A review by kaymichelle388
A Modern Mephistopheles by Louisa May Alcott

2.0

I think the appeal of this novel comes mainly with the shock value of "Louisa May Alcott wrote what?!" And there certainly are some shocks - themes of obsession, greed, drugs, and homoeroticism certainly don't mesh with the squeaky clean image Alcott portrayed in her more well-known morality tales. I appreciate Alcott's lurid side, but I didn't find this novel particularly well-written. It's much more of a character study without much plot to spread around. I'm glad I read it, simply for sake of having read it, but I doubt I'll be picking it up again. I would recommend "A Long Fatal Love Chase" as a better representation of Alcott's sensationalist writing.