• Home
  • Illustration
  • Shop
    • Coaching
    • Commissions
  • About
    • The Little Women Project >
      • youtube
      • Podcast
    • Blog
    • FAQ
  • Say Hi On Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Facebook Page
    • Facebook Group
  • Contact
  • Etusivu
  • Kuvitukset
  • Taiteilijasta
    • Usein Kysytyt Kysymykset
    • Blogi
  • Kauppa
  • Yhteystiedot
  Fairychamber - Art and Illustrations by Niina Niskanen
  • Home
  • Illustration
  • Shop
    • Coaching
    • Commissions
  • About
    • The Little Women Project >
      • youtube
      • Podcast
    • Blog
    • FAQ
  • Say Hi On Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Facebook Page
    • Facebook Group
  • Contact
  • Etusivu
  • Kuvitukset
  • Taiteilijasta
    • Usein Kysytyt Kysymykset
    • Blogi
  • Kauppa
  • Yhteystiedot

Blog

Only Gossip Prospers Book Review

12/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
I am happy and delighted to share my thoughts on Lorraine Tosiello´s brand new book "Only Gossip Prospers".
Lorraine Tosiello read Alcott’s Little Women in the first grade—and re-read it again and again throughout most of her childhood.  The book equipped her to set off on a journey of motherhood, traveling, rabble-rousing and work as a physician devoted to medical education and primary care medicine. Rereading Little Women in later adulthood rekindled her Alcott enthusiasm, and years of happy study resulted in her first novel, Only Gossip Prospers. She lives with her husband in midtown Manhattan and at the New Jersey shore.

Only gossip prospers takes place in 1875 and centers around a very little known time period in Louisa May Alcott´s life. A winter that she spent in New York. Book is filled with intriguing references to the Alcott family, historical fiction that intertwines Louisa´s circle of friends and family members, transcendentalist philosophy, cultural and feminist ideas of the time to a cavalcade of fictional and historical characters. It is also a beautiful time jump to the 19th century New York in the peak of industrial revolution. 

I enjoyed this book tremendously. Not only it has tons of surprises and plot-twists like the best Alcott novels but this book is quite possibly the most full-rounded and insightful description of Louisa May Alcott as a person that I have ever come across. She was a very complicated woman. Alcott who we meet is in the top of her fame, rich and wealthy but poor in health, deeply dedicated to the humanitarian work that is close to her heart, constantly creating plot-lines for the new stories and at the same someone who feels a constant need to protect her reputation. Louisa is funny and witty. Prone to mood changes. She can be the light of the party and someone who longs her family and misses home dearly. She is international, bold, brave, moody, insecure and thrives in a company that challenges her intellectually.

Tosiello´s background in the medical field gives the reader wider understanding of Louisa´s struggles with her health (most widely accepted cause for her health problems is mercury poisoning. During her American Civil War service, Alcott contracted typhoid fever and was treated with a compound containing mercury). Book is a great glimpse to different holistic healthcare treatments of the time not to mention the mental healthcare practices (or should I say the lack of them). 


This book is so filled with twists and turns and the plot only thickens towards the end I did find it difficult to put it down while reading the last chapters. I especially appreciated the wonderful, rich way author describes Louisa´s inner world with all it´s contradictions. There are multiple references to Louisa´s literal works such as Little Women, Little Men, Eight Cousins and Moods. I did enjoy the wonderful twist in the Fritz/Laurie debate and greatly appreciated how the author points out Louisa´s fascination and knowledge of the German culture (a topic way too often dismissed by the scholars) but it was truly the gender swap themes that took me by surprise.

​Five stars and I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested to find more compelling and nuanced takes on this fascinating author.

Check out all my articles about Little Women:

Evolution of Laurie
Quest of Friedrich Bhaer (and why my inner Jo loves him) 
​Jo, Friedrich and the weekly volcano press aka what it takes to become a great writer
Jo, the adamant
Small umbrella in the rain 2019

Little Women 1970 Amy and Laurie Romance  
We Germans Believe in Sentiment  
​Friedrich Bhaer Aesthetics   
Equal Marriage Lost in Translation    

Little Women 2019 Trailer (Long Rant)  
Little Women 1933 
Best Jo and Fritz fanfics you´ve ever read   

​​He was attractive as a genial fire 
Little Men and Tender Parenthood  
​Little Women symbolism of the umbrella  
​Thoughts on #TeamLaurie and #TeamBhaer
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Niina

    Pronounced as Nee-na.
    ​
    Artist, illustrator, writer, watercolorist and a folklorist. Gryffinclaw. Comes from Finland. Likes cats, tea and period dramas. 

    If it´s canon and it´s
    ​Little Women it´s good.
    Picture

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

    Picture
    Please keep the comment section civil, respectful and connected to the topic at hand. ​Thank you.  Spammy/passive-agressive comments will be blocked and reported. 
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Support Fairychamber

    Picture

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Aboriginal Mythology
    African Myths
    Amy And Laurie
    Animal Art
    Animal Myths
    Animations
    Anne Of Green Gables
    Arabic Mythology
    Art Business Advice
    Artist Chats
    ASMR
    Assyrian Myths
    As Told By Ginger
    Baltic Myths
    Beauty And The Beast
    Bones
    Book Reviews
    Brothers Grimm
    Celtic Myths
    Challenges
    Charles-perrault
    Charles-perrault
    Chinese Myths
    Christmas
    Cinderella
    Comic-cons
    Cosplay
    Crafting Tutorials
    Disney
    Disney Crafts Diy
    Divination
    Dolls
    Drawing
    Drawing Tutorials
    Earthsea
    Egyptian Myths
    Estonian Folklore
    Estonian Wheel Of The Year
    Fairies & Elves
    Fairy Crafts DIY
    Fairy Tale Origins
    Fantasy Art
    Fashion Illustrations
    Finnish Culture
    Finnish Mythology
    Finnish Wheel Of The Year
    Food Illustrations
    Frozen
    Germanic Folktales
    Getting To Know Me
    Ghost Stories
    Goddess Art
    Greek Mythology
    GSR
    Halloween
    Halloween Crafts
    Hansel And Gretel
    Harry Potter
    Harry Potter Crafts
    Health
    Hindu Mythology
    Howl´s Moving Castle
    Illustrations
    Inuit Myths
    Irish Tales
    Jane The Virgin
    Japanese Myths
    Jo And Friedrich
    Komi Mythology
    Korean Myths
    Landscape Paintings
    Languages
    Latvian Wheel Of The Year
    Learn Finnish
    Lithuanian Wheel Of The Year
    Little Women
    Little Women Podcast
    Mari Folklore
    Marketing Your Art
    Meg And John
    Mermaids
    Miniatures
    MishMash Videos
    Moomins
    Movie-reviews
    Mulan
    Music
    Mythical Motifs
    Mythmas
    Native American Myths
    New Designs
    Norse Myths And Legends
    Once Upon A Time
    Painting
    Painting Tutorials
    Percy Jackson
    Persian Myths
    Pinocchio
    Polynesian Myths
    Red Riding Hood
    Roman Mythology
    Rose In Bloom
    Saami Mythology
    Samoyed Myths
    Scotland
    Scottish Tales
    Shamanism
    Siberia
    Sketchbook
    Slavic Mythology
    Sleeping Beauty
    Snow White
    Spells And Superstitions
    Swedish Folkore
    Symbols And Mythical Motifs
    Tea Time
    The Good Witch
    The X Files
    Time Lapse Paintings
    Tinker Bell
    Travel
    Trees And Plants
    Turkic Myths
    Unicorns
    Valentine´s Day
    Vedic Myths
    Wales
    Watercolor Textures
    Welsh Myths
    Welsh Wheel Of The Year
    Wheel Of The Year: Autumn
    Wheel Of The Year: Spring
    Wheel Of The Year: Summer
    Wheel Of The Year: Winter
    Witch Bottles
    W.i.t.c.h Comics
    Zodiac Myths

    RSS Feed