A fascinating and deeply compelling collection of 67 letters written to Alfred Whitman, a model for the character of Laurie in Louisa May Alcott's best-loved novel, Little Women. The letters are written by Louisa May Alcott and two of her sisters, Anna and Abby May, along with Anna's husband, John Pratt, who all met and befriended Whitman while living in Concord, Massachusetts. Housed at Harvard University, most of the letters have never before been published. They tell poignant stories of struggles with depression and loneliness, marriages, births, deaths, achievements, and losses, giving readers a personal glimpse into the writers' lives and characters. Woven throughout are many of the family's famous friends and neighbors, such as the Emersons, Thoreaus, and Hawthornes. This captivating book brings the five correspondents to vivid life as real people, not just characters in the pages of a novel.