Paperback, 308 pages
English language
Published April 15, 1978 by Bantam Books.
Though best known for the lighthearted look at family life and sisterly relationships in Little Women, some of Louisa May Alcott's work touched on more socially significant themes. Behind a Mask, Or a Woman's Power is one of several works that Alcott penned under a pseudonym. Perhaps freed by the anonymity this guise granted, she delves deeply into issues of gender, family, and social class in this story that focuses on the relationship between a governess and the family she works for.
Before Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, she tried writing the kind of romances and mysteries that her heroine Jo March would later write. This is one of them. Very short and simple, but an entertaining read. It's easy to imagine Jo writing this.
