Fruitlands

Starred review from December 2, 2002
Louisa May Alcott fans will relish this fictionalized account of the Alcotts' stay at Fruitlands, a commune where Louisa's transcendentalist father and his friend, Mr. Lane, conducted their famous not-so-successful experiment in forming a perfect community. Whelan (Angel on the Square; Homeless Bird) structures the novel as two sets of journal entries based on Alcott's own childhood writings: "In the first diary there will be Louy, who will try to be just what Mother and Father would wish. In the second diary there will be Louisa, just as she is," a sentiment that will vindicate many an aspiring journal-keeper. The first-person narratives vividly capture Louisa's wit, feisty spirit and keen powers of observation. The entries intended to be shared with Mother and Father give an insightful overview of the commune, where naturalists gather to better themselves. They also reveal Louisa's ongoing struggle to meet the commune leaders' lofty expectations by denying herself small pleasures: "We are not to eat butter or rob hens of their eggs. I will do all that I can to curb my coarse appetites." The private pages, penned in the "leafy tent" of a willow tree, offer a more in-depth study of commune members' quirks and foibles, as well as a hilarious critique of others' success or failure in practicing what they preach. ("Mr. Lane is to teach us all how we are to improve ourselves. I watched him stride along behind the wagon, his head up, his chin out, proud of walking while others rode. He did not look like a man who thought he needed improvement"). This meticulously researched book reveals Whelan's depth of understanding and respect for Louisa May Alcott's outlook on life and relationships with others. A marvelous companion for the 19th-century author's semi-autobiographical Little Women. Ages 8-12.

February 23, 2004
According to PW
, "Louisa May Alcott fans will relish this fictionalized account of the Alcotts' stay at Fruitlands, a commune where Louisa's transcendentalist father and his friend conducted their famous not-so-successful experiment in forming a perfect community." Ages 8-12.

October 1, 2002
Gr 4-7-Readers meet 10-year-old Louisa May Alcott as she and her family leave Concord, MA, in 1843 to live at Fruitlands, a utopian community envisioned by her philosopher father. The story is told through two sets of journal entries. In one, Louy writes what her parents would want to read, knowing that they may actually look at her journal. The second is a secret diary, "and this one shall be my honest thoughts." This technique works well. Readers will understand what the community was hoping to accomplish and sense the inequity and frustrations of the austere life at Fruitlands. This same story was told in Jeannine Atkins's Becoming Little Women (Putnam, 2001) with more details about the year spent at Fruitlands, and with more character development. However, using journal entries based on Alcott's original diaries allows children to see into a strange and interesting experience that helped develop the character of one of America's most loved authors. While not as rich as Atkins's book, Fruitlands does tell the story well.-JoAnn Jonas, Chula Vista Public Library, San Diego, CA

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2003
"I am resolved to keep two diaries, one to share with Mother and Father, and this one which shall be my honest thoughts." Whelan ingeniously imagines the seven months ten-year-old Louisa and her family spent at Fruitlands, her father's failed utopic community. The private journal offers Louisa's unexpurgated opinions and is a forum in which she explores her complex feelings toward her father and his beliefs.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2002
Gr. 4-6. Whelan lives up to her reputation for insightful prose in this fictionalized account of eight months that Alcott and her family spent at Fruitlands farm. Written as two parallel diaries (one available to her parents, the other only for herself), the book recounts Louisa's experiences and thoughts as her father and his friend attempt to mold their families and friends into a Utopian community. What they actually accomplish is, of course, far from perfect. Food is severely restricted, and a great deal of the work falls to one or two hardworking members-- among them, Louisa's mother. There are also frequent rounds of criticism that border on abuse. Luckily, Whelan allows Louisa's spunk and good humor to shine through, saving the story from becoming maudlin or bitter, but the question of reading audience remains difficult. Certainly, children still enjoy Alcott's books, but the situation here seems unlikely to appeal to typical " Little Women" fans. The best use for this may be as a supplement to the study of nineteenth-century Utopias or as additional reading for Alcott's die-hard readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)