I loved the insight these carefully compiled journals provide into Louisa May Alcott's childhood and writing life, although the deterioration at the end of her short life was painful to see. Be warned though, this volume probably wouldn't make for fascinating reading to anyone except a die-hard Alcott fan or a devoted historian.

Although some of the entries where quite boring and dull you where basically introduced to the words of the real "March sisters" especially the protagonist herself Louisa May Alcott who was the basis of the character "Jo March" it is a very interesting thing to read real people's journals especially if they were written in the 1860's.

Reading the letters and journals of Louisa May Alcott is the nearest we in the 21st century can come to meeting the woman herself. The letters are pithy, filled with classic Alcott comedy and wit. The letters are also moving in the tender reality of joys and sorrows lived.

Again, I love LMA. This compilation of her journals felt like glimpsing at another sphere of her life and peering into the character of the author I have admired for almost a decade.

Such an interesting read as a Little Women fan.

Reading Aunt Louisa's journals again after 25 years brought new thoughts, new perspectives, new musings, like having a cherished friend or mentor sitting across from you with a hot cup of coffee (or tea) and exchanging ideas. These precious entries were conversations I can only dream of carrying on with her.

I can't find a read book option :(

I don't think I'd say that Louisa May Alcott kept "copious" journals... most of what she wrote seemed succinct and to-the-point. She decribes herself as moody, but her entries are full of humor and fun. I often wished she had included a little more detail about the people she wrote about there - I wondered if there were some untold stories.

My favorite thing about reading this was watching her yearly income go up (she records how much money she makes at the end of each year). The first year, she makes about $50, mostly from teaching and sewing, but as she starts to write more and more, she gets an extra $10 here and there. Each year I was like, "Whoa, she made $150 this year!" and then, "Oh, this year wasn't such a good year for Louisa." Not to spoil the story or anything, but eventually, she wrote Little Women and became a thousand-aire, and that was pretty exciting - reading her journals, I felt personally invested in her success.

Totally fascinating, totally devastating! Came here after watching the new Little Women movie, which is sort of a LMA biopic in disguise (I guess every Little Women adaptation is a LMA biopic in disguise, but this one even more so), because I read that Greta Gerwig used excerpts from these journals to flesh out her screenplay, and — yeah, wow.

Really interesting look at some of Alcott’s thoughts and ideas, but also a diligent record of all the money she ever earned. She thought about money a lot, and you can see why. Writing was a passion for Alcott, but it was more important to her as a career — she understood early on that she would have to be the one to earn money for her poor family, and that her writing was the gift that would allow her to do that. But when she did find success with it, it was from working in intense, wild bursts ("vortexes”) that wrecked her health and didn’t turn out work that pleased her.

She often expresses a wish that she could have all the time she wanted to flesh out her work to her satisfaction; I wish she’d had it, too.

"May — School finished for me, and I paid Miss N. by giving her all the furniture, and leaving her to do as she liked, while I went back to my writing, which pays better, although Mr. Fields did say, ‘Stick to your teaching, you can’t write.’ Being willful, I said, ‘I won’t teach, and I can write, and I’ll prove it.’

"Saw Miss Rebecca Harding, author of ‘Margaret Howth,’ which has made a stir, and is very good. A handsome, fresh, quiet woman, who says she’s never had any troubles, though she writes about woes. I told her I had had lots of troubles, so I write jolly tales, and we wondered why we each did so."

This journal is not a gripping novel, because it is a real-life journal, with no storyline. It's not written to let readers know all the details. And it's full of trifles with few details: Someone called today, wrote a letter to someone else, paid this much money to somebody today...etc. Readers do not know who all these people are, because LMA referred to most of them by initials, and do not attempt to explain who they are or describe how these events took place. This is a compilation of LMA's actual journals, from when she was 13 or 14, to the year of her death. So, the journals should be read and understood as a first-hand account of LMA's history that reveals only snippets of her story. It has its limitations. But I really enjoyed reading it, because LMA's writing is good, even in her journal's short passages. And I like stalking LMA :P Okay, I'm kidding. But reading her journal is "kind of" like stalking LMA's FB wall and reading all her previous posts. You get all these sneak peaks into her thoughts and personal life, although you don't understand half of it. And I did enjoy piecing things together and reading between the lines. (For example, in the years after Little Women gave LMA fame and riches, why did her journal make her seem even more unhappy than before? What was this illness the plagued her for so long? Why was she so extremely devoted to all of her immediate family members?)

This is, without a doubt, the best diary I have read thus far. What a gift we have in LMA’s talent, discipline, and active mind. What a treasure trove of her life. Also, much of the credit for the readability of these journals belongs to the editors. This book sets a standard for excellence in the genre.

Interesting look into Louisa May Alcott's life, written by her own hand. Near the end, I could almost feel the agony she endured after years of neurological suffering due to a major illness earlier in life. She was a strong woman, independent, ahead of her time in many ways. She's always been my favorite author, and reading the details of her daily life only cemented her position at the top of my fave author list even further.