#135 - Taking a Deeper Look at Little Women (with Melissa Zaldivar)

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be an actual scholar of your favorite author or book? To spend your days diving deep into the background of how a beloved story came to be and then getting to share everything you’ve learned with people who love the book, the author, the entire story as much as you do?   Well, I’ll be honest and tell you I hadn’t thought about this before, but now I’m obsessed. My friend Melissa Zaldivar is on The Couch this week to talk with us about Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, and Orchard House (the home Alcott lived in and where she set the events of Little Women). As a tour guide of the Orchard House, Melissa is an expert on all of this and generously shares her insights and expertise with us.   She’s also an editor and a writer, as well as both fun and thoughtful. You’re going to love getting to know her.   Of course, because this is The Couch, where side notes and rabbit trails are always welcome, Melissa and I do touch on college majors, plastic pumpkins, and “witness houses,” a term that was new to me but makes so much sense.   Before we jump in, I do want to make sure you’ve signed up for my email list. In just a few days, I’ll be sending out my free, downloadable and printable WHAT TO WATCH GUIDE for October. So many new series and movies are coming out, so you don’t want to miss this! And next week, I’ll be sending an extra edition of the newsletter with a whole lot of big news. I’m talking a giant giveaway, a new exclusive Couch community, an updated Hooked on Holiday Movies bundle, and details about the first-ever Hooked on Holiday Movies Live Event! You do not want to miss any of this, so go sign up at marycarver.com/email.   Okay, this is a fun episode. Let’s get started!   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:   Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Orchard House The 1994 movie adaptation The 2019 movie adaptation The BBC Radio dramatization (audiobook) Taste by Stanley Tucci This is Us Parenthood GK Chesterton Greta Gerwig   NOT-SO-GUILTY PLEASURES: Flying a drone Putting up fall decor   DON’T FORGET: Join The Couch on Facebook! It’s so much fun! Find Melissa at @melissazaldivar on Instagram, and get a free digital copy of her upcoming book, What Cannot Be Lost, at https://thegoodbook.com/not-lost. And you can find me on Instagram at @marycarver or at marycarver.com.   Welcome to The Couch!   This post may include affiliate links. This means that if you click and purchase, I might receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.