“A brisk, sparkling and insightful biography that sheds light on an enduring masterpiece and its bold, headstrong creator.”—Candace Fleming, Sibert Honor Award-winning author of The Family Romanov

A CCBC Choice 2021

A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year 2021

“While most readers imagine Louisa May Alcott’s life story to be largely identical to her autobiographical novel, Noyes’s well-researched biography reveals a fascinating journey in the decades prior to the publication of Little Women…. A valuable addition to biography collections, especially where author studies are in demand.”—School Library Journal

“Noyes expertly places Alcott within the context of a chaotic and poverty-stricken family life and a confining and conventional Concord. An idealistic father, an overburdened mother, and three lively sisters provided the models for her characters in Little Women, published when she was thirty-five. Photographs—of Thoreau, Walden Pond, and John Brown—and reproductions of letters, magazine covers, and even a tintype of a Civil War drummer complement the text.“—The Horn Book

Offers enthusiasts a rich opportunity to compare biography with a beloved text and provides newcomers a vibrant introduction to a family whose quirks and tribulations supplied a lode many a novelist would love to mine…. Noyes is not the tour guide who points out Little Women sights at every turn; instead she allows fans to enjoy their own Aha! discoveries of parallels between life and lit.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (recommended)

“With renewed interest in Little Women, following Greta Gerwig's film adaptation, this biography of Louisa May Alcott will satisfy readers curious to know more about the inspiration for the writer’s semi-autobiographical classic.”—Booklist