Per il momento ho concluso i primi due romanzi e cioè "Piccole donne" (voto 4 su 5) e "Piccole donne crescono" (voto 5 su 5).
La prosa di Louisa May Alcott può sembrare inizialmente fuori da tempo rispetto ad altri romanzi scritti nella stessa epoca ma che risultano sempre attuali. Il mondo delle sorelle March è fatto di regole domestiche, di forte religiosità, di ridondanti precetti morali. Ma è anche fatto di voglia: le protagoniste hanno una spinta fortissima di vita che esprimono ciascuna verso i propri interessi (amore, arte, scrittura, esistenza).

Completely engrossed in the classic tellings of Jo and 'her' boys, particularly attached towards her 'firebrand' Dan. So many life experiences and lessons being portrayed.

Towards the end, it became a little predictable with characters but still
thoroughly enjoyable. Hope there will be film adaptions in completing Alcott's trilogy (only 'little women'that I know of). Little Women (film) only provides a small justice (as films most usually do) to the detail and adventures included in the original book. Many cross references to other literature works.
Additionally liked the 'chronology' of Alcott's life (bases own life experiences into trilogy) , 'notes on the texts' (regarding her publication ups-and-downs) and the explanation regarding book materials and design (E.g. 'acid-free paper' and 'woven Ragan cloth' with associated practicalities of each).

Loved the ending: "it is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present tale with an earthquake.... But as that somewhat melodramatic conclusion might shock my gentle readers, I will refrain, and forestall the usual question, "How did they end?" By briefly stating that....having endeavoured to suit every one by many weddings, few deaths, and as much property as the eternal fitness of things will permit, let the music stop, the lights die out, and the curtain call forever on the March family."

Depending on whether "Good Wives" is counted as part of "Little Women" or as a second separate volume, this series consists of either three or four books. I shall count it as four.

The first volume I read when I was a child was "Little Men" and that was the only one I had ever read in full until now. So on reading this as a continuous narrative I picked up on many things which were skipped or only alluded to in all the abridged versions. Such as a full account of the March sisters' theatricals, Meg's taste of finery at the house of rich friends, Beth's final illness, the courtship of Amy and Laurie, Fritz Bhaer's wooing of Jo, then (skipping over Little Men), Emil's troubles at sea, Rob and Ted's scare, Nat's troubles in Leipzig, George and Dolphus' troubles at school, the visit of the English reformer, Dan's crime and punishment.

I have a soft spot for these books, but there are some things that bother me:

First is the sentimentality. Alcott knows how to wring the reader's heartstrings, and quite often it's through the death of a beloved character. You'd almost think she had the strategy of George R R Martin in mind: "Don't get too attached to this character..."

Second is Alcott's "toddler-speak," which we hear first from little Demi, then from toddler Teddy, then from that baby paragon of virtue, "good queen Bess" Lawrence. It was probably meant to be sweet and endearing but I found it a little nauseating. Roll over Elmer Fudd, here come the March grandbabies.

Third is the moralizing. This is probably a byproduct of Alcott's own religious upbringing and exposure to Transcendentalism. The emphasis on fostering virtues and self-improvement may well have been expected as part and parcel of moral literature for young ladies.

But honestly, sometimes it seems that someone, whether it be Marmee [read: Mommy], her husband Robert, the rebellious Jo, the philosophical yet emotional Fritz, or some other character, delivers a homily (occasionally disguised as an allegory) on every other page. Eventually even Jo, who, like Alcott, becomes a successful writer, complains that she is "only a literary nursery-maid who provides moral pap for the young."* And in spite of this or perhaps because of it, the books are liberally sprinkled with unconventional souls who chafe at the rules and want to buck the system (blunt, hot-tempered Jo, infatuated Laurie, black sheep Dan, proto-feminist Nan, impetuous [post-toddler] Teddy and stage-struck Josie). And these are the ones who are most lively and sympathetic.

*Louisa May Alcott, The Complete Little Women Collection (Waxkeep Publishing. Kindle Edition).

Emancipazione e indipendenza delle donne con una visione veramente moderna e retaggi dell'idealismo trascendentalista. Le quattro piccole donne compiono un cammino, immagazzinando esperienze diverse, ma sperimentando ognuna il peso del fardello da portare, fino a raggiungere la vita migliore immaginata. Una tensione perenne verso il progresso personale, motivata da valori legati al riconoscimento delle vere ricchezze della vita, e attuata grazie a un giusto equilibrio tra doveri e piaceri della vita.
Piccole donne insegna a essere grati nonostante tutto. Ci godiamo il cammino insieme alle piccole pellegrine, per scoprire se i loro sogni prenderanno forma o crolleranno.

Commento altamente soggettivo, siete avvisati. :p

Io tifo sempre per gli imperfetti, per quelli che sbagliano. Odio le chiacchiere religiose e l'ipertrofia dei buoni sentimenti. Per questo Louisa M. Alcott mi sta sulle palle. Certi libri è meglio non leggerli e continuare a immaginare che siano belli, anche se non lo sono in realtà.

While I've read Little Women many times, this was my first full reading of Little Men and Jo's Boys. The same humor, tone, and moralistic lessons suffuse both sequels. Little Men, published two years after the second part of Little Women, follows a few years after the events of the previous book with Jo and Professor Bhaer leading their young students at the school established in Plumfield. The cast of characters include the Bhaer's children, Meg's children, Amy and Laurie's daughter, as well as a number of boys from the community who the Bhaers take in. I didn't enjoy Little Men quite as much as either of the other two books: there's not much of a plot, rather a series of mishaps and capers strung together - plus, I'd prefer to read about four sisters than a rabble of boys :-). The third book in the March trilogy, Jo's Boys, takes place ten years after Little Men (but published 15 years later, less than two years before Alcott's death), when most of the titular boys are leaving the nest, exploring the world, and graduating from college. It all ends quite tidily and perfect, in a way Alcott might not have chosen 20 years earlier when she first wrote Little Women, but may have been a much-needed balm in imagining the fictionalized version of her family happy and well.

Every single one of these four books are lovely to read and clearly written to educate about proper qualities for both men and women. The little stories were fun to read, some a bit harder than others, due to the old style of English. I think if I'd read all the stories separately over a couple of years I would have appreciated them more. However, being that I read them all in one e-book as one large story, at times I got tired of the stories as they all seemed to be build up quite the same. Especially the first two books (about the March women) and the last one (how Jo's boys turned out) I liked the best. The third one was a bit dull for me, as the book seemed to lack a goal of where it was going. It felt more like a bundle of short stories.

Sarà una recensione fuori dai ranghi.
Credo sia un libro che, nel mio caso, non era giusto leggere in così “”tarda”” età. E che anche da bambina / adolescente non mi aveva presa più di tanto, stranamente. Forse perché mi hanno indirizzata verso un genere diverso, tralasciando questo titolo (chissà).
Spinti dall’ondata cinematografica e da questa sacrosanta new wave femminista nella mia umilissima opinione di femminista in questa storia ho trovato ben poco:
- un sacco di pagine di morale, cattolica e non.
- buonismo everywhere, e per i tempi in cui è ambientato e per la storia personale della Alcott chiudo un occhio.
- Jo March icona di tutte che finisce per ripudiare ed odiare il suo stesso essere controversa e fuori dagli schemi, quindi fallendo in divenire.
Jo è l’unica che potrebbe rompere lo schema, pattern consono alle sue sorelle e che anzi le sorelle stesse cercano (spesso e volentieri) non solo come status sociale ma proprio come ragion d’essere (non saprei spiegarlo meglio); fa di tutto per ribellarsi ma la ribellione è finalizzata a rientrare nei ranghi per non scontentare nessuno.
Non l’ho trovato d’ispirazione.
Lo leggerei volentieri ad una mia ipotetica figlia, senza dubbio non glielo farei mancare. Ma non è un romanzo di formazione, e non è qualcosa che può formarci in questo momento storico ahimè.

Letti : Piccole Donne, Piccole Donne Crescono.

Dopo tantissimi anni concludo la lettura dei libri delle piccole donne che avevo interrotto con Piccole donne crescono. Mentre assistiamo all'evoluzione dei personaggi che già conosciamo, molti quelli nuovi ne I ragazzi di Jo e Piccoli uomini. Quello che ritengo sia meglio caratterizzato è Dan, un ragazzo problematico che Jo, ormai moglie madre ed educatrice, accoglie nel suo collegio di Plumfield e che vedremo crescere, insieme agli altri piccoli ospiti, tra mille vicissitudini.
Da imberbe teppistello ad eroe quasi romantico è uno dei personaggi più interessanti ed intensi tra tutti quelli che animano i due episodi finali, molto corali. Nel complesso è stata un'esperienza ancora piacevole, rilassante, che ti proietta immancabilmente in quel piccolo miscrocosmo di buoni sentimenti, di solidarietà, di affetti familiari, d'amicizia tipico della Alcott e che, malgrado qualche eccesso di moralismo, potrei definire una lettura, per alcuni aspetti, estremamente moderna introducendo argomenti come il femminismo, il voto alle donne, metodi didattici innovativi, pari opportunità...

No rating because it is four books in one but I do have some thoughts on this book.
The four novels follow the four March sisters from childhood to adulthood. The book is all about learning lessons, whether that be practical or religious. All the chapters are thus quite short, and finish with some moral-filled sentence as if the person who is reading this to their children can then shut the book and say: "Well, time for bed!" And I think that that's also how you should go about these books. Just read a chapter here and there and enjoy the lovely characters of the girls as they grow and be proud when, in the second novel, they really have turned into women before your eyes! I think Alcott did that beautifully. I guess that is my "meta lesson" if you will; do not binge this book, you will not enjoy it. It will feel repetitive.
Another thing I would love to share with you is that this book gives a really good insight into North-American history and how people dealt with historical events at that time. I have followed some courses on early American literature and I thought it was interesting to see a lot of things in this novel that I had been taught in class. However, I do think that because this book is aimed at, I believe, children to young adults, it was quite refreshing to read to see how authors of that time talked about war, about native cultures in America, about Europe, and about life in general.
All in all, a beautiful slice of history and literature. I cannot wait to watch the film as I waited to do so until I had read the book! I only had to wait 1,5 years...

Non fa per me. Non è mai stato il mio genere. Non mi fa sognare. Ma devo ammettere che alcune frasi e alcuni concetti (considerando poi quando è stato scritto) meritano un 10 e lode.