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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 818.403 EAN: 9780393059649 Edition: 1 ISBN: 0393059642 Label: W. W. Norton Manufacturer: W. W. Norton Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 528 Publication Date: August 20, 2007 Publisher: W. W. Norton Studio: W. W. Norton Editorial Review: Product Description: Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography: The beloved author of Little Women was torn between pleasing her idealistic father and planting her feet in the material world. Louisa May Alcott's name is known universally. Yet, during her youth, the famous Alcott was her father, Bronson—an eminent teacher, lecturer, and admired friend of Emerson and Thoreau. Willful and exuberant, Louisa flew in the face of all her father's intricate theories of child rearing. She, in turn, could not understand the frugal life Bronson preached, one that reached its epitome in the failed utopian community of Fruitlands. In a family that insisted on self-denial and spiritual striving, Louisa dreamed of wealth and fame. At the same time, like most daughters, she wanted her father's approval. As her father struggled to recover from a breakdown and slowly resurrect his career, Louisa learned to support her family, teaching if she must, but finally finding her vocation in writing. This story of their tense yet loving relationship adds dimensions to Louisa's life, her work, and the relationships of fathers and daughters. 26 illustrations. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - A lively tone accents facts and insightsDuring Louisa May Alcott's youth her father was a contemporary of Emerson and Thoreau, and desired perfection for his family and life. Louisa challenged him with her moodiness and her longing for fame and wealth. Their stormy yet loving relationship is probed in EDEN'S OUTCASTS, a pick for both general-interest libraries strong in biography and for literary collections seeking a complete set of perspectives on writer Louisa May Alcott's influences and life. A lively tone accents facts and insights. ... Read More Rating:  - Only for those that got an A in college englishI bought this book because it won a Pulitzer prize. The voters for the Pulitzer must be in the upper echelon of literary taste because I found it dry, slow, and horribly uneventful. I can understand how some people would enjoy this book because the author, John Matteson, is a very good writer. I mean good writer in the sense that he could write SAT questions for the English portion of the test. I was disappointed in this book because I had just finished reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette ... Read More Rating: - Eden's Outcasts explores the life of the amazing Alcott family which was the model for Little WomenEden's Outcast is a literary biography by John Matteson who is a PH.D English professor from John Jay School of Law in New York. It is a work which has won kudos for Matteson as well as a Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Bronson Alcott (1799-1888) was born in Connecticut. Alcott tried his hand at teaching school, writing and spending a few years as a New England pedlar in the Southern United States. Alcott was not a college man but read widely and deeply. He was much influenced by the writings of Thomas ... Read More Rating:  - Interesting Biography!For those of you who loved LITTLE WOMEN, it is most interesting to read about the author's actual relationship with her family, most particularly with her father. It is quickly apparent that Ms. Alcott has liberally sprinkled all of her novels with stories from her own unbringing, but paints her fictional family's life with an exceedingly idealistic brush. Mr. Matteson has researched this family thoroughly and builds a convincing narrative. He is obviously invested in accurately describing each member, rather ... Read More Rating: - A Unique Biography of a Unique FamilyThank you to Jim Matteson for reading every scrap the Alcotts left behind and digesting it into this wonderful dual biography. I was a young reader of Little Women (maybe 10 times) and the rest of the series. Later as an adult, I never quite put together the pieces the family. Now I know how the Alcotts fit in with Emerson and Thoreau, the role of Fruitlands in the life of the Alcotts and how it was the Amy came to marry Laurie. The above paragraph could sound flip without ... Read More |
