The Author Stalker Interview with Elise Hooper
It’s the 150th anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s masterpiece, Little Women—what better time to learn the truth about everyone’s most hated March sister, Amy? Well, the truth about her inspiration, at least. In the historical fiction novel The Other Alcott, author Elise Hooper’s focus is on May Alcott, an ambitious artist who struggled to escape her big sister’s shadow as well as the reputation that came from being “Amy” in the famous book. The Other Alcott is the perfect read not just for Little Women fans, but for anyone who’s interested in art history and how women artists paved their own way in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this interview, Elise Hooper discusses Boston marriages, women artists being stuck in the archives, and whether Louisa May Alcott was the Bieber of the 1800s.
You grew up in New England close to the Alcotts’ Orchard House, one of my favorite places I’ve visited. Can you talk about how your childhood experiences led to you writing a novel about the Alcott family?
I grew up in nearby Sudbury, Massachusetts, and visited Orchard House often. I even went to drama camp there. Although I knew Louisa was the headliner of the place, May’s little room in the back of the house always intrigued me. I loved looking at all of the fanciful drawings on her bedroom’s walls and wondered what had happened to that girl. Was there more to May than her fictional doppelganger Amy March would have us believe? (Pssst: yes!)
Describe your path to publication—how long did it take to write and then to sell your novel?
I took some time off from teaching to be home with my two daughters and that’s when I began this novel. From the beginning of my research to the book’s publication on 9/5/2017, it took a little over four years for this book to be created. I took some writing classes at Seattle’s Hugo House, joined a couple of writing groups, and attended conferences and workshops. After about 2.5 years of writing and revising The Other Alcott, I felt I’d taken it as far as I could, so I sent out six query letters to test the water with literary agents and signed with Barbara Braun Associates. We worked on revisions together for a couple of months and then Barbara sold it to William Morrow/Harper Collins. I’ve been delighted that people still seem interested in the Alcotts even 150 years after Little Women’s publication.
A portrait of May Alcott; A painting by May Alcott, 1879
I wish I could force The Other Alcott into the hands of every Amy hater. Your book focuses on May Alcott, Louisa’s youngest sister and the inspiration for Amy, and it clearly demonstrates two things: 1) How much it must have sucked to be unfairly portrayed as “Amy”, and 2) That May Alcott was just as talented and ambitious as Louisa. How did you research the Alcott family? What materials did you have access to and what interesting/shocking information did you learn?
There is an enormous amount of scholarship on the Alcotts, so I read many biographies on the different family members to get a feel for my story and its characters. Then I moved on to Louisa’s letters and journals, the sculptor Anne Whitney’s letters (accessed through the online collections at Wellesley College), and artist Mary Cassatt’s published letters—all proved to be invaluable.
As for surprises, the prevalence of “Boston marriages” occurring with many of May’s peers proved to be unexpected. It turns out it was not uncommon to find women pairing up with other women and living quietly as lifelong partners to avoid the limitations of traditional marriages and dangers of childbirth. These women tended to be women of means who did not need the financial support of a husband. Readers tend to be surprised that these relationships weren’t considered scandalous, but I think it demonstrates just how little attention people paid to the lives of women once they reached their thirties and beyond.
As I learned from reading The Other Alcott, it was almost impossible for women in 19th century America to become artists. Nevertheless, May attained a certain level of artistic success—she taught art classes, was independent, had paintings exhibited at the Paris Salon, and published a guidebook called Studying Art Abroad, and How to Do It Cheaply. Towards the end of your novel, May even gets caught up in the Impressionist movement. There was a lot going on! Which women artists from your novel—Jane Gardner, Helen Knowlton, Anne Whitney, and Mary Cassatt—do you wish were more well-known?
I wish all of the women in my novel were well-known. When I visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in September after my book came out, I wanted to see artwork by the women I had spent so much time researching. When I found my way to the galleries, only five Mary Cassatt paintings hung on the walls. Work by male artists dominated the rest of the space. I visited the museum’s information desk and discovered that the artwork by May’s peers from this era lived in the archives. I made an appointment and viewed several of these pieces a few days later in a private study room at the MFA, but is it frustrating that so many of these women are still stuck in the archives? Yes!
Mary Cassatt: a 19th century painter who somehow captured my every mood.
A Little Women lightning round!
Which movie adaptation is your favorite?
The 1994 version with Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon.
Which character do you identify with? I’d say I’m a Meg with a touch of Amy.
I’m a combo of Jo and Amy.
Team Laurie or Team Bhaer?
If you had the opportunity to cast the movie version of your book, who would play Louisa and May Alcott?
Blake Lively as May; Anne Hathaway as Louisa.
No offense to all the Bronson Alcott fans, but the dude was a deadbeat dad to the Alcott sisters. Since he didn’t believe in working for money, Louisa felt pressured to earn as much as possible from her writing to care for her family. She became incredibly successful, but I didn’t realize to what degree until I read your novel—fans would travel to her home to try to meet her, they’d see her out in public and follow her, even in other countries. Before reading your book, I thought Louisa was the J.K. Rowling of her time, but now I think she was more like an international pop star. Was Louisa May Alcott the Justin Bieber of the 1800s?
Ha, I’d never thought of the connection to Bieber! I’m still going to stick with the J.K. Rowling comparison because she produced Harry Potter when she was quite down on her luck in a way that was similar to Louisa’s financial challenges. And though Rowling has written novels for adults, it’s her books for younger readers that resonate with people the most.
Sadly, May Alcott died in France shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Lulu. For the first 10 years of her life, Lulu was raised by Louisa, which I’ve always found interesting since Louisa seemed so resistant to domesticity. In your research, did you find any information about how Louisa reacted to being a mother figure?
Motherhood thrilled Louisa. It happened perfectly for her because she didn’t have to marry and her bank accounts were in good shape, so she could mother lavishly.
Art students at Académie Julian in Paris, where May Alcott studied.
I love learning about how writers write. Do you have a set routine? Give us a peek into a day in your writing life.
I wish I had a routine. Since I have two young daughters, I have to be ready for anything on any given day. I almost always write for at least an hour a day. Sometimes it happens in my minivan, sometimes at my desk. I try to stay flexible.
Who are your favorite authors? What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
Wow, you’d think I’d be ready for this question, yet I never am! I’m an avid reader and am always discovering new favorites. If you look at my bedside table right now, you would see books by Jesmyn Ward, Alice Hoffman, Tayari Jones, and Louise Penny. Last week I finished an advance copy of White Houses by Amy Bloom and thought it was brilliant. She nails voice in a way like no other. 2018 is going to be a great year for historical fiction and I’m eager to read new books by Paula McLain, Therese Anne Fowler, and Melanie Benjamin, to name just a few.
As a first-time author, which moments have been the most thrilling for you? Did you get to do any events at Orchard House or at a favorite indie bookstore?
Honestly, every step is thrilling. Each time someone sends me a picture of my book in their hands, I still get goosebumps. In June, I’m heading to Paris to attend the first-ever conference on May Alcott’s legacy and I’m pretty thrilled about that. But if I really contemplate the most exciting moment, I think it was at my launch party at Elliott Bay Books, when I looked out at my two daughters beaming in the front row. That’s when I really realized what an amazing journey it’s been with The Other Alcott.
You had a special connection to the Alcotts, so writing The Other Alcott made sense. Will you continue writing historical fiction? If so, do you have your next subject in mind?
I love historical fiction because I learn so much when I’m writing and reading it. My next book, Lange, will be published in early 2019 and tells the story of Dorothea Lange, the pioneering documentary photographer of the early half of the 20th century.
Last question! What advice do you have for all the aspiring writers out there?
When you receive criticism that you think is wrong, push yourself to see if there’s a kernel of truth in it. There usually is. And then keep writing!
You can find Elise Hooper online at her website or on Twitter @elisehooper.
