- Paperback: 177 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Australia (28 May 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140277293
- ISBN-13: 978-0140277296
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.4 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,287,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Louisa May Alcott, who spent much of her childhood amid an intellectual circle that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, embarked on her own literary efforts at an early age. Her recently discovered first novel, The Inheritance, written when Alcott was just 17, offers readers a fascinating look at the birth of a remarkable career.
Influenced by the melodrama of the contemporary theater, the sentimental romances she read as a child, and the popular gothic novels of the time, Alcott weaves a tale far removed from the reality of her everyday life in Boston. The Inheritance, set in an English country manor, is the story of Edith Adelon, an Italian orphan brought to England by Lord Hamilton as a companion for his children. With a charm reminiscent of Jane Austen's novels, Alcott's plot sets love and courtesy against depravity and dishonor -- and with the help of a secret inheritance, allows virtue to prevail.
In their Introduction, Joel Myerson and Daniel Shealy relate their fortuitous discovery of Alcott's manuscript draft of The Inheritance (preserved at the Houghton Library of Harvard). They explore the forces -- both literary and personal -- that shaped the novel, and study how it foreshadowed Alcott's later work. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At some point rather trashy, but still makes a classic tale of love and obstacles, greed, revenge and drama. It has all the contents for a enjoyable romantic story.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
51 reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Some rather harsh reviews...but what a piece of work!
27 Mar 2000
Format:Hardcover
I agree with the reader from Illinois...sure, it's not the best piece of work in the world, but you can see her talent and how she and her writing matured, making her one of the most popular authors. The story itself is very good, and the character development impressed me. It is somewhat predictable, but what do you expect from an aspiring 17 year old author?
I actually saw the TV movie first (that aired in 1997), and I enjoyed that so much that I wanted to read the book. I've been looking for the movie ever since, and finally just found it on video after searching for 3 years. (Drop me an email if you haven't found it yet...its hard to find) I would recommend both the book and the movie to anyone who enjoyed Alcott's "Little Women" and/or LM Montogmery's "Anne of Green Gables" series.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
A Charming Romance
10 April 2001
Format:Paperback
For a young lady at seventeen, I was impressed by the writing which obviously developed more as she grew up. This book was charming and it deserves five stars for the well character development and the plot which took me so far into the lives of everyone involved. As for the plot, I was astonished how much I was taken into each of the lives and empathized for the protagonists. The love and desire Lord Percy possessed for Edith was not only noble, but it encouraged me that there are still those who seek righteousness and purity. The story was simply delightful and I like to think Miss Alcott enjoyed the writing very much uplifting pure and innocent love. Bravo to the youth writer and to those who love sweet stories of true love or of classic writings, this is a charming romance to read.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Good youthful effort by Alcott
22 May 2003
Format:Paperback
According to a note on the text in the Penguin Classics edition, "The Inheritance" was written by Louisa May Alcott when she was only 17 years old. This novel tells the story of Edith Adelon, an Italian orphan who lives with the aristocratic Hamilton family. This is a sentimental, romantic story about love, treachery, and a family secret. Class stratification is a significant theme.
Yes, the characters are fairly shallow, the plot is predictable, and the dialogue is often very stiff and corny. But I found "The Inheritance" quite charming and enjoyable. The mild suspense leads ultimately to a satisfying conclusion. Along the way are some memorable scenes, such as a sequence involving the creation of historical tableaux.
The Penguin Classics edition includes an excellent, substantial introduction by Joel Myerson and Daniel Shealy. They discuss Alcott's remarkable life and career and place "The Inheritance" in literary and cultural context.
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