Emily Matthews grew up in Mississippi in the 1850's.  Her father, the town Judge is an abolitionist.  Judge Matthews owns slaves and teaches the children alongside his own.  One of the slaves, Ginny has grown up raising Emily after her mother's death. Recently, at Emily's insistence Judge Matthews bought a family that was going to be broken up at auction. Nathan arrived with a broken arm, prompting Judge Matthews to call the town doctor, Charles Slate.  After the visit, Charles takes a liking to Emily and asks for her hand in marriage.  As their relationship progresses, so do tensions in the Slate and Matthews families as well as between the North and South.  Emily, Ginny and Emily's mother-in-law, Adeline forge out new relationships during the war as the forge out a new way to survive.

I read this for The Alcott Event, happening in a private group over on TSTWNBN. When I began reading this, I mistakenly believed that it was one of her early novels. I was quite wrong about that - according to Wikipedia, it was published in 1873, after both Little Women and Little Men, as well as after her melodramatic stories that were published in the 1860's. So, looking at it with this in mind, some of what I thought were the seeds of Little Women are really more recycled bits from that particular book.

 

This is not Alcott's best work, which makes sense, since it is a largely forgotten story. Written for adults, it is more overtly political even than her other books, with very obvious feminist and abolitionist overtones. Well-worth reading, Alcott is somewhat heavy-handed in her moralizing.

 

The book generally tells the tale of a young woman, Christie Devon, who leaves the care of her resentful uncle and long-suffering but loving aunt and seeks employment to make her way in the world. She is engaged in various fairly menial jobs: governess, companion, actress, seamstress, and struggles to support herself. Many issues are addressed, and Alcott's abiding abolitionist beliefs are openly articulated.

 

There were a couple of things that I found particularly interesting about the book. First, reminiscent of the proposal of Laurie and Jo's refusal to marry him, Christie also turns down a proposal from a wealthy gentleman. There are shades of Pride and Prejudice, as well, in the dialogue from this section of the book. Christie initially turns him down politely, and when he reacts badly, we have a very "Lizzie Bennett" moment where she calls him out for his sense of superiority. It left me wondering if Alcott had read P&P close in time to writing the book - the scenes were so similar.

 

In addition, it has a bit of a WTF ending. Alcott is a deeply religious woman, and believes fervently (as many of her era did) in a heaven. The book takes place during the years of the Civil War and much is made of the heroic sacrifice of the men and women who fought for the union and who died, or had loved ones die, in the war. Louisa always was one for the grand sacrificial gesture - if you are looking for a traditional happily ever after for our heroine, well, you're not going to get one.

 

Anyway, it was an interesting read. A bit too sweet and preachy for my taste, but, still, Alcott was a very principled woman, and it was interesting to read something that is so clearly feminist and egalitarian from the early part of my nation's history.

 

Next up from the Alcott canon is Eight Cousins. This one is much more fun than Work.

Not a biography as the description states. A fictionalized memoir.Reviewed for professional publication.

I learned quite a lot from this book. I have heard of John Brown all my life and, of course, I knew about the massacre of slavers in Kansas and the raid on the arsenal in Harper's Ferry and bits and pieces of his life, but there were a lot of details that I was unaware of. This book fills in a lot of the gaps. The details on the Harper's ferry raid were especially illuminating. John Brown was about as racism and sexism free as anyone could be. This was at a time that even the most ardent abolitionists were convinced of the inferiority of Black people even if they didn't think they deserved to be enslaved and the feminist movement did not see past just achieving suffrage. Brown did not just write and make speeches advocating his views either. He lived them every day of his life. He befuddled Black people by treating them as equals and with respect when white people never did that. He even allowed Black people to set the direction of much of his movement. This all was despite the fact that he was strongly religious too. I recommend this book to today's progressive militants. I do not recommend it because of any lessons on Brown's strategy and tactics. If I was going to recommend it on that basis it would be because of what might be learned from his mistakes -- primarily his adventurism -- but the mistakes he made have been made many times by others who were willing to fight for their causes and there are much better sources to learn about that, especially because the author of this work was not concerned about transmitting such lessons anyway. I recommend it for the inspiration it provides by being the story of a very dedicated freedom fighter and the great sacrifices -- including giving his life -- he was enthusiastically willing to make for the fight for freedom.