"Little Women" is one of my very favorite books. It was a book that my grandmother read to my mom, then she read to my sister and me. Barbara claims that it is the book that made her fall in love with reading. As a little girl, I remember wanting to be part of that large clan of women. Now, as
I reread this book to my own children, I am falling in love with these characters all over again.

i’m sorry i didn’t like it that much

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Galentine's Day is right around the corner...so why not curl up with a good book? Check out my latest n  n    BooktTube Video n  n - all about five fabulous books on female friendship!

n  The Written Reviewn

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n  “Don't try to make me grow up before my time…”n

The March sisters may be radically different but they all have one thing in common - love.

Their love for their mother and father, their love for adventure and for each other unites them in this troubled time.

The Civil War is afoot and all the sisters can do is think about their father away and in battle. Their mother tries to distract them but often she can barely distract herself.

Jo, a radical tomboy and aspiring author - rallies her family with her amusing plays and scribbles.

n  I like good strong words that mean something…n

Meg, the beautiful sister, often puts her family first and holds them together when her mother cannot.

n  You don’t need scores of suitors. You need only one… if he’s the right one.n

Amy, the youngest, was spoiled as a child and oh my, it shows. But even she can rally when life looks darkest.

n  I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.n

Beth, sweet and good-natured, valiantly cheers on her sisters but her frail health often keeps her at the sidelines.

n  There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping...n

The sisters must face hardships their New England home.

They must face things that they never would have thought possible.

But, even in the darkest of times, n  they will have each other.n And that is most important of all.

n  Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.n

This is probably my fifth or sixth time through and yes, I am totally going to read it again.

There's just something about this book that's absolutely gorgeous and timeless.

I love the sisters and their relationships with each other - I see so much of myself and my cousins with their day-to-day interactions.

Jo, the darling, is the perfect mix of strength and fear. Watching her grow from a brash girl to confident young woman just makes my heart happy.

n  You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone.n

And the message of the book! Ahh. My heart. So full.

It often feels like the messages from books in the mid 1800s are saccharine sweet or so heavy-handed with their themes that they're ridiculous. (Just look at the later Anne of Green Gables if you'd like an example!)

But this one had just the right mixture of loving family + religion + life lessons. It was beautifully balanced.

n  Be worthy love, and love will come.n

That being said, I do absolutely hate that  Beth has to die.

I swear, every time I reread this series, I practically rediscover that fact (my brain is incredibly good at selective memory-ing those sorts of things)...which makes it awful all the more.

Oh, and am I the only one who's still bitter over who Jo ends up with? This book may have been published in 1868 but this is my hill and I WILL DIE ON IT!

But don't let that spoil your interpretation - this book is truly wonderful. I love it.

Audiobook Comments
Read by Kate Reading - can I just take a moment for us all to appreciate the the narrator is Kate Reading? Her last name is absolute perfection.

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When I was a kid I started reading this book and never finished it. I’ve seen no less than five film and/or television adaptations of this book, the 90’s version one I grew up on and loved. I adore the 2019 version, and June Allyson and Katharine Hepburn playing Jo are just magical.

I begin every new year by reading a classic book, and I decided it was time I finally finish Little Women once and for all. And after reading it, I can see why I quit when I was young. They put all of the good parts of the book in the films, and everything else was dull as tombs. Almost 500 pages and some of it so tedious and uninteresting, it broke my heart!!

I will always have love for this story, will read and watch any spinoffs or adaptations of this story. But this is one of the very rare cases where I think the films are better than the book.

I wanted to reread this story since another movie has been recently released based on this book, and also because I forgot what it was about since I read it in 1972. I began rereading my old copy that I bought when I was in Grade 4, and after comparing it with the ebook version my daughter was reading, I realized that my modern abridged edition, published in 1955, was pretty much cut in half, with only 283 pages. Several phrases, sentences, paragraphs and even whole chapters were omitted! Therefore, I purchased the latest edition (published 2019 with a cover depicting the actresses from the latest movie). Needless to say, a lot of questions were now answered!

Overall, one has to be mindful that this story was first published in 1868 (over 150 years ago), so language, thoughts, mores and behaviors were quite different then than they are today. I suppose readers back then would have found this book to be quite forward-thinking. As for myself, I found this book to be, in a word, charming. Even the "sex scene" between Meg and John was alluded to with such delicacy that you could miss it if you weren't paying close attention. And even though I remembered that Beth dies, I still had tears in my eyes while reading the touching prose describing her death.

If you are interested in reading classic literature, put this book on your "To Read" list!

2017 update: I reread this as it was the Austentatious book for June and July! I didn't love it as much as I did the first time I read it, but I am glad I got to revisit the story. (Also, this time I Amy was my favorite character?)

Book 12/100 for 2015
I had to read this book for my Children's Lit class and I loved it! We've done a lot of discussion which has really opened my mind to new things in the book and made me love it even more. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into classics as it's a children's book (so easy to read) but also there are fantastic characters (except Amy, I really hate Amy).

Look, I'm going to be brutally honest here: I read this when I was about 10 and I quite enjoyed it. But reading it at the age of 33? OH MY GOD, THIS WAS THE MOST SACCHARINE SWEET, INTOLERABLE TWADDLE I'VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF READING.

All four of the girls are so ridiculously perfect that even when they make the tiny little mistakes that are painted as monumental fuck ups in the book, they're instantly fixed with a sweet smile or a sermon from their mother about women needing to control their anger, or remembering how NICE it is to be poor.

As the girls get older, they become slightly less insufferable but I gave zero fucks about any of their romantic relationships and I just wanted Beth to hurry up and die because she was so perfect and so insufferable and I kind of wanted to punch her in the face.

So. This is really a one star book that gets an extra star because Jo was actually a half way decent character most of the time and up until a certain point in the story, I had a very nice asexual Jo March headcanon going on.

I hated this book.

I can't even begin to go into all the reasons I dislike this novel. It's dull and preachy through out most of it--aside from Jo who is a truly inspired character. But everyone else seems one note, most of the chapters come off as morality plays than solid scenes or plots. And just when Miss Alcott has something seemingly interesting she breaks it for no other reason than to do something.

Whether its the pairing of Amy and Laurie (huh?), the point made CONSTANTLY that Beth's life isn't useless because she is an angel and showed them that angels do exist and is a total Mary Sue(Really? Cause I'm glad she died before I died of boredom), the forced pairing of Jo and the Professor (Why? I mean--really... Just keep her single) there is also the message that pursing art is selfish. (Jo giving up her writing, Laurie gives up his music, Amy gives up her sketching...)

It's not a message I expected--this book is always lauded as one that has inspired countless girls... To do what? Because outside of Jo's sipirt I dont really see much to aspire to in this tsory? The overall message seems to be that as a good Christian one should sacrifice being an artist, being in love with who you want and any hope of independence...

It's not because I'm from the modern era that I dislike this book. (Or that I'm an adult reading it.) If you look at other works being done in the same time period you will see that there were stories with less moralizing being done--including by Miss Alcott herself. I was just really disappointed

Little Women is the story of March girls - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and spans from their teens to adulthood, matrimony, and motherhood. Modeled after her family, Alcott weaves a charming story with a truthful and accurate account of human characters and human relationships. This realistic approach so sincerely done has captured the hearts of millions of readers across the globe and throughout centuries to become one of the most enduring classics.

These four sisters are very different from each other. But the sisterly love and the family bond, firmly instilled in their hearts by their wise and kind mother, makes them close and united. The girls are not perfect; they have their virtues as well as flaws. But the readers fall in love with them because they feel real. Their characters develop through the book and once carefree girls become responsible and dutiful “little women”. I first read this in my teens and loved Jo more than others. Her tomboyish ways resembled me and I found a comrade in her. But this time around, I can safely say that I learned to love them all, though a slight partially remains for Jo.

Although the story mainly revolves around the March girls, Little Women is not a “girlish” book. It is rather a “domestic” book full of morals and life lessons. The insightful advice which is thrown throughout really does benefit the reader of any age. Most of these things were overlooked in my first read, for I took it for a mere romance. But the depth of the book pleasantly surprised me this time around.

In all my love for March girls, I shouldn’t forget their “dashing young neighbour”, Laurie. This headstrong, quick-tempered, and moody boy added the much-needed male contrast to the dominating female characters. As was with the girls, the author takes care to develop Laurie’s character too from the willful boy to a patient and responsible young man.

In my first read, I was disappointed that Laurie and Jo were not as united as I hoped. But after this read, I feel Alcott did right by coupling Laurie with Amy and Jo with Professor Bhaer. Overall I believe Alcott matched the couples well taking in to consideration their vibrant personalities.

With its beautiful prose, charming story, realistic and compelling characters, Little Women is a complete work in itself. Even with my disappointment, I remember liking this book very much. However, this second read clearly showed what a rare piece of classic this book is; and I couldn’t help but fall in love with it deeply and dearly.

Two years ago, I read the first part of this novel and quite liked it. The March family consists of the most endearing characters, and I had fun reading about the four sisters and their growing up.
However, it wasn't until recently that I realized that I had yet to read the second part, which I set out to do. It was so great being back with these sisters and follow them in their future adventures, and I must say that I actually find the second part the strongest. It contains hopes and disappointments equally balanced, and it made me long to read even more about the four sisters (which part one didn't necessarily do).
This is a beautiful, moralizing story that we can all learn from. It speaks of how the world would be a much better place if we all lives according to Mrs. March's beliefs and education, and it makes for a wonderful story on growing up and being part of a family.

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Updated 8/26/2016 - Update at end

So, this is going to be my most confusing review to date and I am going to need some help from people who read this, so please reply if you know! (see below)

I read this for my Completest Book Club. I am glad I did because it is a classic I hear about all the time. If you take the Never-ending Book Quiz on Goodreads, it seems like every other question is about Little Women. While for me this book was just okay, I can see why it is a classic and enjoyed by many.

My confusion is this. I am only about 50% of the way through my audio copy of Little Women. As I was posting my status update last night I was noticing some comments that led me to believe I am now in what is considered the second book "Good Wives". My audiobook does not say anything, other than that I am in Part 2. In doing some research, I found that frequently audiobooks combine the first two books. My goal was only to read Little Women, so if I am truly in book 2, I am ready to stop.

See spoiler for details about where I am: Meg just got married, and it is my understanding that is how Good Wives starts

Update: So, I did finish part two (Good Wives). It definitely had a different feel. Almost like Little Women was meant to be read by 8 to 12 year olds and Good Wives was meant to be read by 12 to 19 year olds. While my star rating did not change, I did like getting a chance to "finish" the story of the little women. It felt like there was less filler, and that was either because there was, or because I was getting used to the writing and the story.

I probably would have rated this higher if it was the type of book I would normally be into. But, I am glad that I now have this classic under my belt!