Concluding Masterpiece’s Little Women

Overall, I love what this version does with the character of Jo March. For the first time, Jo's feelings for Laurie are clear, more accurately reflecting Alcott's view of things. In the book, Jo is repeatedly clear that she thinks of him more as a brother, while in the previous films there seemed to be a lot of flirting and mixed messages. Winona…

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Welcoming Another Little Women Adaptation

Last night my Little Women reading group and I met to watch the first episode of the PBS Masterpiece Little Women. It was wonderful to see them (my friends and the March sisters) again. My reading group had meet several times in 2016, while I was writing my book on Little Women, to discuss the novel and its two successors. They had all…

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First Review of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and more news

It has been lovely to hear from the first readers of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters, which will come out Aug. 21. Because I had to produce the book so quickly in order to get it published for the 150th anniversary of Little Women on September 29, 2018, very few people had read it before it…

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Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy in the Hands of First Readers

The galleys are here! This is a picture of my copy. As you can see, it says, "Advance Reading Copy / Not for Sale." This is a cheaply produced paperback that goes out to initial readers about six months before the hardcover is on sale in bookstores. (The publication date is August 21.) On the back, it also explains that this is uncorrected…

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News on the Little Women Front

Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy in Production Copy editing is complete. The illustrations have all been gathered. The layout has been designed. Even though it doesn't come out until next August, between now and then I will be busy helping to usher it into the world. Next month I'll be in New York to participate in a panel at the Modern Language Association convention, and…

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Looking Back–Looking Ahead

It's been an amazing year in my writing, teaching, and reading lives, and I can't wait for 2016. In fact, for a while now, I've been writing 2016 when I write down the date. That's how much I'm looking forward to it. But first, a look back at 2015. I have been busy completing two books as well as writing four online pieces and…

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Reading Little Women

Last week I learned that I will be receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to write my next book, Reading Little Women: The History of an American Classic. The grant comes from the NEH's new Public Scholar program, which generated some media attention, including this Washington Post article, in which I am quoted. I am thrilled to be able to…

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