{"product_id":"the-mysterious-key-and-what-it-opened-9781513280080","title":"The Mysterious Key and What It Opened","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"As a child, my hero was Jo March [...] But as an adult, it's Louisa May Alcott.\" -Greta Gerwig\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Mysterious Key and What It Opened\u003c\/i\u003e (1867) is a novella by American author, feminist, and abolitionist Louisa May Alcott. Although less popular than her famed \"March Family Saga,\" the novella showcases Alcott's gift for storytelling and deep concern for children who have suffered. \u003ci\u003eThe Mysterious Key and What It Opened\u003c\/i\u003e is a hidden gem, a work of mystery that explores themes of family, death, and perseverance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLillian Trevlyn was yet to be born when her father passed away under unknown circumstances. Not much is certain about Sir Richard Trevlyn's death beyond her mother's fragmented account. Curious about her husband's unknown visitor, Alice-pregnant with Lillian at the time-listens through the keyhole to the conversation going on inside the library. Horrified by what she hears, Alice faints, only to learn later that her husband has been found dead. Raised by her mother, Lillian grows up to be a strong young woman and hopes to put her past misfortunes behind her. While walking on the grounds of her family estate one day twelve years later, she meets a teenager named Paul who asks to be given work. Although he seems an upstanding young man, rumors begin to circulate among the family's servants, digging up the family's tragic history. When Paul mysteriously disappears, it becomes increasingly apparent that the past-however distant-has come full circle. \u003ci\u003eThe Mysterious Key and What It Opened\u003c\/i\u003e is a captivating tale of mystery, wealth, and danger from an author known more for her works written for children and young adults.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis edition of Louisa May Alcott's \u003ci\u003eThe Mysterious Key and What It Opened\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic of American literature and mystery fiction reimagined for modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSince our inception in 2020, \u003cb\u003eMint Editions\u003c\/b\u003e has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcott, Louisa May:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLouisa May Alcott\u003c\/b\u003e (1832-1888) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. Born in Philadelphia to a family of transcendentalists--her parents were friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau--Alcott was raised in Massachusetts. She worked from a young age as a teacher, seamstress, and domestic worker in order to alleviate her family's difficult financial situation. These experiences helped to guide her as a professional writer, just as her family's background in education reform, social work, and abolition--their home was a safe house for escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad--aided her development as an early feminist and staunch abolitionist. Her career began as a writer for the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e in 1860, took a brief pause while she served as a nurse in a Georgetown Hospital for wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War, and truly flourished with the 1868 and 1869 publications of parts one and two of \u003ci\u003eLittle Women\u003c\/i\u003e. The first installment of her acclaimed and immensely popular \"March Family Saga\" has since become a classic of American literature and has been adapted countless times for the theater, film, and television. Alcott was a prolific writer throughout her lifetime, with dozens of novels, short stories, and novelettes published under her name, as the pseudonym A.M. Barnard, and anonymously.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mint Editions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50483236176146,"sku":"9781513280080","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f48fb67e-fa67-4a6d-8a08-34aa72a72464.jpg?v=1767778131","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-mysterious-key-and-what-it-opened-9781513280080","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}