The Inheritance

A previously unpublished novel by the author of Little Women follows an impoverished Italian orphan who wins the affections of a lord and the ire of an evil matron. 150,000 first printing. $150,000 ad/promo. Lit Guild Special. Crossings Main. TV tie-in.

YA. Alcott's first novel, written at age 17 and discovered in 1988, is a delightful rags-to-riches ramble in the life of orphan Edith Adelon, who is taken in by Lord and Lady Hamilton to serve as a companion to their young daughter, Amy. When Lord Hamilton dies, Edith is treated as a servant in the household?until she saves Amy's life. Purer than pure, young Edith takes the slights and verbal abuses of her jealous rival, Lady Ida, while Lord Percy, an older, wiser, and sadder friend of young Lord Arthur Hamilton and the reason for Lady Ida's jealousy, looks on in his attempts to love Edith from a distance. Set on an aristocratic English manor in the 19th century, the plot twists and turns its way to a "happily ever after" ending. Even though characters are stereotyped and the plot is at times contrived, this precursor of Little Women is sure to be popular among budding readers of Jane Austen or sprouting young writers looking for desirable role models. This squeaky-clean novel written by an outstanding author at the beginning of her career is a desirable addition to any YA collection.?Dottie Kraft, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Alcott published lots of anonymous thrillers in her lifetime, as well as the March family stories that made her famous and wealthy, but she never published her first novel, written when she was 17. It was a smart move. Even as a commercial enterprise, this sentimental melodrama, written 20 years earlier than Little Women, is of ephemeral interest. It reads like the silliest romantic parody. Edith Adelon, a sweet, submissive, impoverished orphan is patronized by wealthy friends, loved for her sweet pure self by an honorable lord, and threatened by a jealous villainess. Then, through a series of absolutely miraculous coincidences, sweet Edith turns out to be the rightful heiress of the wealth her patrons now possess. Of course, it's everybody's Cinderella fantasy, and in a time when Jane Austen and Henry James thrive as drawing-room costume drama, it's not surprising that there will be a 150,000 first printing, packaged with gilt and lace, and a made-for-TV film scheduled for April. Expect demand followed quickly by disappointment. Hazel Rochman