kelly o’connor mcnees

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott [Book Review]

Michelle9 Comments

Title: Little Women
Author: Kelly O’Connor McNees
Genre: ContemporaryFiction
ISBN: 0399156526
Pages: 352
Year: 2010
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Source: Library
Rating: 4/5

I don’t remember how old I was when I first read Little Women, but it seems like it has always been a part of my life. I have read it so many times that I’ve lost count. Like most little girls, I wanted to be Jo. And I wanted three sisters to replace my little brother. But one of the things I wanted most, was a Laurie. To this day, every time I reread Little Women, I pray that Jo and Laurie would end up together (I also pray that Beth will have a happy ending).

In The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O’Connor McNees (what a fantastically Irish name by the way) gives us a possible reason for the ending that we have always wish would change.

In Lost Summer, Louisa is a young woman and budding author forced to spend the summer in Walpole, New Hampshire with her family before finally striking out on her own. There, she meets Joseph Singer. Joseph forces her to reconsider her vow to never fall in love and marry – a principle she feels she must stick to in order to be a successful writer. Throughout the novel, we see how the Alcotts might have lived and the difficulties they faced living by Bronson Alcott’s philosophy.

I found it a thoroughly interesting and captivating story. Although I knew how it must end (just as I know how Little Women must always end), I was completely invested in the story and the romance between Louisa and Joseph. If you are a fan of Little Women, you must check out this novel. But be prepared to want to read Little Women all over again when you are through.

Buy It Now:Amazon; IndieBound; Powell’s; Book Depository

My Return to Teaser Tuesday

Michelle2 Comments

After some time away, I have decided to bring back Teaser Tuesday. Although this is one of the memes people said they could do without, I felt like I had lost a connection to all of my original online friends. Most of my friends from Rory’s Book Club and Vox have moved to greener blogging pastures like I have and now participate in Teaser Tuesday. It is something that continued to tie us together, but I didn’t really realize this until I stopped doing it and missed it. So here it is, back for good. And you may do with it what you will (even if that includes skimming right on past it).

“’Love will change you,’ Anna said.
Louisa shook her head. ‘Perhaps you, my dear. But not me. For me it is a disease I am lucky not to catch.’”

– p. 72 of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees –

teasertuesdays31

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!