This story is about a demimondaine (a mistress-for-hire) named Marguerite Gautier. She leads a glamorous life, which is already crumbling when the story begins. The title "Camille" is taken from the original french title "La Dame aux camelias".

This novel was far ahead of it's time.
The story begins over a decade before the Civil War begins. In a time when most young women waited at home for Mr. Right to appear, the orphaned Christie goes out to earn a living. Among other jobs, she tries acting, working as a maid & governess, & sewing.
This book is a window into how Victorians looked at single women, insanity, & "fallen" women.
This is my favorite Alcott book & one you should read.

I loved this book as a child, & I was delighted to find it here. This is a coming-of-age tale as well as a love story.
Freckles is a "nameless" (i.e. supposedly illegitimate) boy looking for a place to belong & an identity of his own rather than the "poor damaged foundling" one he's grown up with.
I remembered this as a lovely story; in rereading it I discovered that Gene Stratton Porter was "green"; trying to warn against destroying wilderness areas & fighting against Irish stereotypes prevalent at the time.
Saying that, sometimes people want to read "just a nice story" & this is a fine one.