Moods (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

By Louisa May Alcott

Alcott’s first novel, published in 1865 and revised in 1882, is a semi-autobiographical love triangle. Abolitionist Sylvia Yule yearns for romance and adventure, but can she find them in a man’s world? Displaying the influence of Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Moods vividly dramatizes Alcott’s personal struggles of mind and heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Feb 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781411441828

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was a 19th-century American novelist best known for her novel, Little Women, as well as its well-loved sequels, Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women is renowned as one of the very first classics of children’s literature, and remains a popular masterpiece today.

Reviews for Moods (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

[philsyphe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“Moods” is an apt title, because I found that my mood adapted with the changing narrative tone, which went from intriguing and upbeat to didactic and mundane. Had the second half of the book been as absorbing as the first then I would’ve rated this at least four stars.The book title essentially refers to the main character, Sylvia, who first appears as an overgrown spoilt brat. But she becomes endearing when she goes through several changes, showing how good-hearted she is, while at times she’s absent minded, causing upset through her impatience.I like the love triangle element to the story. The three main characters – Sylvia, Adam, and Geoffrey – are all likeable in their own way. The author does a great job of bringing them to life, which isn’t surprising, because she is a great author, then and now.But no matter how talented the writer, the reader will lose interest in a story that fails to grip them. I’m not saying the book’s second half isn’t gripping as such, but for my tastes it becomes tiresome.Maybe I’d feel differently if I’d been alive during the time when this was first published. After all, many of the problems that are blown up so big in this novel would be trivial today. The 1800s are almost like an alternative dimension when you consider how daily life has altered.But the good outweighs the bad and my respect for Louisa May Alcott remains strong. I especially liked the chapter where Sylvia, her brother, and her future lovers go for a boat ride and camp out. The scenes where she and Adam venture off together, encounter a fire, and are out longer than intended are all superb.

[nittnut · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On my list of books to read by favorite authors, Moods was touted to be unlike her stories for young women. I would say yes, and no. I found her writing style and gentle moralizing to be the same. The subject matter was definitely more geared to adult readers, but the story had the same feel. (I feel I can speak with some authority here, having been reading Louisa for at least 30 years now.) I just watched a PBS special on LMA, and some historians speculate she may have been subject to manic depression. This was interesting in that the heroine of Moods was also subject to rather violent mood swings. Very typically of LMA, the heroes and heroine of the story must come to terms with the darker side of themselves, and make sacrifice for the good of those they love.