DNF
This is a truly great book, but sadly I just cannot concentrate on it, maybe later I try to pick it up…

As I'm finding with a lot of the classics this is way too long! Cut it in half and it would be a really good book. I'm glad I've read it and it's definitely one of the better classics, just a little to long winded. My advice - watch the film!

Una historia conmovedora y enérgica que se mueve a través del tiempo, la pérdida, la ilusión y la madurez para funcionar no como adoctrinamiento moralizante sino como testimonio de la juventud y del pensar de una época.

Louisa May Alcott toma elementos de su propia vida y enredándolos con hilos de ficción teje una novela compleja, emotiva y profundamente viva cuya influencia no merma gracias a la profundidad de sus personajes y la honesta humanidad de los recorridos de sus mujercitas que lejos de poseer perfiles intangibles, borrosos y espíritus unidimensionales poseen una amalgama de virtudes, defectos, ambiciones y anhelos que las vuelven reales y verosímiles tiñendo de la misma autenticidad sus vínculos entre sí y con otros.

Las hermanas March representan cuatro personalidades abismalmente diferentes. Meg, la mayor, es prudente aunque vanidosa y vive atormentada por lo material que no posee. Jo, intrépida e intelectualmente inquieta, rehuye de su condición de mujer mientras persigue un sueño literario. Beth, descrita por todos como un ángel, es la encarnación de la bondad y la abnegación. Y Amy, la pequeña, resulta por momentos egoísta y ambiciosa aunque aprende a combatir sus defectos por medio de la misma singular lucha que se propone cada una de sus hermanas para tratar de crecer y ser mejor.

Pero nuestras mujercitas no están solas. La amistad con Laurie, un jovencito de una riqueza material muy superior a la suya pero prisionero de una imperturbable soledad hasta que las conoce, acaba influyendo y cambiando sus caminos tanto como ellas el de él. La amistad, el encaprichamiento juvenil, el verdadero amor y el afecto fraternal acaban matizando sus lazos en medio de una historia que nos permite acompañar sus dudas, su ingenuidad, sus fracasos y sus aciertos en un contexto que espera mucho de ellos y familiares que pretenden proveerlos con los elementos necesarios para iniciarse en un mundo que nunca será tan seguro o confortable como el hogar.

La autora nos lega una historia emotiva que no decae jamás en chantajes emocionales pese a no ser ajena a la tragedia y que permanece relevante incluso en una sociedad temporal y culturalmente distinta a aquella en la que fue concebida porque hay destellos inmortales en Meg, Jo, Beth y Amy que puedo y siempre podré ver en mí misma y todas las jóvenes mujeres que me son queridas.

after rereading this 57687 times, watching 2 of the movie adaptions AND reading a biography of the author i still think laurie & jo should have been endgame

To me this book is just a big neon highlighted literary exclamation mark defining how incredibly different I am from my mother. She loves this book. Really, really loves it....a lot. She always used to tell me how great she thought it was although, as a kid I somehow avoided reading it; mainly because at this point I was too busy dangling from a climbing frame by my ankles or stealing scrap wood from building sites in order to make dens and tree houses.

As it is prominently placed on the 1001 books list I thought, "What the hell I'll give it a go". Man oh man what an epic snooze fest. Less than twenty pages in I could feel my mind slowly shutting down. Was it through boredom? Or was I entering a diabetic coma because of the saccharine overload created by the sickly sweet world of Margaret, Jo, Beth and Amy? Anyway to avoid succumbing to said coma I threw the book as far away from me as I could and then chucked a blanket over it to ensure that I wouldn't be effected by the mind numbing dullness being exuded from between the covers.

I know that I risk howls of outrage at this lambasting of a much loved classic but this ticked no boxes for me. I am clearly dead inside.

The original edition of Little Women had two parts, the second part later came to be published separately and given the title Good Wives. The version I have read and am reviewing includes the second part and thus also Good Wives. Good Wives commences with chapter 24 and concludes with chapter 47, the final chapter of the book.

I definitely prefer Little Women over Good Wives. Since I am rating the entire book including both parts, I can only give it three stars, which means nevertheless that I do like it.

I like the simplicity of Louisa May Alcott´s prose. She states, “I like good strong words that mean something…” Her own words sum up succinctly how she writes. Secondly, the thoughts and sentiments expressed are wise and have a resonance that all will recognize. Such declarations of truths and morals are valuable and didactic but become preachy when used to excess. Unfortunately, this is what happens all too often here. Morals illustrated through behavior of the characters are more effective than those that are delivered through speech. Both methods are used in the novel. Put together, the sum total becomes too much. The dicta delivered become repetitive.

The novel is loosely biographical. Jo March, the second oldest of the four March sisters, mirrors the author. It is interesting to note that when Jo tries to get her stories published, they are criticized for being morality lessons, and thus in the novel, the author tackles head on this criticism. Writing sensational stories was not to her taste, but middle roads can be taken; one needs not choose only between two extremes.

Little Women focuses upon the four March children when they are young. Their father, a scholar and a minister, is serving as a chaplain with the Union Army. The story is set primarily in Boston during and immediately after the Civil War. The family has lost its former wealth when their father helped a family in debt. The story begins when the four sisters are respectively sixteen, fifteen, thirteen and twelve year of age. In Good Wives they have become young women—twenty, nineteen, seventeen and sixteen. In the former we observe a close-knit family led by a caring, loving and wise mother. There is no denying that the strong sense of family is refreshing. The girls are not saints, but this simply makes them human and characters one can easily relate to. The mother, on the other hand, has not a single fault. In my view, she need not have been drawn as a paragon. In Good Wives the focus shifts from young girls learning good behavior from their mother to young women taking wing, leaving home and ultimately finding a husband. The girls’ choice of husbands never rang true to me. I could reason with my head that each one’s respective choice could make sense, but I never felt the strength of budding love in the couples’ relationships. In Good Wives there are scenes abroad. The foreign settings are not well captured.

The four sisters’ respective personalities are extremely well drawn. All four of them come alive. They are not drawn in black and white.

While the book is primarily about these four sisters, their mother and later their husbands, there is also a very wealthy neighbor that lives next door. This is Mr. Laurence and his grandson, Laurie Lawrence. Laurie is sixteen at the start of the novel. The two Laurences run as a steady thread through the entire novel. Without them, the whole novel would fall flat. These two figures I liked a lot! Their role is however more captivating in little Women than in Good Wives.

There is humor written into the lines. There is a parrot that says the funniest things, but this is just one example of many. The humor is not blatant; you must think.

Barbara Caruso narrates the audiobook. I have given her performance a four star rating. The reading is clear, easy to follow and not over-dramatized. I liked it a lot.

**********************

Hospital Sketches 3 stars
Little Women 3 stars

***FIRST ALL TIME FAVOURITE read in 2024***

Thinking about the number of books I DNFed before picking up this book, I was so sure that this book will be either one of the DNFs or will actually surprise me. Guess which one it is!

I, for sure, can say that this story is not fictional. The characters are too real and the way they are talking is more realistic than most nonfiction books/memoirs. Yes, you can try it for yourself if you haven’t read this book yet.

There are two parts of Little Women. I have chosen the complete one to read and yes, I think I have done the right thing as now I am an adult who accepts people and situations as they are. Because if I weren’t, I would just be happy reading the first part. If you want an happy ending to the story, I would suggest you to read the first part ONLY. It has 23 chapters and it has a very wholesome happy ending. The young girls and their mother struggled a lot as their father is away at war. However, everything comes together towards the end and everyone’s content. The characters and the reader too I am saying. Yes, until this part can be considered as a whole complete book.

If you are someone like me who just doesn’t need the fluff and happy endings when we know the characters are struggling as much as they are realistic, I would totally recommend you read the second part as well.

You will cry for one character. And then, the dam breaks and you will cry for every character in the book thinking about this character.

The second part of the book has some heavy trigger regarding loss of family and grief. I got triggered as I wasn’t expecting it and I had a difficult time completing the book as and when it happened.

I would tell you not to pick up Little Women just because it is widely read or popular and it is so many people’s favourite. But read it when you want to read something realistic, ugly or beautiful when it comes to real life and if you want to feel connected with someone whose priorities change as we grow up and grow older.

Even though I expected to like this book when I read it, I never thought the book would turn out like how it is. Guess I was pretty ignorant regardless of how many people have discussed about it for decades now. I stuck with my reading values and haven’t even tried to know what the book is about even though it was everywhere! This has made all the difference I feel!


I cannot choose a favourite character as I find all the characters pretty realistic and well written. However, I would love to know more about Meg and Beth. The first and the third sisters.

The book is mostly from the perspectives of Jo and Amy, the second and the fourth sisters.

Their personalities are so different yet so similar in how straightforward and realistic they are.

I love their mother so much. She’s the perfect comforting soft character who everyone can rely on but she’s also someone who demands love and respect at the same time. I wish there are more parts featuring the father. This is the only character which seems somehow fictional in the entire book.

(Am I writing an essay here?!!!! I didn’t want to yet I want to say so much!!!!!)

Coming to the love interest, as much as we do not want them to be realistic and boring (yes, I mentioned it!), the guy seems to be pretty clueless when it comes to what Jo means when she’s pretty expressive of what she says or does when it comes to the relationship (yes, she is the main character when it comes to the romance parts yet she isn’t there when it comes to this part, if you know what I mean!). I can relate so much with her when she says those words expressing herself clearly and what she feels about the guy TO THE GUY.

I love this book more so because of the honest ways the characters express themselves. There’s no room for misunderstandings or miscommunication. This I truly appreciate.

(Damn I am tired typing all this and trying to breath easier with all the emotional damage the book did to me with its last few hundred pages… I will continue when I get better)

1868?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! I don’t read things like this NOW!! The topics they broach. The candor. The AUDACITY.
Joe and Marmee are queens and I won’t hear a single slander on their names.
This is going down as one of the only classics that has both touched my heart and captured my curiosity. I was enthralled with this family of women while they just lived their daily lives. How did Louisa May Alcott do it?
Joe is transcendent. We don’t see characters like her in our modern times, much less in the 1800s. I’m so impressed and happy to have read this.
A favorite for sure.

This is a beautiful classic embedding everlasting wisdom whilst it allows its reading enthusiasts participate in the joyous as well as sorrowful moments of four sisters.

Elaborating the emotional process of becoming adults, the book inevitably holds a mirror that reflects one’s personal growth.

I have come across that most of my bookish friends identify themselves with Jo. First, I was also convinced that her character is aimed for me until I realised that I may have elements of every sister depending on the situation I face.

Cheers to all who pave the way for others to make their own choices in life!

Btw: I have just watched the screen adaptation with Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst and Christian Bale. Quite a neat movie, but it would have been dull, if I hadn’t read the book.

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This classic that so many have loved over the years, many having read it as young girls, is somehow one that I never read until now. It’s a lovely story, and I wonder how I would have felt about it, had I read it when I was younger. Like so many readers, Jo, the lover of books, the writer, is my favorite, a woman before her time, exhibiting independence and a desire for more in her life. It’s a coming of age story in so many ways as we see Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy develop over the years, each realizing their flaws and wanting to be better as they become women. They are guided by their mother, Marmee, who raises them alone for a a while during hard times while her husband is off doing his part in the Civil War. Had I read this years ago, I’m not sure I would have been as perceptive to the other things this story depicts - the societal norms of the time and the time itself, during and after the Civil War. Overall, even though it felt a bit old fashioned given when it was written and the time frame it covers, there are universal and timeless messages about the bonds of family, morality and love. It was an uplifting story that I’m glad I finally got to. I’m looking forward to the upcoming movie. I just couldn’t see it without having read the book.

(Book 863 from 1001 books) - Little Women (Little Women #1), Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), which was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.

Alcott wrote the books over several months at the request of her publisher.

Following the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy— the novel details their passage from childhood to womanhood and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters.

زنان کوچک - نویسنده: لوئییز می آلکوت، انتشاراتیها (علمی فرهنگی، درنا، جامی، صفیعلیشاه، نهال نویدان، جانزاده، قدیانی بنفشه، خرداد، دبیر اکباتان، امیرکبیر کتابهای جیبی، افق، زبان مهر، پیام سحر، پنجره)، ادبیات آمریکایی سده نوزدهم میلادی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و نهم ماه سپتامبر سال 1998میلادی

عنوان: زنان کوچک؛ نویسنده: لوئییز می آلکوت؛ مترجم: شهیندخت رئیس زاده؛ تهران، علمی فرهنگی، 1369؛ در 447ص؛ چاپ سوم 1374؛ شابک9644457757؛ چاپ چهارم 1385؛ چاپ پنجم 1388؛ چاپ ششم 1393؛ شابک 9786001210532؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 19م

مترجم: تهمینه مهربانی؛ تهران، درنا، 1374؛ در 160ص؛ شابک 9646105122؛ چاپ دوم و سوم 1374؛ چهارم 1375؛ پنجم 1376؛

مترجم: فریده ملک الکلامی؛ تهران، جامی، 1374؛ در 127ص؛

مترجم: امیرمحمود فخردایی؛ تهران، صفیعلیشاه، 1374؛ در 179ص؛

مترجم: شکوفه اخوان؛ تهران، نهال نویدان، 1375؛ در 160ص؛ شابک 9645680182؛ چاپ دوم 1380؛ چاپ 1392؛ شابک 9789645680563؛ در 184ص؛

مترجم: جلیل دهمشکی؛ تهران، جانزاده، 1375؛ در 160ص؛

مترجم: فرزین مروارید؛ تهران، قدیانی بنفشه، 1376؛ در 351ص؛ شابک 9644171527؛ چاپ دوم 1380؛ چاپ پنجم 1388؛ چاپ نهم 1393؛ شابک 9789644171529؛

مترجم: هانیه اعتصام؛ تهران، خرداد، 1381؛ در 88ص؛ شابک 9646465072؛

مترجم: سپهر حاجتی؛ تهران، دبیر اکباتان، 1388؛ در 58ص؛ شابک 9789642621866؛ چاپ سوم 1388؛ چهارم 1389؛

مترجم: محمد میرلو؛ تهران، امیرکبیر کتابهای جیبی، 1389؛ در 150ص؛ شابک 9789643032128؛

مترجم: کیوان عبیدی آشتیانی؛ تهران، افق، 1389؛ در 489ص؛ شابک 9789643696627؛ چاپ پنجم 1392؛ چاپ ششم 1393؛

مترجم: مریم دستوم؛ تهران، زبان مهر، 1391؛ در 168ص؛ شابک 9786009007059؛

مترجم: فرزانه عسگری پور؛ تهران، پیام سحر، 1393؛ در 114ص؛ شابک 9786009400164؛

مترجم: بیتا ابراهیمی؛ تهران، پنجره، 1394؛ در 176ص؛

داستان در مورد زندگی چهار خواهر «مگی، بزرگترین دختر خانواده»، «جو، شخصیت محوری داستان»، «بتی، دختر سوم» و «ایمی» کوچکترین دختر خانواده ی «مارچ» است، که با الهام از زندگی واقعی نویسنده، با سه خواهرش نوشته شده‌ است

جلد نخست، «زنان کوچک»، به اندازه‌ ای موفق بود، که نوشتن جلد دوم با عنوان «همسران خوب» را موجب شد

هشدار: اگر میخواهید کتاب را خود بخوانید ادامه ی ریویو ماجرا را بازگویی میکند

خانواده ی «مارچ»؛ پیشترها، پولدار بوده‌ اند، ولی اکنون وضعیت خوبی ندارند، و پدرشان، برای یاری به سربازان وطن، به جنگ رفته، و آن‌ها کوشش می‌کنند، زندگی خود را اداره کرده، و در کنارش، به مردمان نیازمند نیز، یاری برسانند؛ آن‌ها زندگی دشواری دارند، ولی از یکدیگر پشتیبانی می‌کنند، و ماجراهایی برایشان پیش می‌آید؛

در کتاب دوم، «لاری» نوه ی همسایه ی آنها، عاشق «جو» می‌شود، و «جو» هم که این موضوع را فهمیده، کوشش می‌کند از او دوری کند؛ ولی یکروز وقتی برای قدم زدن به بیرون می‌روند، «لاری» درخواست خود را به زبان می‌آورد، و از «جو» می‌خواهد با او ازدواج کند؛ «لاری» به «جو» می‌گوید، که از نخستین لحظه ‌ای که او را دیده‌، عاشقش شده است، «جو» درخواست او را رد می‌کند، و به او می‌گوید، که با وجود اینکه سعی کرده‌، ولی نتوانسته عاشق «لاری» باشد؛ «لاری» افسرده، به همراه پدربزرگ خود، به اروپا می‌رود، و در آنجا با «ایمی» دیدار می‌کند، و چون «ایمی» با او مهربان بوده، عاشق «ایمی» می‌شود (و می‌فهمد که هیچ زنی برای او بهتر از «ایمی» پیدا نمی‌شود حتی «جو») و «ایمی» هم عاشق او می‌شود با او ازدواج می‌کند؛ «بت» بیمار می‌شود ولی از مرگ نمی‌ترسد، و شجاعانه با بیماری روبرو می‌شود، و سرانجام می‌میرد؛ «جو» که از مرگ خواهر خود بسیار اندوهگین شده‌، کتابی به نام «بتِ من» می‌نویسد، و آن را برای دوست خود پروفسور می‌فرستد؛ پروفسور با خواندن کتاب عاشق «جو» می‌شود، و «جو» هم با وجود اینکه به «لاری» گفته هرگز ازدواج نمی‌کند، عاشق پروفسور می‌شود، و وقتی پروفسور پس از ازدواج «ایمی» و «لاری» به «آمریکا» می‌آید، «جو» را دیدار می‌کند، و سرانجام به او می‌گوید که دوستش دارد، و آن‌ها نیز با هم ازدواج می‌کنند؛ «مگ» صاحب دوقلو، و «جو» هم صاحب دو پسر می‌شود، و «ایمی» هم صاحب یک دختر زیبا می‌شود؛ و اینگونه است که داستان عشق و عاشقی پایان می‌یابد؛ این فراموشکار دلبسته به داستانهای ماندگار سده های پیشین هستم، هربار آن داستانها را بخوانم لبخنده ای بر چهره ام مینشیند و برنمیخیزد

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 02/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 24/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

MY FOREVER DRUG !

I prefer sitting all snug and warm with my hot-coffee mug and reading through the adventures of the adorable March family.

March family is like a bower of evergreen prolific climbers (with a never give-up attitude), bearing four idiosyncratic perennial flowers (the March Sisters), each having a distinct fragrance of their own.

Anyone can be easily beguiled by their charm, I am smitten ! (esp. Jo). Each has idiosyncratic talents and characteristics. Love for the family keeps them bonded.

One can find shelter in this bower anytime to relax and rejuvenate.

Unambiguously, it is saccharine, endearing, professing principles of Christianity, oozing out tons of gratefulness, solidarity, respect and above all heart-touching sisterhood (for someone like me without siblings, March sisters helped me to live this experience virtually!)

Whenever the 4 March Sisters - Jo, Beth, Amy, Meg called out their mother as "Marmee", I was engulfed with heart-wrenching emotions. Marmee afterall !

The girls aren't complaint boxes about any resistances in life but steer through all the predicaments with a cheerful disposition and childlike spirit.

The novel begins with the sisters sitting crestfallen, pondering about their circumstances, yet aiming to brighten up their Christmas. Planning to buy gifts for each other, which finally narrows down to buying for their Marmee, this novel is all about sharing and living lovingly.

Mr. Laurence, their neighbor invites the girls for the New Year's Party, where Jo ( my fav. character, afterall she is in love with books) meets Laurie (another fav of mine , high-spirited and mischievous in company of the March sisters) who ends up falling in love with one of the sisters (leaving it to the audience to discover). There is so much more to this novel, can't capture the superfluous information in a small review.

The sisters traverse through various adventures and vicissitudes of life with calmness and dignity. Best part of the plot is that none of the sisters is supercilious.

The novel ends on a happy note, where everyone is busy counting their blessings.

Warning - This book is infused with a heavy dose of morality.