A Little Women-themed Tea Party with Kindred Spirits
The last day of The Enchanted Book Club’s Concord literary tour was filled with countless surprises and memories that we’ll cherish forever (if you haven’t read the recaps of Day 1 and Day 2, you can do so by clicking here!). On our third and last day of the trip, we met with a knowledgable (and adorable) guide, Masha who accompanied us on our charter bus for a tour of Concord & Lexington with additional literary highlights. After having visited Louisa May Alcott’s home, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s home, and Walden Pond during the preceding days, our guests described the tour of Concord & Lexington as a perfect bow that tied together everything we had learned.
On a cloudy, cozy morning, we immersed ourselves in area’s war history and learned about the battles that kicked off the American Revolutionary War, one year shy of its 250th anniversary. Our tour took place partially on the bus with a few stops at places like the Lexington Battle Green, the North Bridge (known as the location of the “shot heard around the world”), the Old Manse, and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Louisa May Alcott and her family are buried.
After paying our respects on Author’s Ridge, it was time for our closing event — a Little Women tea party. Little did The Enchanted Book Club know that they were in for some surprises! As we sat down at our tables in dresses, floral tea cups in hand, I was internally counting down to 1:30pm for our first surprise: a special appearance by “Louisa May Alcott.”
At 1:30pm sharp, just as planned, I heard a knock on the door then tiptoed up the staircase. When I opened the door, there was Jan Turnquist (Executive Director of Orchard House) dressed in full 1800s attire, portraying Louisa May Alcott for us! Our guests were so delighted — watch the video below to see their reaction. For the next hour, “Louisa” told us fascinating stories about her life and enthusiastically answered our guests’ questions. It was truly enchanting.
Speaking of surprises, during the tea party one of our kindred spirits gave me the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received. If you follow me on Instagram or have tuned into The Enchanted Book Club’s Zoom interviews with authors, you may be familiar with my bookshelves. Pamela (@hickoryhollowcreations) hand made a replica of my bookshelves with the sweetest details. She included tiny replicas of The Enchanted Book Club’s reading selections, my typewriter, and even a passport on the Jane Austen shelf to commemorate the book club’s first trip to England.
I couldn’t help but be brought to tears by this gift that represents how The Enchanted Book Club came to be. I’m often asked how the book club began, and always explain that I started posting photos of my books and displays on Instagram. From there, I cultivated an audience of book lovers and wanted to create an enchanting experience for us. Without knowing it at the time, my bookshelves were the catalyst for The Enchanted Book Club…and without those shelves, I’m not entirely certain that 50 kindred spirits would have ever gathered in Concord for this literary adventure.
Next, it was time to announce that everyone would be going home with a souvenir: a beautiful edition of Little Women with a custom bookmark. As I was planning our Concord tour, I reached out to Union Square Publishing to see if they would be interested in gifting any books to our guests. They were so impressed and excited about our book club that they mailed 50 copies of Little Women directly to our hotel the day after I inquired! It was such a kind gesture of them. If you don’t already own their edition of Little Women, I know you’d love it. A hardcover with gilded pages and a ribbon marker, this edition adds a dash of magic to any bookshelf and also makes a lovely gift.
One of our kindred spirits, Isa Adney, is a writer and had the incredible opportunity to write IN Louisa May Alcott’s bedroom during our trip. It was a deeply inspiring experience for Isa which led to her writing a poem about our trip called “Easily Enchanted.” She read the poem at our tea party and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. You can watch Isa’s reading below:
Just when I thought there were no more surprises, The Enchanted Book Club gifted me a copy of Little Women and signed the end pages with personal notes. My heart could have burst. We were all so emotional! Here is a video of their surprise to me:
I will never be able to put into words what this community means to me. Every experience I create for The Enchanted Book Club, whether it’s virtual or in-person, comes directly from my heart to theirs. So, when they gave me a signed copy of Little Women, all I wanted to do is give that love right back to them. We concluded our tea with a book signing as I wrote a personal message in each of their Little Women books. We had one-on-one conversations, took pictures, shed tears, shared hugs, and relished in the rare kind of joy we had all experienced together.
When I use the term “kindred spirits” to describe The Enchanted Book Club, it isn’t just a reference to Anne of Green Gables. It is the truth. On this trip we had 50 women from all over North America, ages 20 to 70, nearly all of them complete strangers, come together to celebrate the part of their hearts that they all share. There were women who told me they felt understood and accepted for the first time in their lives, who found solace in the midst of grief, and who had hope that enchantment truly does exist all because of The Enchanted Book Club. I will forever be grateful to every member of our community. Whether you attended this trip in-person or followed along online, your support means more than I could ever say. I love you. I love you. I love you! And if you’d like to join The Enchanted Book Club, we would be so excited to have you – join us at: enchantedbookclub.com ❤️
What a beautiful end to your magical trip! Glad you all enjoyed it so much 🙂