When best friends, Jack and Jill, tumble off their sled, their injuries cause them to be bedridden for many months. Their parents fill their days with the joys of Christmas preparations, a theatrical production and many other imaginative events.
Louisa May Alcott
This is a story of how the Little Men turned out. Will Tom be able to get Nan to marry him? Or will Nan turn him down? What about Dan? Does he ever marry? And what about the Princess? Will Mrs. Meg Brooke ever let Nat marry Daisy? Read the book to find out the rest of the story! For Jos Boys, which she intended to be the last in her series about the March family, Louisa May Alcott pulled out all the stops. It is with great fanfare that the beloved characters of former books make their last appearance. All sorts of incredible developments are described in the course of the novel-and some of them fairly stretch the imagination. My favorite is the emigration of the whole extended family to Plumfield: Meg has a house close by, Laurie and Amy have a mansion on an adjacent hill, and even Mr. March and Mr. Laurence have become neighbors to the school. Of course, this and all the rest make the story more fun. The school itself has become a college-a convenient twist that allows the characters from Little Men to still be in the same area years after they ought to have moved away. Though not all the Plumfield students make a second appearance, Alcotts famous favorites remain. A decade later, Demi is having trouble deciding on a career and declaring himself to a certain young lady. Tommy is in pursuit of his childhood sweetheart, Nan, who has vowed to be a spinster for life. Nat is sent to Germany, far away from his beloved Daisy, for musical training. Emil is shipwrecked, Dan tangles with the law, and young Ted gets into scrapes worthy of his namesakes youth. There is enough lovering and spooning here to make up for the lack in Little Men, but some characters brought in for the romance are ex machina. I loved this book, but I thought that little men and little Woman were better. Perhaps it is the long times span she took writing it.
Louisa May Alcott
When Paul spoke in that tone and wore that look, Lillian felt as if they had changed places, and he was the master and she the servant. She wondered over this in her childish mind, but proud and willful as she was, she liked it, and obeyed him with unusual meekness when he suggested that it was time to return.
Louisa May Alcott
The Shelf Life American Civil War Collection is a unique and exciting collection of pre-1923 titles focusing on the American Civil War and the people and events surrounding it. From memoirs and biographies of notable military figures to firsthand accounts of famous battles and in-depth discussions of slavery, this collection is a remarkable opportunity for scholars and historians to rediscover the experience and impact of the Civil War. The volumes contained in the collection were all written within 60 years of the end of the war, which means that most authors had living memory of it and were facing the effects of the war while writing. These firsthand accounts allow the modern reader to more fully understand the culture of both the Union and Confederacy, the politics that governed the escalation and end of the war, the personal experience of life during the Civil War, and the most difficult and polarizing question in the history of the United States: slavery. The American Civil War Collection allows new readers access to the contemporary arguments and accounts surrounding the war, and is a vital new tool in understanding this important and pivotal chapter in American history.
Louisa May Alcott
Eight Cousins is the wonderful story of Rose Campbell, whom we first meet as a sickly and despondent 13-year-old orphan. She is grieving for her recently dead parents, and she tends to get the vapors and other Victorian women's ailments. Nevertheless, this shy, frail and delicate creature is sent to live on the "Aunt Hill" to be raised by six very opinionated aunts. And that's not all. She is also surrounded by seven male cousins, as boisterous and full of life as they come. Rose's initial reaction is to wish herself dead. Barely able to lift her head, she is frightened and overwhelmed by the presence of her mischievous clan. But deep inside, she is secretly envious. The boys get to climb trees and run and play, while Rose, as all young women in her day, is confined to the parlor, constricted by tight corsets and impossible petticoats. Along comes Uncle Mac, the doctor uncle whose view of how to raise girls clashes with his day and time--and all six of his sisters, the formidable aunts. In the character of Doctor Mac, Louisa May Alcott was able to tout her own family's avante garde views on women's health, almost a century ahead of its time. The doctor forbids Rose to wear the constricting corsets, to the horror of all her aunts and the girl herself. He wonders how she can feel healthy when she cannot draw a decent breath? He encourages her to play outside with her cousins, to get fresh air and exercise. He demands that she eat good, hearty meals instead of womanly morsels. And under his tutelage, and with the friendship of her wonderful cousins, Rose starts to bloom. She turns from a shy, sickly little mouse into a strong, outgoing young woman.
Louisa May Alcott
Her eyes came back from their long gaze and settled on him full of an intelligence which deepened his perplexity. "You have not learned to know me yet; death is not more inexorable or time more tireless than I. This week has seemed one of indolent delight to you. To me it has been one of constant vigilance and labor, for scarcely a look, act, or word of mine has been without effect.