there were a couple that I enjoyed, but some of them seemed very repetitive, where not much happened.