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A review by jkstonge
A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott
3.0
A Long Fatal Love Chase was originally meant for magazine publication, and it shows. The sensational aspects of it and crazy cliffhangers make more sense with that in mind. This is my second read, although the first I read it I was probably fourteen or fifteen, so it's definitely been a while. As I was reading this I truly felt like I was reading one of Jo's novels in a Little Women. The line between Louisa May Alcott and Jo March is a blurry one, so it was easy to make that connection, along with the fact that some of the quotes in the book are direct from Little Women (specifically when talking about Rosamond's version of love). I hate to say it, but I kind of think Friedrich was right about Jo's work? Little Women is so successful because it is so close to Louisa May Alcott's life and has real and lovely and tangible emotion to it. This novel felt like it was something that she didn't know, but had all the sensational aspects of the thrillers that Jo wrote. There is more to Alcott than this book, and although entertaining I fear that Friedrich was right about Jo's potential (not me agreeing with a MAN).
Clearly I still have trouble distinguishing the difference between Jo March and Louisa May Alcott. I liked the experience of reading it, although towards the end I felt desperate to finish it ("it's all murder and gore", and the cliffhangers began to feel redundant as the story went on.) The experience of reading something I was so enamored with at fourteen was weird/cool. Reading back on this book that is reviewed to be "erotic" and "delicious" makes me realize that I probably shouldn't have read it so young, but it doesn't venture too outrageously far in that direction. It's basically just an old man stalking a young woman, ending in death (spoilers, but the novel is literally called A Long Fatal Love Chase, so idk what you expect)
Not much to mention from this book in the way of quotes, but here's one that I kind of loved:
"Let that pass, I'm tired of the everlasting rehearsal of my sins, I know them well enough and need no catalogue."
Clearly I still have trouble distinguishing the difference between Jo March and Louisa May Alcott. I liked the experience of reading it, although towards the end I felt desperate to finish it ("it's all murder and gore", and the cliffhangers began to feel redundant as the story went on.) The experience of reading something I was so enamored with at fourteen was weird/cool. Reading back on this book that is reviewed to be "erotic" and "delicious" makes me realize that I probably shouldn't have read it so young, but it doesn't venture too outrageously far in that direction. It's basically just an old man stalking a young woman, ending in death (spoilers, but the novel is literally called A Long Fatal Love Chase, so idk what you expect)
Not much to mention from this book in the way of quotes, but here's one that I kind of loved:
"Let that pass, I'm tired of the everlasting rehearsal of my sins, I know them well enough and need no catalogue."