I absolutely love her voice and this was a fascinating perspective. She's funny, frank, and firmly rooted in her morals.

*Be aware it was written by a woman who served as a nurse for the Union army, so there's period-expected racism (which leans paternalistic, in case that's a particular trigger).

I love Little Women, but it would never have occurred to me to read this had I not been putting through an order from the PS Books (Postscript) catalogue and spotted it.

This is a very small book (112 pages in my edition) and there is not a wasted word or thought it in. A lightly fictionalised account of Alcott's time as a nurse in Washington DC during the American Civil War, the publication of these vignettes was the real beginning of her successful writing career.

So many of these stories are poignant. I teared up at the death of a Virginian blacksmith called John, and was pleased by Alcott's use of this work to promote fairer treatment of black people. There is also humour in this book and she writes that "it is a part of my religion to look well after the cheerfulnesses of life, and let the dismals shift for themselves". A beautiful work.

I struggled to get going with this as the tone seemed rather juvenile. I also found it overall rather shallow. I appreciate that it may well have been "censored" because of the ongoing war and to spare LM's family, but this seemed like a missed opportunity. It was worth reading though because of a couple of key impressions - one about the slow death of a young man from his injuries who LM clearly developed a close bond with. The second on the true state of race relations in the north, and LM's enlightened attitudesfor the time.

Humorous and touching account of Alcott’s experience as a nurse during the Civil War.

Favorite Abbreviation: secesh (for secession)
Favorite Quote: “... for the worth of life lies in the experiences that fill it, ...”