Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
# Pages: 491
Published: 1868 (Good Wives, or Part 2, in 1869)
Rating: 5 stars
Little Women is one of my all time favorite books and has held its place at the top of my chart for 20+ years. I know, I know, it seems like every little girl grew up loving the March sisters. How unoriginal of me. But you know what I say to those who view this “unoriginality” with disdain? GOOD RIDDANCE! If you don’t like Little Women, that probably means you haven’t read it.
Louisa May Alcott was tasked with writing a book for girls, so she drew from the experiences of the only group of girls she enjoyed: her sisters. Alcott’s tales of day-to-day life in 19th century America are equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking, joyful and painful. Alcott draws in her readers with her simple writing style and well-developed characters, and she keeps them interested by laying out journeys for those characters that are easy for readers of any age to identify with.
Jo March is the heroine of Alcott’s novel, and while the story is told by a third-person narrator, it primarily follows Jo’s life and shows her experience and point of view. Her journey begins as a stubborn, independent teenager who yearns for the freedom to study, travel, and write–freedoms that weren’t readily available for women of her time. As she grows up, she learns when she needs to acquiesce to society’s expectations for her, and when she can assert her stubbornness to get the freedoms she desperately wants.
As Alcott’s auto-biographical character, Jo gives the reader an insight into how Alcott viewed her world. Repressed by society because of her gender, Alcott, like Jo, rebelled against societal norms and delighted in writing things of a more macabre nature. She agreed to write Little Women and its sequels only to benefit her family, and inserted her small rebellions into the work to maintain her own ideals while giving in to society’s pressures (like refusing to allow Jo to marry Laurie).
If you’re looking for a well-written novel that will pull on your heartstrings and lift your spirits, Little Women is the book for you.
Favorite quotes:
I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship. (pg. 457)
****
I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle,–something heoric, or wonderful,–that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead. I don’t know what, but I’m on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. (pg. 143)
****
I like good, strong words, that mean something. (pg. 36)
****
Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. (pg. 118)
I was lucky enough to visit Orchard House in 2017. This was the Alcott’s family home, and the setting for Little Women. You can read more about that incredible trip, the Alcotts, and Little Women here.