Random Louisa May Alcott Podcasts

Louisa May Alcott enthusiasts would be delighted to read this short novel published in 1867, just a year before the grand debut of her most famous Little Women trilogy. This is one of three books she wrote under the pseudonym AM Barnard. She used this name to pen tales that were meant more for adult readers, though younger people will find them quite interesting too. The Abbot’s Ghost or Maurice Treherne’s Temptation is a romance, mystery, ghost-story and novel of manners all rolled into one. She subtitled it A Christmas Story and it certainly evokes memories of old-fashioned holiday seasons, before the advent of the Internet and TV, where one sat round a cozy fire and told eerie tales to while away the time. In the story, Maurice Treherne is falsely implicated in a case of forgery and fraud. He also loses the use of his legs while trying to save the life of his debonair man-about-town cousin, Jasper. Jasper’s wealthy bachelor uncle had initially made Maurice and Jasper equal inheritors in his will but for some reason suddenly cut Maurice out of it, leaving Jasper the sole beneficiary. Both cousins are in love with the beautiful Octavia Snowden, another cousin, who is also named in the will. A femme fatale makes her appearance in the form of Edith Snowden, a woman unhappily married and looking for diversion. Maurice who has recently returned from a course of treatment in London to the family mansion is thrown into the midst of a mystery. An eerie abbot is frequently sighted wandering through the corridors of the ancient country house…. Fans of the television miniseries Downton Abbey will find this story fits right in! Intrigues, romance, dangerous vamps, desperate villains and sardonic heroes – they’re all there! Modern-day readers would find the book refreshingly nostalgic, harking back to a time when good triumphed over evil and all the loose ends get neatly tied up by the end of a novel. Lousia May Alcott’s tender yet thrilling tale of love, deceit, honor, betrayal, scandal and mystery set in a more gentle age is reminiscent of the novels of other Victorian writers. In fact, it would be fair to say that The Abbot’s Ghost is a happy mix of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens! Maurice Treherne is a memorable hero while the Ghost is as scary as they come! The Abbot’s Ghost or Maurice Treherne’s Temptation is a great addition to your bookshelf!

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Horror/Ghost stories, Literature, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, The Abbots Ghost or Maurice Treherne Temptation

Polly Milton, a 14-year-old country girl, visits her friend Fanny Shaw and her wealthy family in the city for the first time. Poor Polly is overwhelmed by the splendor at the Shaws’ and their urbanized, fashionable lifestyles, fancy clothes and some other habits she considers weird and, mostly, unlikable. However, Polly’s warmth, support and kindness eventually win her the hearts of all the family members. Six years later, Polly comes back to the city to become a music teacher.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: An Old-Fashioned Girl, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Teen/Young adult

If you’ve read and loved Little Women, you’d probably enjoy finding out more about the doings of the sisters in the third book in the series, Little Men. Published in 1871, the book’s full title was Little Men or Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys. It followed the success of Little Women in 1868 and Good Wives in 1869, which portrayed the fortunes of the March family. Filled with remarkable, endearing and memorable characters, the books remain as fresh and enjoyable as they were when they first came out more than a century ago. Little Men is, like Alcott’s other books in the series, based on some of the events in her own life. The “March Family Saga” as the books came to be known was semi-autobiographical in nature. The character of Jo March was based on Alcott herself and many of the episodes in the books are based on real happenings at the family home she shared with her parents and sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Little Men continues the story of Jo March after she marries the love of her life, Professor Bhaer. She inherits the vast country estate of Plumfield from her crotchety old Aunt March and immediately decides to set up a school for boys. However, this is no conventional school. She takes in orphans, delinquents, disabled and abused children. She and her husband, along with other people, work their magic on the little minds and hearts, leading to many a happy ending. Jo’s sisters Meg and Amy feature in this book too. The other sister Beth, who died earlier, is now only a beloved memory. Meg’s and Amy’s husbands, their families and friends all form part of this colorful tapestry. Though some of the writing may seem dated, and there are plenty of moral asides from the author and though children today prefer fantasy above reality, the book is indeed a warm and endearing family story that appeals to all ages. The overwhelming influence of human relationships and the struggle to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world are all brilliantly portrayed in this book. Jo March’s journey from an impulsive and hot-headed tomboy into a loving and warm-hearted wife in whose hands the fate of her pupils lies is vividly portrayed. Inspired also by the death of her beloved brother-in-law, Little Men is a tribute to a person who was her friend, philosopher and guide. A great addition to your collection of the March Family Saga books!

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Little Men, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

Here are tales of love and war, modesty and frivolity, laughter and tears. Louisa May Alcott wrote many, many short stories. This collection shares but 7 of them. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, Kids, Literature, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Shoes and Stockings: A Collection of Short Stories, Short stories, Teen/Young adult

Set in nineteenth century New England, Little Women follows the lives of the four March sisters-Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg. The novel is a classic rites of passage story, that has often split literature critics but has been adored by many over the years. Intended as a book for young girls, the book is too sentimental for some but plenty of adults and young men have Little Women firmly featured in their best books of all time. The pace of the novel can be slow at times and the language almost too perfect but the overall sympathetic tone of Alcott wins over the reader. The book is semi-autobiographical, with Jo Marsh mirroring the life of an ambitious Alcott. Just like Alcott, Jo is a strong, independent woman who is fighting through her domestic duties to do what she truly loves. Writing is Jo’s passion and in a world where women are expected to put personal growth aside in order to withhold traditional family values, she is met with many challenges. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” The book speaks to every woman that has had to fight against convention. With their father away at war, the four sisters pull together to support each other but still have time to search for their own identity. These ‘little women’ are not children but young adults finding their way via love, religion and confidence. Whilst it may seem sad that the sisters do have to conform to some extent, if you read between the lines there is so much inspiration for young female readers.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance

Jo’s Boys is the third book in the Little Women trilogy by Louisa May Alcott, published in 1886. In it, Jo’s “children”, now grown, are caught up in real world troubles. All three books – although fiction – are highly autobiographical and describe characters that were really in Alcott’s life. This book contains romance as the childhood playmates become flirtatious young men and women. The characters are growing up, going out into the world and deciding their futures.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Jo's Boys, Literature, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, romance

This is the story of Rose Campbell, a rich but lonely and sickly girl who has been recently orphaned and sent to live with her maiden aunts. When Rose’s guardian, Uncle Alec, returns from abroad he takes over her care. Through his unorthodox theories about child-rearing and her exposure to the exploits of her seven male cousins and numerous aunts, Rose becomes happier and healthier. At the end of a year, she is given a choice of which relative she is to stay with. Whom will she choose? This is an unabridged recording of Louisa May Alcott’s classic work, originally published in 1874.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Eight Cousins, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Teen/Young adult