Eden's Outcasts The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father [Paperback]

Matteson&tells his story so clearly and attractively that no previous acquaintance with the remarkable Alcott clan and their various, equally remarkable friends is needed to relish their world as he re-creates it. Vividly, affectingly, Matteson describes one familys struggle to live their lives with meaning, without taint or exploitation.A double biography is a difficult thing to bring off but Matteson does it beautifully, giving a vivid but delicate account of two complicated characters inextricably entwined.A splendid new dual biography&Compassionate and compelling.One of the pleasures of the book is to be taken back to a time and place of intellectual and moral grandeur&In producing such a rounded, detailed and compelling portrait of Louisa, [her father] Bronson, their family and their times, Matteson has provided us with a valuable context for appreciating that enduring masterpieceMattesons engrossing biography of the Alcotts achieves a rare fusion of intellectual precision and emotional empathy.Mattesons portrait of Bronson and Louisa is painted on a large canvas, capturing an era when ideals and practice collided as never before in the history of the American nation.Matteson tells the odd, fascinating story of the ?ber idealistic Bronson Alcott and the impact of his life decisions on his daughter, beloved childrens book authoress Louisa May Alcott&Particularly for those unfamiliar with the Alcott story, this is a journey of much interest.InWinner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography