The shock discovery in Madeline Stern's superlative introduction
is that Louisa had to be persuaded to write "Little Women" and
she was much happier churning out tales of blood and thunder.
She wrote in a letter that she was extremely addicted to them.
Seeing the correspondence between her and her editors she must
have written 23 hours a day!!! - the length of the stories in
this book varied from 50 to 100 pages and she was always being
pressed for more, more, more!!!
Louisa's father was extremely improvident so her popularity as
a writer of lurid tales was a godsend. In fact her first,
"Pauline's Passion and Punishment" was entered for a competition
ran by Frank Leslie's Illustrated News and was the eventual winner
of $100. "Pauline's Passion" is set in the very exotic location
(for 1862) of Cuba. You really find out the meaning of "purple
prose" as Alcott leaves no adjective out in her description of
the pulsating Pauline. Profusely illustrated (my edition is a
Hogarth Press paperback, 1985) with pictures from the original
Leslie's Illustrated which set a precedent for not letting writing
get in the way of photos and illustrations, it told the story of
jilted Pauline who, with her faithful servant Manuel, goes to
extreme lengths to punish her fickle lover.
Louisa's love of Gothic romance was in evidence in her next story
submitted to "The Flag of Our Union" under the pseudonym A. M.
Barnard. Even though the paper was advertised as "containing not
one vulgar word or line", it seemed to specialize in violent
stories usually peopled with convicts and drug addicts. In "The
Abbot's Ghost" the flowery speech was certainly toned down, making
it an easier read than "Pauline's Passion". This one features the
lovely Octavia, beloved by both Maurice who is forced by ill health
to live in a wheel chair and dark, brooding Annon (who seems to
undergo a personality change after Chap. 2). There is also
mysterious Mrs Snowden who seems to have a history with Maurice
and his brother.
Louisa was under increasing pressure to publish under her right
name and she did for "The Mysterious Key" which must have meant
she considered it a milder story she was not ashamed to own. Like
"Behind a Mask" this is an excellent one all about a young vagabond
who insinuates himself into a stately family but from the start
impresses with his noble air. But everyone has secrets and Paul is
inextricably entwined with them because of a secret in his past.
The title story "Behind a Mask" is far and away the best and has
more than a passing nod to Wilkie Collins "No Name" with a
sprinkling of "Lady Audley's Secret" thrown in. Louisa must have
loved the sensation novels which were then taking England by
storm. This was a story that her editors from "Flag of Our Union"
were most excited about - it was her most ambitious story.
The story introduces Jean Muir, a homely little governess in the
best Jane Eyre tradition but she is no meek and mild Jenny Wren
- she is an actress and at the end of the first chapter there is
a horrifying scene in which she removes her hair and some of her
teeth!!! to reveal a haggard woman of 30!!!! She already has the
family intrigued as they try to discover exactly what the spell
was that she cast on Lord Sidney, son of her last employer and
it is not long before they are all under her spell - even the
proud Gerald which is exactly how Jean has planned it. The story
is full of holes!! Everything hinges on the family not having
any contact with the Sidneys but since they are neighbours and
the boys are best friends, I don't like the chances. Regardless,
the story is a real ripsnorter and the book is an interesting
observation on Louisa's great strides as a teller of super stories.

--Pretty ho-hum pot boilers, but pretty racy for the times and the author.

These tales are definitely not Alcott's best work, but there is tawdriness about them that belies the author and the era, making them all the more fascinating. And, as is typical of Alcott's other works, the characters and context are well-developed. Had the stories been written in recent times, I would not have given them a second glance for they are a bit histrionic and in need of an editor's touch (e.g., inconsistencies, jumps in a storyline, failure to follow through on an allusion). Nevertheless, they were a pleasurable peek into another aspect of Louisa May Alcott as well as the period.

Better than anticipated. Strong female characters

This book is by far one of my favorite ever. Louisa May Alcott is a genius, and her way of portraying such interesting female characters is just insaneeeeeeeeee. Love it sm

In the end this really wasn't my cup of tea. These are four stories written by Alcott in the 1860s ... before her "Little Women" success ... that are styled as gothic thrillers. The first was fairly interesting, but the remainder left me looking for my next book. Admittedly these were written at a time when the "thriller" part was probably a big deal ... but today it pretty much pales and has a hard time holding the readers' interest. The tales also had threads of a bit of feminism to them, showing independent and strong female characters. Glad I tried, but I think this book is only for real fans of Alcott's work.

I loved these stories/short novels! She could certainly branch out as a writer, as these adult works were a far cry from "Little Women". The title story was especially fascinating, also loved "The Mysterious Key", but I think "The Abbot's Ghost" was my favorite.

I definitely recommend this one.

Who would believe the pure innocent author of Little Women could write such gripping gothic. I'm so glad she did. How very entertaining, it held me bewildered.

Who knew that Louisa May Alcott wrote thrillers! I grew up with all the Little Women books and read and reread them. (Perhaps I shoud have paid more attention to what Jo wrote...) Anyway, I was amazed to find this and excited to read it. I found these stories to be just okay. They didn't suck me in and I didn't feel connected to the characters. I'm still glad I found this and read these, because the thought of Louisa May Alcott writing thrillers still blows me away.

Fascinating look at early writings of Alcott! Part love stories, part perils of Pauline and her life rolled together. Enjoyed it much!

Very interesting, if you've ever read any of Louisa May Alcott's more well known novels- don't expect this to be anything like them!

"Six years before she wrote Little Women, and in financial straits, Louisa May Alcott entered 'Pauline's Passion and Punishment', a novelette, in a newspaper contest. Not only did it win the prize, but, published anonymously, it marked the first of the series of 'blood & thunder tales' that would provide her livelihood for years.

"In Behind a Mask, editor Madeleine Stern introduces four Alcott thrillers: 'Pauline's Passion and Punishment', 'The Mysterious Key', 'The Abbott's Ghost', and the title story, 'Behind a Mask.' First published in one volume in 1975, they are regarded as Alcott's finest work in this genre.

"These stories are riveting, classic tales of betrayal, seduction, and murder. But this remarkable collection 'also significantly deepens our understanding of one of the most tragically bright figures in American literature' (The Christian Science Monitor). Revealed in these pages in the other Louisa May Alcott, who painted portraits of the passionate, richly sexual femme fatale."
~~back cover

Reading this book was a time travel trip to a previous era. These stories are very The Mysteries of Udolpho -- Gothic romance and mystery and ghost stories, with a thick atmosphere of fear, and gripping plots. They harken back to Victorian times, so the characterizations are not ones we're familiar with today. Even so, the stories are interesting and enjoyable.