In late 1875 Louisa May Alcott spent a winter in New York City. Her journals give a rough sketch of the people she met, the salons she attended and a few outings that she enjoyed. She intended to stay "until I am tired of it," but left abruptly in mid-January. Filled with biographical references to Louisa's family, New Yorkers of the time and Alcott's literary works, Only Gossip Prospers intertwines the real people...