Michaela MacColl

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Writing Links
    • Links for Kids
    • Historical Fiction Link
  • Books
    • Prisoners In The Palace
    • Promise The Night
    • Author Mysteries
      • Secrets in the Snow
      • The Revelation of Louisa May
      • Always Emily
      • Nobody’s Secret
    • Hidden Histories
      • The Lost Ones
      • Freedom’s Price
      • Rory’s Promise
  • About Me
    • About Me
    • Interviews
    • Press Kit
  • News
  • Blog
  • Librarians & Teachers

April 2015 Archive

Archives for April 2015

The Concord Bookshop Welcomes The Revelation of Louisa May

April 23rd, 2015, 11:28 pm

When I was researching The Revelation of Louisa May, I spent a lot of time in Concord. The Concord Bookshop was a delightful place to visit and a useful place for me to do research.  I can’t wait to visit on Sunday, April 26th at 3:00. I’ll be reading a bit from The Revelation of Louisa May and signing. Please join me!

Categories: Appearances, Blog

School Library Journal Likes Louisa!

April 23rd, 2015, 11:00 pm

School Library Journal/February 2015

“A page-turner that satisfies.”—School Library Journal

Readers are immediately drawn into Louisa’s 19th-century world as her mother departs for work in the city and Louisa discovers a runaway slave, named George, hiding outside the Alcott home. The teen capably manages the various conflicts in the novel: money struggles, her relationship with her father, George’s safety, and romantic tensions between her and her distant cousin, Fred. Unsavory characters like Fitch, who is a slave catcher, and a disreputable woman named Miss Whittington, bring additional tension to this plot-driven novel. As she did with Always Emily (Chronicle, 2014), MacColl creates a strong sense of place, both in time and with her presentation of the physical environment. Her fluid incorporation of the transcendentalists and their movement aligns well with her attention to the novel’s setting. Although conflict and intrigue ensue, with protecting George and solving a murder, Louisa’s character unfortunately remains static. VERDICT Though light on character development, MacColl has created a page-turner that satisfies.

Categories: Blog, Reviews

Publishers Weekly is a fan of The Revelation of Louisa May

April 23rd, 2015, 10:58 pm

Publishers Weekly/February 13, 2015

“A satisfying, thought-provoking read.”–Publishers Weekly

As in Always Emily and Nobody’s Secret, MacColl again delivers a historical novel based on a 19th-century writer and her problematic family: this time Louisa May Alcott and the community of transcendentalists in Concord, Mass. Set over a few days in the summer of 1846 when the 15-year-old budding writer is in charge of the household, the story compellingly presents the conflicts between principles and practicality, as Louisa’s challenging relationship with her idealistic father, Bronson, grows especially fraught. She also faces a slew of unexpected problems, notably the arrival of a noxious slave catcher in pursuit of the fugitive slave the Alcotts are harboring, who seems to have potentially harmful information about their good friends Henry Thoreau and the Emersons. On his heels comes distant cousin Fred, suddenly grown tall and handsome, with a new interest in Louisa. Intrigue quickly builds on several fronts, and a climactic crisis forces Louisa, with sister Beth’s help, into some detective work, delivering a resolution that is likely to surprise. An author’s note recounts the factual bases for the novel and includes Alcott’s biographical information. A satisfying, thought-provoking read.

Categories: Blog, Reviews

Featured Book

Revelation of Louisa May

<h4>Revelation of Louisa May</h4>
  • Buy Now
    • IndieBound
    • Barnes & Noble
    • Amazon
    • Google Play
    • iTunes
    • Kobo
    • Chronicle Books

Subscribe

Latest Posts

  • On this Day – Shirley Chisholm Makes her Bid for President
  • emily dickinson – redux
  • In the Mood for some Louisa May?

Categories

  • Appearances
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Events
  • Freedoms Price
  • Interviews
  • News
  • PRISONERS IN THE PALACE
  • Revelation of Louisa May
  • Reviews
  • Secrets in the Snow
  • The Lost Ones
  • Uncategorized
  • What I'm Reading

Blog Archives

  • January 2021
  • November 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • May 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010

  • Read my blog
  • Friend me on Facebook
  • Buy my books
  • Follow me on Twitter