Praise

Read what people are saying in the press about The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott.

“McNees gets the period details just right: the crinolines and carriages; the spare, aesthetic plainness of 19th-century New England. And although the love affair with Joseph is invented, she remains faithful to the broad outlines of Alcott’s biography. In fact, The Lost Summer is the kind of romantic tale to which Alcott herself was partial, one in which love is important but not a solution to life’s difficulties. Devotees of Little Women will flock to this story with pleasure.”

– The Washington Post

“… the book is so compelling and well written that I hated to see it end.”

– Historical Novels Review

“… It’s a charm­ing nov­el, groun­ded in schol­ar­ship and fact but re­ly­ing on ima­gin­a­tion for the ro­mance and fun. McNees dis­covered in read­ing bio­graph­ies of Al­cott that there was one sum­mer about which very little was known — the sum­mer of 1855, right be­fore Louisa went off to Bo­ston to be­come a writer. Here, McNees gives us that sum­mer, cre­at­ing a bit­ter­sweet love af­fair for Louisa and present­ing her with the choice of mar­riage or ca­reer. We already know which she chose — there are all those lovely books — and so McNees’ chal­lenge was to get us there in a be­liev­able and sat­is­fy­ing way. And so she did…”

– Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“… I gladly followed Louisa down McNees’ path, enjoying it so much I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. For those romantics among you, it’s a real keeper.”

– Lincoln Journal Star

“The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott provides a tale of romantic fiction that will have fans of Little Women falling in love with Alcott in much the same way they fell in love with Jo March … a wonderfully creative and innocently sweet story”

– Express Milwaukee

“… McNees deftly combines historic figures and documented aspects of Louisa’s life with speculations about what might have been. Fans of Little Women may be first in line to read the novel, but the book will also appeal to others who enjoy historical romance.”

– Library Journal

“The line between fiction and biography is tight and well-balanced. This book is a must-read for anyone who grew up with a dog-eared copy of Little Women.”

– Fine Living Lancaster

There have also been a number of newspaper, magazine, and radio interviews.

Interview on The Roundtable
– Katie Britton, The Roundtable on WAMC

The Reluctant Historian
– Lara Zielin, LSAmagazine

‘Little Women’ Author Stars in Fictional Tale
– Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune

Author Spotlight: Kelly O’Connor McNees
– Crystal Tate, Woman’s Day

Alcott’s Secrets
– Boston Magazine

The Many Lives of Louisa May
– BookPage