Divia's 2011 reads

[Michy]

[quote=""Madeleine""]I don't like the sound of the Cats, Rats and Mice style[/quote] MM kind of describes it -- the hair is done in rolls of different sizes. So I can kinda sorta picture it, but would love to see an illustration of the real thing.

I've always been puzzled by how in the world they managed to get their hair to stay in place and all the ends smoothed in without hairspray. I think they used oil of some sort (macassar). And with no more often than they washed their hair, well......

[Madeleine]

Yes it's a difficult style to picture.

They weren't too keen on washing in those days were they, although I suppose if they all smelt the same.....! Couldn't have been very nice in the summer especially.

[Michy]

[quote=""Madeleine""]They weren't too keen on washing in those days were they, although I suppose if they all smelt the same.....! Couldn't have been very nice in the summer especially.[/quote] Oh, dear, no. Especially with no deodorant and no air conditioning. I guess they used LOTS of cologne and/or sachets.

[Divia]

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]How was that ? I remember being interested in it when the HNS reviewed it a couple of years ago.[/quote]

I enjoyed it a lot. But I think one reason I enjoyed it so much was it reminded me of my grandmother with the 40s talk.

[quote=""Michy""]MM kind of describes it -- the hair is done in rolls of different sizes. So I can kinda sorta picture it, but would love to see an illustration of the real thing.

I've always been puzzled by how in the world they managed to get their hair to stay in place and all the ends smoothed in without hairspray. I think they used oil of some sort (macassar). And with no more often than they washed their hair, well...... [/quote]

Grease. Or a form of it. Or oil. They also used that to keep it in place. Ain't that great considering a lot of people only washed their hair once a month and combed it 100 strokes a night.

[quote=""Michy""]Oh, dear, no. Especially with no deodorant and no air conditioning. I guess they used LOTS of cologne and/or sachets. [/quote]

Dont forget the layers of clothing the women had to wear. God, how did they survive during the summer!

[Divia]

Marmee: Mother of Little women. Excellent book. Great info that I didn't know.

[Michy]

Is that a NF book about Louisa's mother?

I just re-read Little Women last month. I have an excellent audio version that I listen to every few years -- it is my ultimate comfort read. In spite of the fact that the book is affected in parts, and somewhat moralistic, listening to it is like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

I recently got audio versions of Little Men and Jo's Boys. I still have my childhood copies, but haven't ever re-read them since, oh, about age 13 (unlike Little Women which I've read several times). So I am really looking forward to listening to them.

[Divia]

[quote=""Michy""]Is that a NF book about Louisa's mother?

I just re-read Little Women last month. I have an excellent audio version that I listen to every few years -- it is my ultimate comfort read. In spite of the fact that the book is affected in parts, and somewhat moralistic, listening to it is like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

I recently got audio versions of Little Men and Jo's Boys. I still have my childhood copies, but haven't ever re-read them since, oh, about age 13 (unlike Little Women which I've read several times). So I am really looking forward to listening to them.[/quote]



It is a NF book and was written in the 1940s I believe. There are two about Marmee, but I believe that's the title of my copy. It some presented her journal entries and some of her letters which I found fascinating. I am looking forward to the non fiction book coming out in a year or two about Abba and Louisa.

I'm not a huge Little Men fan. I did enjoy Joy's boys more. I think I was still mourning the loss of Jo and Laurie during Little Men.

I agree about the sediments about Little Women. She hated writing "moral pap for the young." but she sure did make a killing off it.

[Michy]

[quote=""Divia""] I am looking forward to the non fiction book coming out in a year or two about Abba and Louisa.

[/quote] Was Abba the sister she patterned Amy after?

[Divia]

Abba was the mother. Louisa had a sister Abba May, who later changed her name to May because she hated how old fashioned Abba sounded. Abba May became artistic Amy in the Little Women.

There is an interesting non fiction book about May and Louisa on their trip to Europe. It has some very interesting little things such as May had to borrow a dress because she was soaked but the 5'6 dress wouldn't fit her and she couldn't sleep properly in a bed because she was too tall.

[Michy]

I appreciated Amy much more this time around than I ever have before. Interesting, that I identify with each of the sisters in some way (except perhaps Beth). Although I suppose Louisa intended it to be that way. Which shows how good she was.

I suppose I should branch out and try some of her other works, such as Eight Cousins (I did try reading that as a young girl but couldn't get into it and didn't finish it). I've only ever read her Little Women trilogy, and one of her adult novellas that re-surfaced a few years ago (which was very meh).

To me, May sounds much more fusty than Abba. How tastes change over time, I guess. Too bad she couldn't know that Abba would be the name of a very cool 1970s rock group; then she probably would have embraced it.