Louisa May Alcott, a transcendentalist feminist of ambivalent sexual orientation and the author of sensational novels, is asked by her publisher to write a book for girls; she's like eh, that sounds super lame, but she does it anyway, "in record time for money," and here we are.

What's startling about Little Women given the intro I just gave it, and the reason it worked then and still works now, is its absolute sincerity. There's not a trace of sarcasm in the entire thing; it remains a sweet-natured book full of nice people doing nice things.

Another way to say all that is, of course, "corny," and it is that too. You know how sometimes you re-read a beloved book as an adult and realize there was much more going on under the surface than you caught when you were younger? Well, this is not one of those books. It's utterly straight-forward.

The life lessons given here are basically still sound. Alcott recommends marrying for love; she's not against a woman being the primary breadwinner. In a very gentle, nonthreatening way, she's true to her feminism, and you'll find nothing truly objectionable for your child. A lot of God stuff, so your mileage may vary on that. These were probably the last women on earth to read shitty old Pilgrim's Progress.

Our lead character, Jo, and our semi-autobiographical one, bums me out a little; if you don't mind spoilers, here's why. Alcott never married. While there apparently was a Laurie for her, of sorts, there was not a Bhaer, and it shows: Bhaer is a totally unreal character. He's the husband equivalent of Steve Carrell describing boobs as sandbags in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

There was a moment when Jo turned Laurie down and it looked like she was going to become a single author, and I really liked that, even before I learned that that was what Alcott actually did. But Alcott sortof copped out on her own life, I think, marrying Jo off to this neutered Casaubon, and it stuck in my throat a bit.

Little Women has neither subtlety nor malice; it succeeds purely because of Louisa May Alcott's sheer charisma. It was, is and probably always will be a very pleasant book.

This is a classic that has never appealed from the title, cover and few reviews I have read of it over the years. A story a year in the lives of the four March sisters, the oldest being 16 and the youngest being 12 told in a style. A bildungsroman loosely based on the lives of the writer and her three sisters with numerous nods to and references to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. The work is seen as more or less the seminal Young Adult book as being pretty much the first to merge sentimental and romantic themes into a work for children. It was a roaring commercial and critical success from the off!

On completing this book I read a number of online reviews and was not surprised to find out that it is generally accepted that this depicts an idealised version of Alcott's youth and is actually seen as one of the core roots of the idea of an 'all-American girl'. The book does have an almost fairy tale like feel, but the writer still manages to build some impressive characterisations as well as lots of pulling of heartstrings. In the context of when it was written, it's overall pleasing message which although likening domesticity and the search for true love as core goals for young women , also has surprisingly strong pro-woman themes set around the strength of the mother and sense of the power and importance of female/sister kinship it's well worth the 7 out of 12, Three Stars I give it :)

2022 read

Alexa, play “Champagne Problems” by Taylor Swift.

2 stars
DNF @65%

I genuinely tried liking Little Women, especially since I loved Greta Gerwig's movie. It just didn't work for me. I was so utterly bored. I tried continuing thinking that I will like it because it is such a loved novel that has so many people in love with the characters and such. But I can't get through this. I want to move onto something that I actually will enjoy.

Alcott's novel will be enjoyed by people who like feminist themes in their novels. In my opinion this was just so meh. So unenjoyable. I know that back when this was first published this would have been mind-boggling, but as I don't live back then and don't really have an interest in learning the ideologies of the time, I just kind of gave up.

One thing that I did find interesting was everyone's hate for Amy. Why does everyone hate Amy?? If the novel only focused on her, I think I would have enjoyed it much more. She was so interesting. I loved seeing her progression from being a little girl to becoming womanly and being punched in the face with reality. I know that she burned Jo's manuscript, but Jo is basically a terrible sister to Amy for no reason. I know she gets Laurie in the end, but it isn't her fault that Laurie fell in love with her. So yeah. I am an Amy fan.

I don't have much to say about this novel. It didn't really evoke much emotion in me, so I am not able to go as in-depth as I usually like to. If you are looking for a classic that I think is a better pick if you are looking for themes about growing up please read The Catcher in the Rye, I loved this one.

i just bought this one and i'm excited, yay me

WORDS AREN'T ENOUGH TO EXPRESS MY LOVE FOR THIS BOOK.

Crisp, gloomy days and this book: best combo ever.

That being said, I didn’t give it five stars, though I was adamant to add it to my favorite's shelf after reading the opening chapter. And it can be for the fact that I watched its movie beforehand and so the urge to know what happens next was nowhere to be found.

This book is all about sisterhood and their journey from being little girls to poise ladies. Each sister has unique traits and life tests them all with love and sorrow. But no matter what happens, their mother is always there for them to act as the guiding light in the dark path.

Reading this book made me long for sisters — I only have a younger brother — so that I can have quarrels and gossip sessions with them all day long. Though growing up, my brother was forced to give me company while I played with Barbies and Dollhouses. And sometimes I made him wear make-up and hairbands, too, when I got bored. Ah, those precious childhood memories ❤

i can tell this become my favorite classic book besides all classics books of the queen of classics books Jane Austin , and u can see a lot of classic word here :D

Please note that this review covers the second half of "Little Women" that is often published separately as "Good Wives".

✒️Oh goodness, how to review Little Women? I think the strongest testament to show my love for this story is that I have enjoyed it countless times, both as a book and some of the (many) film adaptations and I have never tired of it. Each time it continues to mean a great deal to me.
I want to watch more of the film versions, as I enjoy seeing the different takes on the story. While I do look forward to seeing the latest by Greta Gerwig, it's the 1949 version I am most interested in -- I so want to see Elizabeth Taylor as Amy. All the stills that I have seen match very well with my mental image of that character.

The 1994 version is the one I have watched the most, and it is also through watching it that I discovered that Little Women (the book) is often split into two halves. I watched the first half of that movie happily, and the jump forward in time and the events that followed utterly shocked me! To learn there was more to the story than I had realised was both exciting and terrible, because I was completely unprepared for poor Beth's fate. Claire Danes has the ability to make me cry in almost anything, but here I sat and sobbed with alarming intensity. I still struggle with that scene. With Beth in general, because I tend to love her too much, and always find it difficult when the time comes.

For the most part, I consider this to be a perfect book. Somehow it works, even when it feels a little heavy on the lessons and morals. I enjoy the discussions on religion, even if I don't always agree with them. I love getting this beautiful insight into America from so long ago. As well as an entertaining story, it's a great history lesson. In the entire book, there is only one sentence that I could have done without:
"Haughty English, lively French, sober Germans, handsome Spaniards, ugly Russians, meek Jews, free-and-easy Americans..." --- the generalisations for each country are a little annoying, but it's the descriptions of Russians and Jews that I find most bothersome. While the book mentions often the many good points of America and being American, this is one of the few times when that attitude feels xenophobic, rather than a display of pride for the place one is from. However, this is the only line that really got under my skin in this way. Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, or reading too much into it, but I couldn't quite let it go as I read on.

I liked listening to the author sing the praises of her home country, and felt I learned a lot from those descriptions, even if I didn't exactly share her enthusiasm for them. For the most part the things she talks so fondly of lacked appeal, not because of their American-ness, but because of the time period. For all that I appreciated that the girls were able to work, I cannot see the characters as having the kind of freedom they sometimes think they do. They are still heavily constrained by circumstance and gender. Jo and Amy of course provide a fascinating insight into these restraints, and the ambition they each show makes for informative and insightful reading.

"But, you see, Jo wasn't a heroine, she was only a struggling human girl like hundreds of others, and she just acted out her nature, being sad, cross, listless, or energetic, as the mood suggested."

Of course I love Jo, as so many do. But I also feel like Amy doesn't always get her share of the praise. Yes, she does a terrible thing by burning Jo's manuscript, but she was a child, and families are full of contrasting personalities that don't always get along but love each other anyway. Her character growth was much more interesting to me this time around than I ever remember it being before. She strives for so much, and grows into a rather likeable, only slightly vain, young woman. I think I like her more with each read.

Jo will always be my favourite I think, but I also realised this time around that aside from a love of books and writing, I have little in common with her. I admire her brashness, her way of defying convention and expectations, how she manages to not care about the things that don't matter (most of the time anyway) but I don't really share these qualities. I can see why Katharine Hepburn was such a good Jo -- there are a lot of similarities between character and actress. With both, I see a figure I like, and am drawn to, but not one I want to emulate.

Beth I've already covered a bit, but I do love her. I can relate to her timidity, and also the moments when she can be unexpectedly bold. The chapter Beth's Secret had me in tears, as did her death. It always does, and even though I now know to expect it, I am never ready for it.

Meg is a sweet girl that I can never quite invest in as much as her three sisters. I did find her yearning to have more, to not be poor, to have pretty dresses and an easier life completely understandable, but of the quartet, she is the one who most wants to be a wife and mother, and I am less drawn to that. I did appreciate the chapter where she struggles to find the balance between giving attention to her children without completely ignoring her husband, something that I'm sure will always be a tricky thing to manage, to those that it applies to, but I can't say I love her as I love the others. I like what she brings to the family, and I appreciate her placid kindness and her devotion to her family, but that's about it.

I adore dear Laurie, but I've never felt he was right for Jo. I know that many people vehemently disagree with me here, as they have every right to do, but I just can't see them as a married couple. I think he is much more suited to Amy. He and Jo are a good pair, but not in a romantic sense. It's a big leap from friendship to marriage, and I think the fears Jo relays to her mother all make perfect sense.

As is probably clear, I much prefer Jo's Professor. I'm very taken with him and heartily approve of their marriage. I think he understands Jo in a way that Laurie doesn't and he is my favourite of all the suitors. If I had to marry any of the husbands of the March sisters, I would pick him in a heartbeat. I know Laurie is young and handsome and rich, but he isn't the Professor.

This novel is a delight to read over the Christmas period. There is the obvious reason--the lovely Christmas scenes, but I also found that during the busyness of the holidays, this was a peaceful retreat from a time of year that I tend to find a bit stressful and overwhelming. As ever I can't help envying the winter scenes depicted-- I associate snow with Christmas, though I have never experienced it! It's nice to read about chilly weather when the days are stifling hot and drag on an hour or two too long.

I want to read more about Louisa May Alcott and the writing of her timeless novel. I have a few books related to the topic on my to-read shelf, but have yet to obtain copies. I will aim for 2021 in regards to this, but it's a loose goal as my list of books to buy is always well beyond my means! I will be reading the next two books in this series for the first time very soon and look forward to them. Whether they will become favourites as well remains to be seen, but Little Women continues to hold up as well as ever, and I will likely return to it many more times in the future.

I was considering writing a lengthy review for this novel, but I just can’t find the words to express how much I enjoyed this.

❤️

Some classics come with a shelf life and feel like a relic of the past if read beyond their era.

Some classics are dated but still enjoyable as the values they espouse are timeless.

This one is firmly in category two. Many of the ideas might not be as relevant today, almost 155 years after its first publication. But the characters are still appealing, the writing still attractive, and the themes, still satisfying.

Jo and Beth are still my strong favourites, as are Laurie and Prof. Bhaer. This reread has been as much of a treat as expected.

Not gonna change my rating – this entire series is my firm favourite.  



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I can't believe I never read this book or at least an abridged version in my childhood. So I jumped at the chance to read along with Lisa's group.

I chose to listen to the audio because when it comes to the classics I find it easier to follow along. Sometimes the wording makes it difficult for me to concentrate on the story. Not so with this book. It is written beautifully. I had no problem following along.

What can I say that hasn't been said about this book? It's a treasure of a story!! I'm fascinated at just how much parts of this book was ahead of it's time.

I loved the message! I enjoyed Part 1 (which was the original Little Women story) just a little bit more than Part 2.

Thanks for inviting me to read along Lisa. I've enjoyed reading along (and could not help but finish early) and discussing it with the group. I'm so glad that I can finally say I've read the book!!