Little Women

I am re-reading the series of four Little Women books before the new movie comes out in December (even if the trailer actively annoyed me). I had my Mum's editions of the books and I am pretty sure I've read theses stories multiple times over the years. They hold a special place in my heart.

Little Women follows Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy as they begin the arduous process of growing up quickly as their father is away fighting in the American Civil War. I feel as close to these girls as I did when I was reading the books growing up, almost like no time has passed. I still relate to Jo and her tom-boyish ways.

I found the story to be charming and endearing, but a slight too heavy handed with moral lessons for my liking. I think for the most part the story still feels relevant and relatable, and the characters create a strong impression on your mind. I really love this series, and I can't wait to complete my re-read.

Better than I thought it would be, though I do feel like Beth was only there to die.
I was a bit exhausted by all the ‘glass half full' mentally throughout the novel, as if everything works out for the best in the end, and everything is a lesson in spiritualty. I guess I just prefer a bit of wallowing in novels.
It did feel a bit like 1860s Gilmore Girls, what with the close knit family and overall upbeat mindset, even in hardship.

Well I finnished this one. I am not really sure what to say about it. It felt really similar to alot of other books I have read. I know that this is older and therfore may the ‘original' but it felt kind of repetetive.

There was parts that I enjoy in this book. I enjoy the talks we get from time to time to get where there is actual proper lifeadvice.
I do wish we got more them tho as there was still alot of parts I was just not found of.

It does on the other hand shows us the inportence of family, a story of coming of age, aswell as women. Like in general the inportance it has. But do I feel they show it in a good way? No, not at all. The entire story got bland and just boring in my opinion. I will still read the next one and see if it gets better but I honestly doupt it

I've been reading on this book for some time; truth be told, I actually started reading this book about forty-five years ago! I set it down then, never realizing it would take this long to get back to it.

Little Women is the story of four girls and their mom and dad during the Civil War. Their dad has gone off to minister to soldiers in the war and the girls and their mom are quite poor. Optimism is a key concept among the Marches, however, so you do not hear bellyaching or whining in this household. The girls find ways to entertain themselves with nary a Nintendo or tv. They continually renew their vow to keep a happy face and try harder to be good. Genuinely inspiring people in this book.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a young adult/children's book set during the American Civil War and the years after. It concerns four girls as that grow to adulthood and face the struggles between family duty and their own growth, the necessity of work and duty, as well as the important trait of being a genuine person.

I had high hopes for this book. I had always heard great things about it. I was disappointed. Unfortunately, the writing seemed choppy and lacked flow from one chapter to another. Each chapter seems to be its own self-contained mini-story. The author also wanted to capture the readers attention on herself and not let the characters tell their story themselves.

This book is not high on my book list and I don't plan on recommending it. There are better ya/children classics to read.

After reading this I looked at some of the reviews as I was curious what some of the common criticisms are. I saw things like the book is old fashioned/traditional in terms of the family unit (it is), that the morals are very on the nose (they are), and that it can be preachy (it can be). 

They're all valid criticisms that I also see, yet, part 1 for me was an easy 5 stars. I was just enthralled with the families dynamics, the characters, and the familial love radiated off the page. Part 2 I didn't enjoy as much because some of that coziness is lost with them going their own ways, but overall I had a good time with this. I look forward to continuing with Little Men cause Jo was always my favourite anyhow.

4.5/5

SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR A BOOK ALMOST 150 YEARS OLD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Wow. I am so glad I picked this book up again. I can't say I was never interested in classics (I went through a huge Jane Austen kick in high school), but for the most part many left me could. (coughWuthering Heightscough) Austen has aged incredibly well compared to many of her contemporaries haven't. Little Women seems to have the same staying powers in some ways, though I totally get why I couldn't read it until now (in my mature 29 years).

While P&P specifically has aged so well, you can basically change the setting, the characters but as long as it keeps the core of the story, the story never really suffers.

Little Women is much more of a product of its time and while has themes and characters that definitely defy the time period (Jo in particular). I don't think I would've had the maturity to read this book before now.

I should start off before I go into a slight tirade that I absolutely did love this book. I get why it's considered timeless. There's a humor and a wholesomeness and such love for these characters that I now share. And for the most part, a lot of the advice in this book is still applicable today. (Also, the Marches are the og Weasley family. Change my mind.)

However, I do know why it took me so long to read it. The book is unfortunately somewhat dated in some of how it talks about family dynamics. But there's enough humor and spirit, it's easy to see that a more modern retelling could still keep the heart of the book and update some of the values.

While the spirit of a lot of the morals of the book are commendable, there is a certain gendered and/or religious tone that sometimes is jarring. Not to mention that the morals are much more blatant than say, in Austen's novels, because Alcott will literally spell it out for the reader, which can sometimes feel condescending if you're not buying the wholesome tone.

I think that if you were to do a modern retelling, a few things would change:

- Hannah

Oh Hannah. Probably the most problematic part of LW. Hannah is clearly black and working for the family. She's not a slave, and as the story happens during the Civil War, we can assume the March's stances are anti-slavery and that she is employed. However, it is often stated how poor the March family is, so who knows what Hannah was being paid if at all. She is treated fondly by the family and not her own character.

I have not seen any adaptions, so I don't know how Hannah is handled in any of the movies, but it wouldn't surprised me if she was cut out entirely. I think the only way to include Hannah or a Hannah-like character is make her a friend of the family because I do think she's integral in at least Meg's story. She could be a family friend.

Or, I think that a more progressive approach to a more modern retelling/adaption, is changing the race of the main characters. Which I think would be very timely.

- The morals would need a slight adjustment for modern audiences. Specifically the ones that are more gendered.

For example, Meg's issues when she's figuring out balancing her marriage with having children. It can definitely come off as the woman needs to make sure her ~man~ is taken care of. But really it's about remembering to take care of each other and not neglect needs and let your spouse/other people help with the children. Which are really good points! Maybe remove the husband/wife dynamic and it's golden.

- Joe probably shouldn't be married at the end. Or maybe would be LGBTQ+

I'm pretty sure it's safe to say Jo is the most popular, most empathetic, and most idolized character and it's not hard to see why. While all of the other little women have their quirks and faults, Jo is everyone's bombastic friend that's up for adventures and has dreams higher than her station can afford. (Not just monetarily–since Meg and Amy both wish for more comfort in that area–Jo also wants freedom that being a woman at the time simply does not allow.)

I can see a lot of romantics wondering why Laurie and Jo didn't end up together, but I'm happy that Alcott recognizes they're not a good romantic match. And I don't hate Jo ending up with Professor Bhear, but I can imagine her story not ending up with anyone and making her own way. Or figuring out that she's not attracted to men. Or that she might be trans. Although I can see many people getting unnecessarily angry at those insinuations.

I think that a better outcome for Jo did not lie in marriage and it felt forced and might contribute to what makes LW feel more dated than say P&P.

I do want to reiterate that I did love the book and can see myself rereading it. I look forward to watching the newest adaption and maybe the others. :)

Little Women is one of the world's most beloved classics, and rightly so. This novel is something that I know would do every woman good if she reads it, and has something for young girls, middle-aged women and old women in it. I will never grow tired of watching and reading this story, and I always learn things while reading it. A very heartbreaking, hilarious, beautiful coming-of-age story of four sisters- a must-read for everyone.

I'm not sure what I can say about this book that hasn't been said before. It's a story that has meant so much to so many people for centuries. Having grown up visiting Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, being able to physically enter that world makes reading the story as an adult hit so differently.

The story follows the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, four sisters living in the Civil War times in Massachusetts. The book is somewhat based on Louisa May Alcott's life, making it a nice and genuine glimpse at life in the 1800s. With a mix of family life as well as social matters of the time, it's become a piece of history rather than a mere novel.

I think I have to credit this book for my love of character-driven stories. The sisters have such diverse personalities that make their intertwined lives so interesting to read about. My favorite has always been Beth and I love her even more now. I got lost in her scenes. I also love that it's a story where, when going back, you can open up any chapter and be immersed. 

At the start, I kind of found it boring, maybe because this is my second time reading a classic. But I must say that then I really started to like it. Interesting things happened, and I bet that if I had to choose some of the sisters, Jo would always be my favorite. I have so many things in common with a character who is not even real, but I felt her like she was me, and it felt so special that feeling.

In summary, I think I would have liked it if my mother or grandmother had read it to me when I was a child. I guess I would have found it more interesting than now, but it was such a great book.

Enjoyable in a way that it's very relaxing, not too complicated and it's fun to follow the misadventures of these ‘little women'. I gave it a lower rating because although the moral lessons here are valid, I can't tolerate religious preaches that much. I may also be missing some background research on the time period when this was published, but the fact that boys are the only ones targeted to have a better education, and girls are kept inside houses do not sit well with me.