Katy Carr is untidy, tall and gangling and lives with her brothers and sisters planning for the day when she will be "beautiful and beloved, and amiable as an angel". An accidental fall from a swing seems to threaten her hopes for the future, but Katy struggles to overcome her difficulties with pluck, vitality and good humour. About the Author Susan Coolidge was born Sarah Chauncy Woolsey in Ohio State. Her family had close connections with Yale which was and remains a university of great prestige. Like Alcott, she based her characters on herself and her family, with Katy representing Coolidge herself. She did not marry, but instead spent her time writing and enjoying social events. She is also notable for editing the correspondence between Jane Austen and Fanny Burney.