#Louise May Alcott

[rafaelmartinez67]

"¡Animo, corazón mío! Siempre hay luz detrás de las nubes".

Louisa May Alcott

[sofiewilde]

“Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.” Louisa May Alcott, from “Little Women.” 

[plainselfraisingflour]

The chapter in the book Little Women/Good Wives, and the scene in the movies of Jo's proposal and married life are So Important. They show the heroine living a happy and unconventional lifestyle: It says that this life she leads with work, marriage, and very little money is a good, wholesome life. That is so important.

But - I think an overlooked chapter in the books (not depicted in the films that I have seen) is the one in which Meg tries to cook and preserve currant jam. She has a miserable day, turned even worse when her husband John brings home a friend for dinner. For once, Meg snaps at him and he snaps back when provoked.

Eventually, Meg takes some good advhice from Marmee, and she brings peace. The chapter ends with a line about married life foe these two not being perfect - it will always have its difficulties, but peace has been preserved and quarrels will be managed.

In another chapter, after Meg has had twins, she understandable becomes so wrapped up in them that she neglects both herself and her husband. Neither the book nor I are saying that one partner should be a servant to the other. But in marriage, we have promised something of ourselves to them*. Meg has isolated herself from the world and grown irritable while she rarely sees John who spends time at his friend's house instead of being nagged at home.

Again, Meg takes initiative and fixes it. This is a bit of a pattern that we see the world over today, in which women usually take the emotional burden in the home. I have no comment to make on that, it's not the point of this post.

The point is: The book has made a few excellent points through everyday, domestic scenes about marriage which are not (or only rarely) shown on film. The glamour, unpredictability and excitement of Jo's publishing, marriage to the Professor, work and, from a plot-based POV, the fact that she is the main character, mean that her storyline is in the spotlight. I love her storyline. But I also think that Meg's has something important to teach us: If you choose the more traditional path, your life is just as full of adventure and growth, difficulties, pain and pleasures.

*talking about non-toxic nd non-abusive relationships.

[jrich103]

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. –Louise May Alcott

[weirdesplinder]

La mia top ten dei classici della letteratura americana

Eccoci a un nuovo post della serie dedicata ai Classici della letteratura e oggi tocca ai classici americani che io amo in particolare.

E intendo America come continente, non gli Sati Uniti solamente.

Naturalmente come sempre è una lista super soggettiva, non odiatemi se non nomino grandi della letteratura americana come Hemingway, Kerouac, Melville, Jack London, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Faulkner o Harper Lee, vanno certamente letti e nominati, ma era una top ten e purtroppo ho dovuto escludere molti e lasciarmi guidare dai libri che io personalmente ho amato leggere.

Non vedo l'ora di scoprire invece i vostri preferiti di questa categoria, mi raccomando segnalatemeli in commento.

La mia top ten:

1. Radici, di Alex Haley

Link: https://amzn.to/45frRl8

Trama: Nella seconda metà del Settecento il giovane Kunta Kinte viene strappato dal suo villaggio africano e portato in America come schiavo. La sua vita cambierà, come quella dei suoi discendenti: Bell, Kizzy, Chicken George e tutti gli altri, fino a giungere ad Alex Haley, l'autore di queste pagine.

2. La valle del'Eden, di John Steinbeck

Link: https://amzn.to/3s922EI

Trama: Nel paese di Nod, a est del giardino dell'Eden, dove la progenie di Caino andò a vivere secondo la leggenda biblica e che nel romanzo di John Steinbeck corrisponde simbolicamente alla valle percorsa dal fiume Salinas nella California settentrionale, si intrecciano le storie di due famiglie, gli Hamilton e i Trask. Protagonisti della saga, che va dalla Guerra civile alla Prima guerra mondiale, da una parte il vecchio Samuel Hamilton, immigrato dall'Irlanda; e, dall'altra, Cyrus Trask insieme ai figli Adam e Charles, e ai nipoti Aron e Caleb, gemelli nati dalla misteriosa Cathy Ames.

3. Piccole donne, di Louisa May Alcott

Link: https://amzn.to/45jdTPh

Trama: Meg, Jo, Beth e Amy, quattro sorelle dal carattere molto diverso, si trovano improvvisamente ad affrontare la guerra: devono cambiare la propria vita per sostenere la mamma, mentre il padre è nell'esercito. Decidono così di fronteggiare le difficoltà con allegria e spirito di iniziativa..

4. Ti ucciderò, di Mickey Spillane

Link: https://amzn.to/3KLclpc

Trama: Quando Jack Williams viene trovato ucciso a colpi d’arma da fuoco, il detective Pat Chambers chiama il suo conoscente e amico più intimo di Jack, l’investigatore privato Mike Hammer. Ai tempi in cui avevano combattuto insieme, Jack era stato colpito da una baionetta giapponese per salvare Hammer, perdendo il braccio. Hammer giura di identificare l’assassino prima della polizia per compiere la sua vendetta personale. Il punto di partenza è l’elenco degli ospiti a una festa a casa di Jack la notte in cui è morto: la fidanzata di Jack, ex tossicodipendente, una bellissima psichiatra, due sorelle gemelle, uno studente universitario e un mafioso. Ma mentre li rintraccia, così fa anche l’assassino, e in poco tempo non sarà solo Jack a essere trovato morto. Ad attenderli, infatti, un’automatica calibro 45 munita di silenziatore. E anche Hammer è saldamente nel suo mirino...

5. Tarzan delle scimmie, di Edgar Rice Burroughs  

Link: https://amzn.to/44eCCTB

Trama: Nel cuore della giungla più selvaggia il piccolo Lord Greystoke viene sottratto a un destino di morte certa dalla gorilla Kala, che lo adotta e lo alleva teneramente. Ma per quel suo corpo completamente privo di peli, il cucciolo d'uomo è osteggiato dagli altri membri della tribù. Determinato a non diventare cibo per Sabor, la leonessa, o per Sheeta, il leopardo, riesce a sopravvivere grazie alla sua forza fisica e alla sua intelligenza, che gli permettono di affrontare con audacia i pericoli della giungla, guadagnarsi il rispetto dei gorilla e diventare loro re. Da quel momento si farà chiamare Tarzan delle scimmie e il suo urlo selvaggio e terrificante riecheggerà nella foresta. Ma c'è una nuova e insolita sfida che Tarzan, ormai adulto, dovrà affrontare quando nella giungla arriveranno i suoi simili e con loro la bellissima Jane¿

6. La lettera scarlatta, di Nathaniel Hawthorne

Link: https://amzn.to/3QKeV2b

Trama: La giovane Ester Prynne, condannata per adulterio nella puritana Boston, sarà costretta a portare per sempre sul seno una fiammeggiante, scarlatta, lettera "A", da lei stessa ricamata. Ester non ha mai voluto rivelare il nome del suo "complice" che infine lacerato tra ansia di schiettezza e orgoglio, e perseguitato dal marito della giovane - cederà, confessando la sua colpa.

7. Il gabbiano Jonathan Livingstone, di Richard Bach

Link: https://amzn.to/3OEpJMH

Trama: Il gabbiano Jonathan Livingston non è come tutti gli altri. Là dove i suoi simili, schiavi di becco e pancia, si limitano a viaggetti per procurarsi il cibo inseguendo le barche da pesca, lui intuisce nel volo una bellezza e un valore assoluti. Tanto basta per meritargli il marchio dell'infamia e l'allontanamento dallo stormo Buonappetito. Solo, audace, sempre più libero, Jonathan il Reietto scopre l'ebbrezza del volo acrobatico e varca i confini di altri mondi, altre dimensioni abitate da gabbiani solitari simili a lui nella spasmodica fame e sete di perfezione. Ne diventa la guida, il maestro, il capo indiscusso, e tra i compagni incontrerà chi senza saperlo è pronto a raccogliere la sua eredità.

8. La casa degli spiriti, di Isabel allende (Cile)

Link: https://amzn.to/3P4EZUQ

Trama: Alle Tre Marie, splendida tenuta di proprietà di Esteban Trueba, si intrecciano le passioni dei diversi protagonisti: Clara, la moglie del proprietario, trascorre un’esistenza avvolta nei ricordi; Férula, sorella di Esteban, dedica la sua vita agli altri; Blanca è innamorata di un servo del padre, Pedro, che avrà parte nella guerriglia della rivoluzione; Alba, la nipote, dovrà invece affrontare la dittatura mentre Esteban scoprirà, proprio a causa dei tragici eventi politici del suo paese, di amare innanzitutto la sua famiglia.

9. Cent'anni di solitudine, di Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia)

Link: https://amzn.to/45tmf6y

Trama: Grandezza e decadenza della città di Macondo e della famiglia Buendia, in una successione appassionante di avvenimenti favolosi e grotteschi tra cronistoria e leggenda.

10. Anna dai capelli rossi, di Lucy Maud Montgomery (Canada)

Link: https://amzn.to/47zoU0v

Trama: Matthew e Marilla conducono una vita abitudinaria nel pacifico paesino di Avonlea. Ormai anziani, decidono di adottare un orfano che li aiuti a mandare avanti la fattoria. Ma invece del ragazzo promesso dall’orfanotrofio, a casa Cuthbert arriva Anna, una bambina dotata di una inesauribile immaginazione che finirà per conquistare tutti.

Onorevoli menzioni:

Uno yankee alla corte di re Artù, di Mark Twaine

Link: https://amzn.to/3YCvO0R

Trama: il protagonista, Hank Morgan, lo yankee del Connecticut, un capo officina della fabbrica d'armi Colt di Hartford, a causa di un violento alterco con un operaio a lui sottoposto, riceve in testa un colpo sferrato con una spranga di ferro e quando si risveglia scopre che è finito in Inghilterra, esattamente nel giorno 20 giugno dell'anno 528… Da qui, la sfrenata girandola senza fine di situazioni che ne derivano, alle prese con re Artù, i cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda, Lancillotto, Ginevra, il mago Merlino, la fata Morgana ecc.

. L'ultimo dei Mohicani, di James Fenimore Cooper

Link: https://amzn.to/46eO1ER

Trama: Ambientato nella colonia di New York durante la guerra franco-indiana, racconta la storia di un cacciatore bianco: Natty Bumpoo, soprannominato “Lungo Fucile” per la sua abilità con quest’arma. Bumpoo ha abbandonato la vita civile per vivere a contatto con la natura e rifugiarsi nella foresta con due suoi compagni, gli ultimi due pellerossa superstiti di una razza tra le più rispettate e antiche: i Mohicani. I tre personaggi si troveranno a dover aiutare le due figlie del generale inglese Munro, rapite dal nemico comune Magua, capo tribù degli Irochesi, alleati dei francesi, nemico giurato sia del generale Munro che di Occhio di Falco e dei suoi due amici: Cinghachgook e suo figlio Uncas. La storia ha come sfondo la guerra con frequenti battaglie tra gli eserciti francesi e inglesi che in guerriglie e scontri tra gli indiani schierati da una parte o dall’altra. La vittoria si deciderà con una tipica battaglia indiana, tra le tribù dei Mohicani e degli Irochesi con la morte del giovane Uncas, appunto l’ultimo dei Mohicani e di una delle figlie di Munro. Il racconto si chiude con il mesto presagio del capo dei Mohicani che sente avvicinarsi la fine del suo popolo.

[missmagicalelf]

Sharing one of the best masterpieces of literature this story is very dear to my heart with deep relatable characters and inspiring quotes and the march girls with always have a special place in it

[fizzingwizard]

"'You said, Mother, that criticism would help me. But how can it, when it's so contradictory that I don't know whether I've written a promising book or broken all the ten commandments?" cried poor Jo, turning over a heap of notices, the perusal of which filled her with pride and joy one minute, wrath and dismay the next. 'This man says, "An exquisite book, full of truth, beauty, and earnestness. All is sweet, pure, and healthy..." The next, "The theory of the book is bad, full of morbid fancies, spiritualistic ideas, and unnatural characters." Now, as I had no theory of any kind, don't believe in Spiritualism, and copied my characters from life, I don't see how this critic can be right... Some make fun of it, some overpraise, and nearly all insist that I had a deep theory to expound, when I only wrote it for the pleasure and the money...' ... And when the first soreness was over, she could laugh at her poor little book, yet believe in it still, and feel herself the wiser and stronger for the buffeting she had received. 'Not being a genius, like Keats, it won't kill me,' she said stoutly." - Good Wives, Louisa May Alcott

[forestal-ramblings]

Little women is better tradwife propaganda than the ballerina farm and all those twitter accounts.

[symphonyoflovenet]

Simple, sincere people seldom speak much of their piety; it shows itself in acts, rather than in words...

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

[thedavinoparadox]

Reading Wrap-Up (July) 🌻📚

Selenio

"Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August." - Denise Levertov

Happy August everybody!

July has been quite a turbulent month, filled with a lot of hard decisions and important events. Although from an outsider’s perspective it might have been my first “truly free” month, it still often felt like the opposite, being caged in the expectations of other people (or what I assumed them to be…). I’m actually pleasantly surprised by the amount I still accomplished to read in the last 31 days.

Unsurprisingly, I mostly seek my comfort in literature and due to this, most of the books I have succumbed to this month were so-called comfort reads.

Hard Land by Benedict Wells (2021)

Some might call this cheating, as it was still June when I finished this exceptional novel but it would have felt wrong to never mention it in a blog post at all. Although I am a little bit late to reading this book (even though I was lucky to be part of a live reading a few years back), I still believed it to be a wonderfully heartfelt novel about the troubles of coming-of-age and the coming to terms with some hard truths about love, friendship and family (no pun intended…). Additionally, the 80s vibes were incredible and made me long for a vision of America I never lived in. Of course, this book sort of awakened the hypochondriac in my soul but it also brought me close to the point of shedding a tear or two.

A Clash of Kings & A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin (1998 & 2000)

Probably one of the most rebellious things I did after having finished all my A-level exams was to finally start the “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series by George R. R. Martin. And although I was almost convinced to regret it after the second or third book, I’m still having the grandest of grand old times with these books. Frankly, I did believe them to be a tad overhyped before opening them, but was quickly proven wrong by just how alive and… breathing this world feels, that he has created. It’s the little details and fleshed out characters which make these books so worth reading. They are just the thing to help you escape reality when things get a little too stressful.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)

No, I have not watched the movie yet. This is a sentence which I think I said to about twenty people over the course of the last year when being questioned on my thoughts on Little Women. Simply because I was so fixed on the idea of first finishing the book before even watching the trailer of the movie. And I think this has been one of the best decisions I have made this year. For this is one of the coziest, most heartfelt books I have ever laid my hands upon and the characters in it are just beautifully fleshed out, versatile and overall simply lovable. All of them. You can definitely stay tuned for a more in-depth review on this particular novel (and maybe even the movie…). Totally besides the point, but look at that gorgeous edition…

The Betrayed by Ursula Poznanski (2012)

I found this in my Audible library, quickly checked if I liked the voice of the audiobook (which can make or break a book to me…) and spontaneously decided to give it a try. Let me preface this by saying I'm not an avid reader of dystopian novels (aside from the occasional Orwell) and didn't really know what to expect. Well, I was met with well-rounded characters, a nicely done plot and very interesting world building. However, the whole starting point seemed to me quite typical for this genre. Nonetheless, Ursula Poznanski just never disappoints and is one of my absolute safe-picks when choosing an author. I would probably read a phone book, if it was written by her.

The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke (2003 - 2007)

I have to be careful with my words here because this is one of my twin sister's absolute favorite book series and as we share this blog, it would be rather unwise to be unreasonably harsh. (Fortunately for me, these books really are brilliant and can’t be criticized easily).  I think for the amount of times she checked it out of the library, they could have given them to her for good. Well, this month she finally decided to get them for herself and naturally I got the right to read them immediately after she had finished them. Well how could I not after she had been raving about them every chance she got? And indeed, these books just feel like a warm hug from a person you have known your entire life. Like one of those cold, rainy summer evenings with a big cup of warm cocoa, a fuzzy blanket and the soft patter of rain on the windows. It's such a beautiful kind of whimsical fantasy with characters that seem to jump off the page (literally…). You just can’t help to fall in love with some of them and absolutely despise other ones. (And as I was looking up the pictures for this book I discovered that a new one is coming out this October! Finally I could be the bearer of good news and the smiles of readers whose favorite series is getting a follow-up is just priceless.)

[vampyastro]

𝕬𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖔 𝕺𝖇𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘 𝖕𝖙 𝟛

✐ ✧Common birth chart placements of famous writers✧ ✐

Hey everyone! I am someone who loves reading and writing so I decided to look into some of my favorite authors birth charts and find common placements amongst them that could indicate being a good writer. Of course there are other placements in a birth chart that can indicate this (I researched a lot of writers charts and of course not all of them have these placements), I just thought it was interesting to see these the common placements amongst prominent writers. If there are any writers you know of that have these placements feel free to let me know!

✐ I’ve noticed a lot of famous male writers have Gemini moons, meanwhile famous female writers have Libra moons.

✐ Gemini Moons: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Charles Baudelaire, J.D. Salinger, T.S Eliot

✐ Libra Moons: Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Agatha Christie, Louise Gluck

✐ Mercury is also another indicator of whether someone is a good writer. Mercury is the planet of communication, thinking patterns, mentality, reasoning/rational, etc. The authors Mercury sign can sometimes reflect the topics they write about. For instance, Oscar Wilde is a Scorpio Mercury and he wrote a lot about death, transformation, mystery and the fall from grace.

✐ Scorpio Mercury: Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Plath, Arthur Miller, Mark Twain

✐ Sagittarius Mercury: Albert Camus, Louisa May Alcott, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Baudelaire, Christina Rossetti, Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Louise Gluck

✐ Writers usually tend to have prominent 10th house placements. Many planets in the 10th house can represent authority, being career oriented and success. Most often I’ve seen Saturn be in many of these writers houses, which makes sense because many of these individuals had tough lives and preserved through many challenges in order to gain the success they had. Some died without even knowing how successful they were or the legacy they left on the world. Specifically Franz Kafka, he had Mars, Saturn, Neptune and Chiron in the 10th house. Kafka died thinking he was a failure, his writings didn’t reach their peak popularity until many years after his death.

✐ Other writers with prominent 10th house placements include:

Christina Rossetti (Moon, Saturn), Emily Dickinson (Saturn, North Node), Agatha Christie (Venus), Arthur Miller (Mars, Saturn, Neptune), Mary Shelley (Pluto), Oscar Wilde (Saturn), Ernest Hemingway (Neptune, Pluto), Shakespeare (Mercury, Pluto)

✐ Overall in my findings, I noticed that many writers I researched have multiple Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Gemini and Sagittarius placements in their charts.

-Side note, he’s not necessarily a writer, although he did write books; Sigmund Freud is a Gemini moon and Scorpio rising. I think that is very interesting lol.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰! *:･ﾟ✧

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮! ♡

P.s Let me know if you’re interested in more posts like this. I can do famous musicians, artists, psychologists, etc :) Also, thank you for all the support on my last two posts! 🫶🏻

[mothonthewall]

guys i love her

Луиза Мей Олкотт

[atyd1960]

Which of my fave movies each of the marauders would like best

(options: Little Women, Call Me By Your Name, Dead Poets Society, Lady Bird, Fight Club, Legally Blonde, Titanic, 10 Things I Hate About You, Pretty Woman, How To Train Your Dragon, Tangled, Lord Of the Rings, Brokeback Mountain, Mona Lisa Smile, Pride and Prejudice)

James: Pride and Prejudice. We all know that he’s a cheesy mf. Plus he would definitely let himself believe that Mr Darcy and Lizzy are just like him and Lily which would motivate him to keep pursuing her.

Sirius: Fight Club. He just seems like the type to enjoy a movie that’s half action and half a psychological thriller.

Remus: Brokeback Mountain. I think the time, the characters, the struggles and especially the ending would all really resonate with him. It’s a movie that is both a love story and a political saying, and Remus would take a lot from it.

Peter: Dead Poets Society. The entirety of Todd’s character, his relationship with Neil (which Peter would compare to his with James), the excitement out of texts and the notion of shamelessy being yourself, would all tug at his heartstrings<\3.

Lily: Little Women. I don’t even know where to begin… Feminism? Sisterhood? Romance? Louise May Alcott? My girl would eat it up.

Marlene: Ladybird. Ladybird is Marlene. Marlene is Ladybird. Try to convince me otherwise.

Mary: Legally Blonde. Mary would see so much of herself in Elle’s character- her struggles and passions and ambition… she and Elle are best friends material.

Dorcas: Lord Of the Rings. She also read the books. She would never voluntarily tell anyone tho. I don’t make the rules.

Regulus: Call me by your name. This whole movie screams Jegulus to me tbh. Maybe it’s because of Timmy.

And lastly

Pandora: Titanic. My girl loves a good tragedy (I’m her).

[jrich103]

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship. — Louise May Alcott

[thelonelybrilliance]

Read George Eliot. Read Louisa May Alcott. READ L.M. MONTGOMERY. Read Sylvia Plath. Read Gwendolyn Brooks. Read Maggie Smith. READ LOUISE GLÜCK. Read Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Read Edith Wharton. Read Laurie Halse Anderson.

READ! JANE! AUSTEN!

...then listen to Taylor again

[adharagranley-writer]

autumn book recs

Dracula - Bram Stoker

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

The Picture of Dorian Gray - OScar Wilde

The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgeralds

Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu

The crimes of morgue Street - Edgar Allan Poe

The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde

Hamlet - Shakespeare

Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Little Women - Louise May Alcott

Any by Agatha Christie