Behind a Mask - (Dover Thrift Editions: Short Stories) by Louisa May Alcott (Paperback)

About the Book

Markedly different from Little Women, this collection reveals the "other" Alcott with thrilling yarns of seduction, betrayal, and murder, plus fictionalized accounts of the author's experiences as a Civil War nurse.

Book Synopsis

The author of Little Women and other beloved classics, Louisa May Alcott grew up in a community of New England transcendentalists that included Thoreau and Emerson. Because her learned but impractical father was a poor provider, she supported her family by writing magazine stories that were often published anonymously.
This collection reveals the "other" Alcott, featuring "Behind a Mask" and "Pauline's Passion and Punishment," thrilling tales of seduction, betrayal, and murder that strike a markedly different tone and characterization from Alcott's best-known work. Other selections include two pieces from Hospital Sketches, the author's fictionalized accounts of her Civil War nursing experiences; "My Contraband," a tale of vengeance involving a Civil War nurse, her Confederate patient, and his former slave; "Happy Women," concerning four "spinsters" with a positive attitude toward their marital status; and "How I Went Out to Service," an autobiographical sketch of a young woman's pursuit of financial independence.

About the Author

Best known as the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) grew up in a community of New England transcendentalists that included Thoreau and Emerson. Because her learned but impractical father was a poor provider, she supported her family by writing stories for magazines while she was still a teenager. Alcott worked in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War as a nurse, recording her experiences in Hospital Sketches, and her many novels are particularly noteworthy for their portraits of strong, self-reliant heroines.