The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

by Kelly O'Connor McNees

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I'd probably give this book 4 stars if I ever planned on reading it again, because it's very well written.

I liked that there's an old world feel to the novel, not just in the setting but in the way it's written and in the characters and they way they perceive the world. It felt like reading [b:Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe|9375|Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe|Fannie Flagg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1165961740l/9375._SY75_.jpg|2129359] or talking to my grandmother.

The difficult thing with this book is that there's this dichotomy between what [a:Kelly O. McNees|3153732|Kelly O'Connor McNees|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1269361862p2/3153732.jpg] wrote and the perspective of her subject, [a:Louisa May Alcott|1315|Louisa May Alcott|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1200326665p2/1315.jpg]. I like the book that McNees wrote but she's limited to the historical record of how Alcott lived her life and what she believed about love and marriage, which was just daft. When I finished reading all I wanted to do was argue with Alcott about her limited views, but you can't really argue with historical figures who can't hear you and you can't fault McNees for writing her character accurately.

McNees wrote a smart, historical romance that I enjoyed reading.