LOUISA@FRUITLANDS: The True Story of Louisa May Alcott's "Transcendental Wild Oats"

by Daniel Rover Singer

1862: 29-year-old Louisa May Alcott has successfully published some lurid adventure stories. But when challenged to write something more personal, she resists. Recalling how her quirky family had made the optimistic mistake of joining an experimental farm commune when she was an imaginative but rather feral ten-year-old, Louisa reflects on how much she matured, as a person and a writer, as a result of that...

1862: 29-year-old Louisa May Alcott has successfully published some lurid adventure stories. But when challenged to write something more personal, she resists. Recalling how her quirky family had made the optimistic mistake of joining an experimental farm commune when she was an imaginative but rather feral ten-year-old, Louisa reflects on how much she matured, as a person and a writer, as a result of that traumatic but empowering summer among the philosophers at Fruitlands.

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LOUISA@FRUITLANDS: The True Story of Louisa May Alcott's "Transcendental Wild Oats"

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  • DC Cathro: LOUISA@FRUITLANDS: The True Story of Louisa May Alcott's "Transcendental Wild Oats" by Daniel Rover Singer
    “

    An engaging and unexpected account of the early life of Louisa May Alcott, well before the success of “Little Women.” Fascinating characters thrust into difficult circumstances, all told through the eyes of a wild child who becomes the celebrated author. Plus, it’s based on actual people and events! Greatly theatrical with an almost cinematic feel. Delightful, and a great read for fans of Louisa May Alcott or the uninitiated.

    An engaging and unexpected account of the early life of Louisa May Alcott, well before the success of “Little Women.” Fascinating characters thrust into difficult circumstances, all told through the eyes of a wild child who becomes the celebrated author. Plus, it’s based on actual people and events! Greatly theatrical with an almost cinematic feel. Delightful, and a great read for fans of Louisa May Alcott or the uninitiated.

    ”
CHARACTERS: (11 actors: 7 men, 3 women, 1 child)
*All characters are historically white except Hiram Jones, African-American
**Any-race casting always recommended
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, 29, a vivacious writer
JOSEPH PALMER, 54, 73, a progressive farmer
NANCY PALMER, 58, 77, a spirited wife
YOUNG LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, 10, a melodramatic child
BRONSON ALCOTT, 44, an esoteric philosopher, teacher & father
ABBY ALCOTT, 43, wife, mother & activist
CHARLES LANE, 43, a charismatic British reformer
HIRAM JONES, 38, a diligent farmhand, formerly enslaved
WOOD ABRAHAM, 35, an eccentric farmhand
RALPH WALDO EMERSON, 40, a sage philosopher
HENRY DAVID THOREAU, 26, a radical philosopher