This was initially a hard book to get through as I did not enjoy the first story - A Modern Mephistopheles - at all. It was dark and confusing. Some other stories that I did enjoy however were "Ariel: A Legend of the Lighthouse" which had a Hunchback of Notre Dame flavor to it, slightly. And I also enjoyed the intriguing mystery in "V.V. or Plots and Counterplots". That one kept me guessing the whole time as to how the mystery will get unraveled. Most of the stories were dark and melodramatic, most with unhappy endings or ironic twists. I'm glad I read it. If you're expecting anything like Alcott's children's classics, however, you're in for a real shock. I prefer her children's books myself. ( )

September 12, 1999
A Whisper in the Dark
Louisa May Alcott

Many people don’t know that Alcott, famous for the Little Women and Little Men books, also wrote Gothic suspense stories – more like borderline horror, really – anonymously, just to pay the rent. That type of story was all the rage in her day, but apparently she was ashamed of them and used a pseudonym to publish them.
This story is typical of its kind: a young woman learns that she is an heiress, and also learns that her uncle, who wishes her to marry his son, has sinister plans to make her fortune his own. When she balks, he conspires with a nasty doctor to have her locked away in a strange house with guardians and a mysterious crying woman in the night.
Of course, all comes out well and she gets her fortune after all, and the guy too. A satisfying read. There are other stories in the book too, since it’s a collection. ( )