What parts are biography? What parts fiction?

The Alcott family was a pretty interesting family. Louisa's father, Bronson, was a Transendentalist who formed a commune, was a peaceful vegetarian, a progressive educator, and he hung out with folks like Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. Little Women is BASED on the family but is not an exact biography.

I am curious to know which parts are true and which are not. Does the character Laurie have any basis in reality? Were the girls friendly with a neighbor boy?

I have been googling LM and Bronson to get a history. Apparently Amy is modeled after May (an anagram!) who met and married a wealthy European while she was abroad. And in real life Louisa never married. But the Alcotts had so many interesting friends, I just wonder who Laurie and his father actually were.

Come to think of it..I am curious too...I never thought of it that way...Maybe the characters were based on real life people but the situations were different.I don't know.

Geraldine Brooks has written a book 'March' taking up the story of the father and Marmee, which I thought very well written. In her afterword Geraldine discusses her research into the Alcott family and this may address some of your queries.

To my understanding, the character of Laurie was fictional, but the girls were all based on Alcott's sisters. Beth in particular was based on one of Alcott's sisters who died young.