Today’s giveaway is for an autographed copy of the new novel The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees!
Here’s a little bit about the book from McNees’ website:
Millions of readers across generations have laughed and cried with the March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, Little Women. And there has never been a more beloved heroine in the history of American letters than Jo March, Louisa’s alter ego and an iconic figure of independent spirit and big dreams. But as Louisa knew all too well, big dreams often come at a cost.
In her debut novel, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O’Connor McNees deftly mixes fact and fiction as she imagines a summer lost to history, carefully purged from Louisa’s letters and journals, a summer that would change the course of Louisa’s writing career—and inspire the story of love and heartbreak between Jo and Teddy “Laurie” Laurence, Jo’s devoted neighbor and kindred spirit.
In the summer of 1855, Walt Whitman’s controversial Leaves of Grass has just been released, and the notion of making a living as a writer is still a far-off dream for Louisa. She is twenty-two years old, vivacious, and bursting with a desire to be free of her family and societal constraints so she can do what she loves the most—write. The Alcott family, destitute, as usual, moves to a generous uncle’s empty house in Walpole, New Hampshire, for the summer. Here, a striking but pensive Louisa meets the fictional Joseph Singer. Louisa is initially unimpressed by Joseph’s charms. But just as Louisa begins to open her heart, she learns that Joseph may not be free to give his away. Their newfound love carries a steep price, and Louisa fears she may pay with the independence she has fought so hard to protect.
I am in the middle of this book and I absolutely adore it. {I tried finishing it before today but didn’t want to rush my way through – I am enjoying it far too much!} McNees’ writing paints such a vivid picture of Louisa May Alcott’s youth and her relationship with her sisters and family. I can’t say that I knew anything about Alcott before I started the book, but I feel like I have a better understanding of the author.
But – don’t take my world for it. Check out this wonderful review from The Washington Post:
McNees gets the period details just right: the crinolines and carriages; the spare, aesthetic plainness of 19th-century New England. And although the love affair with Joseph is invented, she remains faithful to the broad outlines of Alcott’s biography. In fact, “The Lost Summer” is the kind of romantic tale to which Alcott herself was partial, one in which love is important but not a solution to life’s difficulties. Devotees of “Little Women” will flock to this story with pleasure.
How to Enter:
- Share in the comments below why you would like to receive a copy of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott.
- For an extra entry, leave a separate comment sharing your favorite character from Little Women.
This giveaway will stay open through May 22, 2010. A winner will be randomly chosen using Random.org. Good Luck!
Tags: Giveaway
my favorite character was always jo. she's so full of life and love but i too always wanted her to end up with laurie!
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