I chose to read this book at a time when I worked as a rape crisis counselor and we were getting ready to merge with the domestic violence counseling program, so I wanted to learn more about DV. I came across this book on a recommended reading list and saw that it was by Alcott. I had loved "Little Women," so I thought I'd give it a try. What struck me the most is that while many of Alcott's contemporaries and writers in previous eras (and even today) have a tendency to romanticize domestic violence, Alcott resists any such temptation. She shows it for exactly as it is: a perfectly adequate soul who feels inadequate and therefore is driven by a need to control others. It's not love, it's not attraction or even jealousy. Alcott does not mess around with that nonsense. She poignantly tells the story of a woman who does not crave the attentions of an abuser, but rather tries to escape it. Very brave storytelling, even now.