Hello, my lovely followers and fellow readers! So today, December 14th is my day on this tour for Only Gossip Prospers by Loraine Tosiello and I just want to say it was a wonderful read! So first I would love to start off and say this book was given to me for an honest review on this tour and an honest review I will give. I don't just read every book that is thrown at me, as I would have too many books to read. So I only accept offers from authors who have books that genuinely interest me. I love anything Louisa May Alcott, so I knew I had to get my hands on this book as soon I was reached out too.
The author did a wonderful job pulling from the life of the famous author and melding it together with fiction to create a cohesive story that makes you feel all range of emotion. I found myself laughing and crying. The characters are lovable and you grow a strong fondness for the author herself and she goes through her adventures in New York City at the peak of her fame after the publishing of Little Women. You discover some well-needed information on who was inspirations for characters in the classic children's book and people who came to be in her life later, that reminded her of characters in her stories. You read of hardships and joys. There were points in this book that brought me the same joy as when I read little women for the first time and some moments where I was completely heartbroken as well. Tosiello does an amazing job of capturing the style of spoken word for the time that makes this book feel like it could be a biography for Alcott. She captures the moments in such a way that I wasn't sure it was a piece of fiction at all.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It gave me the joy to read! It was a slower read for me as historical fiction takes me some time, but it not because I didn't enjoy the book as a whole. I enjoyed this book and will be suggesting it to others! I wish i could share all the little sticky notes I left throughout the book, but that's a lot of notes to document. Thank you to Pink Umbrella and Tosiello for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book. I will be leaving a synopsis and ways to purchase the book below!
ISBN: 9781949598087- Paperback
Synopsis: In late 1875 Louisa May Alcott spent a winter in New York City. Her journals give a rough sketch of the people she met, the salons she attended and a few outings that she enjoyed. She intended to stay “until I am tired of it,” but left abruptly in mid-January.
Filled with biographical references to Louisa’s family, New Yorkers of the time and Alcott’s literary works, Only Gossip Prospers intertwines the real people Louisa met, the actual events of New York City and a host of fictional characters who inhabit a world that Louisa herself would recognize. Written in a style reminiscent of Alcott’s juvenile fiction and short adventure stories, the book is part historical fiction, part love letter to the charm of 1870s New York and part biography of Louisa and her contemporaries. Only Gossip Prospers enters the debate that still hovers over Little Women as to what was “real” and what was “made up.” There are some twists and surprises, including one that will satisfy the greatest question left unanswered for fans of Little Women: what really happened between Jo and Laurie?
Only Gossip Prospers mashes together fact and fiction to draw a realistic portrait of Louisa May Alcott at the height of her fame.
Where to Purchase:
Amazon
Instagram: @ltosiello_author
