‘Work: A Story of Experience’ is a semi-autobiographical novel loosely based on Alcott’s own life, which explores the social standing of women in the US, in the years around the Civil War. Christie, our heroine, is a single woman who works outside the home doing a number of odd jobs to make ends meet. This story tracks the change in women’s work with the dawn of the new industrial age, the meaning of work to women and the tension and dilemmas that came with this work. It is a story of women trying to find their place in the world, in a society that continually hampers their progress. It is a mature story full of insightful and uplifting anecdotes, that gives an excellent window in to Alcott’s own life as well. It is a profoundly uplifting read, with a triumphant conclusion that makes perfect reading for any fans of underdog stories.
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an author, abolitionist and proud feminist. Her family suffered financially while she was growing up and so she was forced to take on multiple jobs in her youth to help provide for her family. Her writing became her outlet, forming her ideas and beliefs in the empowerment of women and people in to literature that reverberates to this day. Her most notable works include "Little Women", which is now a movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet, its sequel ‘Little Men’ and ‘An Old Fashioned Girl’.