The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees

Review by Brenna B. (demiducky25)

I think what initially drew me to this book was the word “summer” in the title since I was looking for a book to just get lost in on a recent hot summer day, and this was certainly a book that one can get lost in!  Once you start it, it will be hard to put it down.

Anyone that knows the story of Little Women knows of the special kind of love between Jo and her Laurie, and anyone who knows even a little bit about Louisa May Alcott knows that she remained single her entire life and had a habit of destroying letters and portions of her journals.  So it is little wonder that generation after generation questions where she got romantic inspiration for her most famous work.  Enter Kelly O’Connor McNees and her story The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott where she blends fact with fiction to imagine a mostly undocumented summer in Louisa May Alcott’s life.

Set against the backdrop of New England in 1855, first time author Kelly O’Connor McNees clearly paints a lush setting for this story.  It is really easy to visualize everything that’s going on in the story because her descriptions are so detailed.  I really wanted walk outside my door and see everything that she described.  In terms of the characters, what impressed me is that the Alcott sisters are not complete copycats of their Little Women counterparts.  It would have been easy for O’Connor McNees to make them exactly like the March sisters since it is known that Louisa May Alcott based them on her own family.  But O’Connor McNees manages to take the characteristics of each sister and make them a bit different from their classical literature doppelganger.  This makes it possible to enjoy the Alcott characters without constantly comparing them to the Marches to see how they measure up.  In conjunction, I found the portrayal of the Alcott parents to be an interesting contrast to the March parents since they felt a bit more realistic.  For instance, O’Connor McNees’ “Marmee” was still someone the sisters idolized as the backbone of the family, but she is also portrayed as being a flawed human who could at times give into anger.  Also, “Father Alcott” seems much less likable than “Father March” since his life of poverty seems to be more of a choice than out of circumstances beyond his immediate control.  It is not necessary to have read Little Women to enjoy reading this book; however, I felt that having that knowledge did add a little more dimension to the story.

Since romance is a big part of this book, I have to say something about that, but I don’t want to say too much and risk giving something away.  I can safely say that at the beginning of the book, the character of Louisa May Alcott has a very strong opinion on what love is and what marriage is and how in her mind true love cannot exist in a marriage.  In fact, she doesn’t seem to think true love can exist at all, especially not for a woman with the goal of having a career.  However, it is very difficult to write about something that you don’t have any knowledge of, and knowing that the real life Louisa May Alcott remained single yet still created two characters in Little Women with such a unique and special kind of love, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott gives a pretty convincing tale on how love could have come into Louisa May Alcott’s life at one point.

Some books need time to build and others are easy to get into right at the beginning.  This one falls into the latter category.  It starts off strong by drawing the reader in.  Then it holds the reader’s attention for the duration of the story, and by the end of the book you really wish that this was ripped directly from the destroyed letters and diaries of Louisa May Alcott since it just seems to make a lot of sense.  It is as if there really couldn’t have been another way for Little Women to have been born or for Alcott to have lived her life.  All in all, I give this book 4 ½ out of 5 stars.

The Diary of Lucy Blue: A Puppy Mill Survivor’s Story by Janice Mitchell

Review by McGuffyAnn M. (nightprose)

I was attracted to this book for several reasons. I love animals and am an animal advocate. I have almost always had dogs, including Shelties, and cannot imagine buying from a puppy mill.

Lucy Blue was rescued from a puppy mill. She was taken in by Second Chance Sheltie Rescue. From there, Janice Mitchell took Lucy Blue as a foster dog. So began Lucy Blue’s road to recovery and that of a normal life.

This book is so much more than just a diary. It tells of the experiences with Lucy Blue and her rehabilitation and healing process. We learn of the methods Janice uses for Lucy Blue and the reasoning behind the methods. We learn what works for these special dogs and why. We are given access to a proven process and see the results. We see Lucy Blue’s growth and healing, of both her body and her spirit.

The book will make you cry and it will make you think. Lucy Blue made it out of a puppy mill, but there are many who do not. I wish everyone could and would read this book. We need to put an end to puppy mills and those who support them.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, Being the First Jane Austen Mystery

by Stephanie Barron

Review by Joy L. (vintagejoy)

This is an excellent book! A great blending of a cozy mystery and Jane Austen.

The premise reminds me of Susan Wittig Albert‘s “Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter.” In that series, Beatrix is the mystery solver and it is written in the time frame she lived in, as this series is.

Here in the first novel we find Jane at Scargrave Manor, invited by her dear friend, Isobel, newly married to the Earl of Scargrave, to attend a ball given in her Isobel’s honor by her husband on their return home from a three month long honeymoon.

Here Jane witnesses a tragedy, the death of the Earl from a mysterious and agonizing illness. In time, Isobel and the Earl’s nephew are charged with not only adultery, but of the murder of the Earl as well.

Isobel begs Jane to help her, and so Jane embarks on the investigation.

I enjoyed this novel, the plot is well done, the characters are introduced well, and it includes many twists and turns throughout.

An important part in the novel is Jane’s introduction to Lord Harold Trowbridge, a gentleman rogue who plays a great part in subsequent books.

Jane perseveres in her quest to find the murderer of the Earl of Scargrave to clear her good friend Isobel.

There is a lot of action going on, and to me the ending was not at all what I thought it would be.

I love that the author explains certain words, customs, lifestyles, etc. for the time period (1802) throughout the book as they come up.

I will definitely be continuing on with the series.