LOUISA MAY ALCOTT The Woman Behind Little Women

Reisen's thoughtful biography of American icon Louisa May Alcott is a successful tapestry of the pieces of history woven into Alcott's fiction and the author's personal life. Reisen is not a performer but a researcher, so her unpretentious reading of her work is like listening to a good speaker at an intellectual gathering. Reisen brings together many years of research, including information from letters between Alcott family members and their many personal journals. In her readings from Louisa May’s letters and journals, Reisen proves her expertise in creating a fully developed biography of a deeply complex figure. The analysis of the Alcott family drama and Louisa May's development creates an absorbing listening experience. R.F. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]