A Long Fatal Love Chase

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Summary: A thrilling, and eerily romantic book that tears the soul...
Review: Louisa May Alcott's undiscovered novel proved to be a hidden treasure! On the surface this is a shocking novel of suspense and passion. Yet beneath the twisted obsessions of Phillip and the flights of Rosamond, lurks the soul of a truly passionate and romantic novel! The romance between Phillip and Rosamond is simply the cheap adoration of a young, inexperienced girl who is taken advantage of by a truly conniving and psychotic man. So it is not of the romance between them that I speak, but the mature holy love that exists between Ignatious and Rosamond. Rosamond's love for her priest is the passionate and matured love of a young woman, rather than the confused conflicting emotions of a deprived child. The true love that Rosamond discovers in the secret, simple love of a honest and good man sets her free from the ties that bind her to her ex-lover. I loved the ending, and thought it most fitting that Phillip was the one to destroy her. Ultimatly she belonged to noone but herself, and Ignatious whose holy love freed her heart and her soul. This is a great book, and is not hard to read as some of the classic author's novels tend to be. This is a daringly modern book even today- and it was written over 100 years ago! Alcott should have been applauded for this gutsy and darkly romantic piece of work. The best way to celebrate Alcott's finally published pride and joy is simply to read and love it-as I clearly do

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Summary: Alcott was experimenting, but the writing was immature
Review: When I was reading this book, I kept waiting for the lead chracter to stop acting like she was in a play or having an adventure and just live the story. Rosamond went through one episode after another like she was executing preset stories from an active imagination, and not like she was really thinking on her feet. Another nuisance was that the characters were detached from their emotions. Alcott often wrote that Rosamond, say, tilted her head "as if" in thought, or held onto her man "as if" she felt they were emotionally connected. That makes the book take on a tone of bathos. Alcott had engrossing ideas in this book for her time, but somewhere along the line she sacrificed quality of prose to trite writing. And why did the story have to come to such a dud ending like that!

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Summary: A page turner
Review: I read this book in one day. Each chapter ended with such a cliffhanger I could not help going on to the next. It is a great tale of obsession, loss of innocence and betrayal. It may not a literary classic like "Little Women," but it was a good thrill. We all need that once in a while

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Summary: One really captivating novel!
Review: Being an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher of the Province of Québec, Canada, I had to choose a novel captivating and interesting enough to both young men and women for my Advanced ESL class (Literature). An I glad I chose this incredible novel! As I was reading, I was thrilled and amazed at how actual the story is, and especially at the incredibly rich language that fill the pages. After the first three chapters I was hooked and I simply couldn't put the book down! It has all the elements of a classic while remaining a truly enjoyable read...131 years after being written! Five stars

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Summary: THIS CHASE TAKES ENTIRELY TOO LONG
Review: I purchased this book more than a year ago and put it on my shelf of things to read. This book is the current selected reading of the book club that I attend. I was thrilled to have the chance (reason) to read it. This is not the worst book that I have ever read, and it does move quickly. However, I kept waiting for something important to happen. Rosamond spends almost the entire story looking over her shoulder. Where is her spirit? At every turn she plays right into Tempest's hands. She allows him to manipulate her behavior. I basically wanted to slap her...and I hated the ending!

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Summary: "Riveting, Heart Pounding Reading"
Review: This book is filled with heart pounding action that keeps you turning page after page. A story that may have been written a 100 years ago, but could have come from today's headlines. Louisa May Alcott was definately a woman before her time, and her style of writing in this book portrays this tremendously. She uses very detailed descriptions that upon reading brings images to mind. A definate must read for any Alcott fan, or for anyone that loves to have their imagination stimulated!

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Summary: Do not read this
Review: I really did not enjoy this book. It drags on for too long and after spending that much time with it, the ending should have been better

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Summary: A Long Fatal Gothic Disaster!
Review: Louisa May Alcott's recently discovered novel, "A Long Fatal Love Chase" should have remained undiscovered. Like many readers, I had grown up on the "Little Women" stories and couldn't wait to see how this novel, an adult novel, would compare. The plot is the stuff today's soap operas thrive upon: Our young heroine, Rosamond Vivian, is extraordinarily beautiful (of course) and is seduced by a dashing stranger (Philip Tempest) who marries her and takes her away to exotic places. Eventually, Rosamond realizes she is married to a fiend and continuously tries to escape him in a series of country-hoppings. She hides out in the usual places...a home of a friend, a convent, the home of the blackguard's estranged wife...and somehow he keeps managing to find her, more determined than ever to win her back. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is weak and predictable, and even the settings are disappointing because the damsel in distress doesn't stay in one place long enough for the reader to become attached to it. Even the melodramatic, tragic ending could have been foreseen on page one. With this book, Louisa May Alcott has proven that a good writer can still write a bad story. Do Louisa's literary reputation a favor and skip this Gothic disaster!

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Summary: The editor stands in for the deceased Ms Alcott (1832-88)!
Review: I was very fortunate to be able to acquire and edit Louisa May Alcott's unpublished manuscript of "A Long Fatal Love Chase" which Random House published in 1995. Details about the adventure are in the back of the paperback -- but I just wanted to thank the spirit of Louisa May and her millions of fans over time for the fun this book provided for everyone involved. I am pretty sure she enjoyed writing it and it is fun to read (don't be afraid of 19th Century stiff lingo -- it's got lots of love, murder, revenge, fights, suicide, stalking, drugs, etc.). It vibrates with Louisa's strong sense of a woman's need for independence on several levels: physical, financial, intellectual and spiritual -- themes quite familiar to generations of readers of "Little Women" (1868). In honor of the socially conscious Alcotts (the family was involved in tons of 19th Century reforms), 25% of the proceeds from "Love Chase" are going to the Orchard House -- the Alcott museum in Concord, MA -- and 25% to the school I run (which is, like the Alcott family, of the vegetarian alternative type). Anyway, it was all accomplished by Grace -- lots of it -- and was very enjoyable. Please savor the book!

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Summary: A young woman's nightmare come true!
Review: This book was considered too shocking to be published, so it was interesting to read a book that was "banned". Rosamonde gets paired up with a raunchy dude and realizes too late she can't shed the guy. He's like a turd on the bottom of your shoe: you just can't shake him off! I liked the book fine. Fans of Louisa May Alcott should enjoy this novel. But it was alittle corny for my taste