Goodreads | Little Women

topics	replies	last activity
Little Women	9	04/19/2008 10:57AM

Corrie rated it:

05/08/08

The book begins:

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents, grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

It's so dreadful to be poor! sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all, added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

We've got Father and Mother, and each other, said Beth contentedly from her corner."

There's an undercurrent of anger in this book and I think Louisa May Al...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

add a comment

Susan rated it:

10/04/07

bookshelves: juvenile

Read in January, 1989

Someone I know claimed this no longer has value, that she would never recommend it because it's saccharine, has a religious agenda, and sends a bad message to girls that they should all be little domestic homebodies. I say she's wrong on all counts. This is high on my reread list along with Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and a Tree Grows in Brooklyn--you could say that I'm pretty familiar with it.

Let's see--there's a heroine who not only writes, but is proud of the fact and makes a profit ...more Someone I know claimed this no longer has value, that she would never recommend it because it's saccharine, has a religious agenda, and sends a bad message to girls that they should all be little domestic homebodies. I say she's wrong on all counts. This is high on my reread list along with Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and a Tree Grows in Brooklyn--you could say that I'm pretty familiar with it.

Let's see--there's a heroine who not only writes, but is proud of the fact and makes a profit from it in a time that this was somewhat out-of-the-ordinary. Reading this, and especially knowing later that the main character is (for all practical purposes) Alcott herself, inspired me to write myself, and I haven't forgotten the writing lessons even today: don't let money cloud your vision, write for yourself first, take criticism, write what you know. Still wise even today. Also in this book, we see the perspective of a family coping with the financial and emotional strain of having a loved one away at war, something that is unfortunately all too relatable today. There's also (extraordinary in those times, common in ours)a platonic, though not uncomplicated, friendship between a man and a woman that is sort of a different kind of love story in a way and a powerful one at that. We see people getting married, but marriage is never portrayed as The Answer to Everything--many of the matches involve sacrifice and struggling. The girls, though good at heart, aren't a picture-perfect family of saints. They're flawed and human. The paragon Beth would seem the exception, but the message with her is more about how even the quietest among us can make an impact on the world--not parading her isolated life as an example, only her kindness.

I won't lie. Someone dies, there's a war and a father's away--so yes, God is mentioned: I think there's a few Pilgrim's Progress references in passing and there's some talk of faith at moments when the characters most need it. To contemporary readers, this may seem like a lot, but heavy-handed it is not. It was probably somewhat unusual for its time. The thought that everyone's relationship and perception of God could greatly vary, and that to be true to your religion was entirely non judgmental and meant being kind to other people and trying to make yourself better, not other people? The thought that each person must be allowed to deal with these feelings in their own time in their own way? Wacky stuff.

I admit it seems like a tough sell to today's kids, packaged in somewhat formal sounding-language, and bearing every indication of being literary broccoli, but this book is a classic for a reason. It might be a tough sell, but I don't think we should give up on trying to think of ways to do it anyway. What's inside still counts. Don't write it off....less

Like this review? yes (10 people liked it)

1 comments

Karschtl rated it:

09/11/07

bookshelves: children_teenie, classic, drama, movie, part_of_series

Read in November, 2002

I once did a short presentation on this book, the following text was part of it.

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, which is now a part of Philadelphia, in 1832. But soon she moved with her family to the Boston-area, where she and her three sisters Anna, Elizabeth and May grew up. The four girls were educated by their father Bronson Alcott, who was a member of the New England Transcendentalists. Through him Louisa met other Transcendentalists like Theodore Parker, Henry David Thoreau a...more I once did a short presentation on this book, the following text was part of it.

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, which is now a part of Philadelphia, in 1832. But soon she moved with her family to the Boston-area, where she and her three sisters Anna, Elizabeth and May grew up. The four girls were educated by their father Bronson Alcott, who was a member of the New England Transcendentalists. Through him Louisa met other Transcendentalists like Theodore Parker, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Influenced by these great writers it is not surprising that Lousias greatest passion was writing. She had a rich imagination and often made up stories that she and her sisters act out for their parents or friends. She started her career as a serious author partly because she needed to earn some money to support the family who was not always wealthy. In the beginning, Louisa wrote poetry and short stories, later on the novels.

At the age of 35 her publisher asked her to write a novel for children. That’s how she wrote „Little Women“ where she describes the four March sisters coming of age in New England at the time of the Civil War. The father serves as a preacher in the war, the girls are left alone with their loving mother. The five women live in poverty but try to make the best of it.
The story is very autobiographical. Lousia resembles Jo, who is a tomboy only interested in literature. The eldest sister Anna was the model for Meg, who is pretty and rather vain about that. Elizabeth is portrayed as the gentle Beth, she is the quiet and shy one who enjoys playing the piano. The equivalent of the youngest sister May is Amy, the little girl that often wants to be the center of the attraction. You can see the similarities even in the names: Elizabeth and Beth; May and Amy. „Little Women“ was followed by several other novels about the March family, such as: Good Wives, Little Men and Jo’s Boys.

Especially children books always have a moral (or even more than one). Here for example in the second chapter, where the sisters give their Christmas breakfast to a hungry family and content themselves with bread and milk. They were really looking forward to this breakfast, because they are not rich and don't get all those good things regularly. But they saw that this other family was suffering a lot more. They are rewarded for this altruistic act on the same evening with a delicious dinner, donated by their neighbour who has heard of their generous gift. Only who gives something, gets something in return....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

LilyN added it

05/19/08

Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
The Little Women of Louisa May Alcott which is about love between family members and boy with girl. The book contains details sometimes make the readers laugh but sometimes they also cry because of the sadness which characters in the story had to overcome. With simple words and obvious settings, the books easily help the readers imagine what happened and when did it occur.
Louisa May Alcott wrote about four young sisters in March family with Meg are the oldest, ...more Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
The Little Women of Louisa May Alcott which is about love between family members and boy with girl. The book contains details sometimes make the readers laugh but sometimes they also cry because of the sadness which characters in the story had to overcome. With simple words and obvious settings, the books easily help the readers imagine what happened and when did it occur.
Louisa May Alcott wrote about four young sisters in March family with Meg are the oldest, after Meg is Jo, Beth and Amy. They all are beautiful and different characters but they love each other and their parents. During the time their father at war, two older sisters go to work to make money to help their mother support for the family. Because of different characters, sometimes they have arguments especially between Jo and Amy. Meg doesn't want to have a poor life. Jo with a hot temperance, she always thinks that nobody feels interested in her. Amy is an active and opened girl, she likes to draw and travel. Beth is a sweetest girl and shy. Time by time, they made some mistakes but their mistakes helped them get more experience about life, they also became stronger and grew up like young adults. With love, it makes them changed their view of life and realized that love is more important than money or the richness, and that is where they can get power which help them make their dream come true. The good examples for that

statement are the March sisters. Meg decided to marry Mr. Brooke because of love even though she knows that he is poor. With the love Mr. and Mrs. March gave Jo - her parents - she had their courage so she could overcome her sadness and her feeling of sorry for herself. Her parents gave her energetic and emotions to continue her writing, her dream. Amy was upset about Beth's lost and Laurie's heart was still heart because of Jo's reaction with his love, but love between them helped them forget everything did happen in the past and be together.
With the Little Women book, Louisa May Alcott wants to send a message to everybody that love is the most important thing in life. Love can help people become happier and gives people power to follow and make their dream come true. Another valuable lesson which she wanted to give the readers is to learn how to forget things in the past to continue succeed in the future.
...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Abigail rated it:

(review of isbn 0448060191)

03/21/08

bookshelves: childrens-fiction, literature-classics

recommends it for: Anyone Who Reads...

A book that both defines and transcends the sentimental literature of the nineteenth century, Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" is one of those lifelong companions that I have read and re-read, in whole and in part, too many times to count...

The story of the four March sisters, their adventures and friends, their joys and sorrows as they come of age during the tumultuous period of the American Civil War, is as relevant today as when it was first written. Here we see both the warmt...more A book that both defines and transcends the sentimental literature of the nineteenth century, Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" is one of those lifelong companions that I have read and re-read, in whole and in part, too many times to count...

The story of the four March sisters, their adventures and friends, their joys and sorrows as they come of age during the tumultuous period of the American Civil War, is as relevant today as when it was first written. Here we see both the warmth and strength of family love, and the bitter rivalries that can arise between siblings. As someone who grew up in a house with three girls, I could enter fully into many of the characters' feelings, whether it was Amy's pique at being left out, or Jo's righteous indignation at the burning of her precious papers, and subsequent ecstasy of repentance when her anger almost costs her something far more dear. Who hasn't longed, like Meg at Vanity Fair, to be popular? And who hasn't secretly wished that, like Beth, they had a kindly benefactor?

Like the March girls, many children today must cope with the absence of a parent, whether through military service or other causes; and like the March girls, children have always been forced to confront difficult moral choices as they struggle to become adults. I have sometimes seen this book described as very "modern" in its appreciation of the many different kinds of friendship and love possible between men and women. Frankly, I tend to think that every generation overestimates its distinctness, and that what some read as "modern," are simply observations about the human animal that were as true in the 1860s as they are today...

There are so many aspects of Alcott's masterpiece that I love, that it would be impossible to list them all. Suffice it to say that this is a beautiful book, both in its overarching themes and structure, and in its particular characters and narratives incidents. Finally, I should note that although this book has been published in a seemingly endless variety of editions, I myself grew up on the Illustrated Junior Library edition, with illustrations by Louis Jambor....less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Meg rated it:

06/09/08

Read in June, 2008

I loved this book as a girl and thought it couldn't possibly be as wonderful as I remembered it. IT WAS EVEN BETTER. Quite a different read now that I'm a "grown up" with a little woman of my own. To me, the most interesting thing about this novel is that it's basically just a collection of short stories. It has no clear protagonist (many argue that Jo is the heroine, but I disagree). It doesn't even have an overall PLOT (unless "four sisters grow up" can be considered a...more I loved this book as a girl and thought it couldn't possibly be as wonderful as I remembered it. IT WAS EVEN BETTER. Quite a different read now that I'm a "grown up" with a little woman of my own. To me, the most interesting thing about this novel is that it's basically just a collection of short stories. It has no clear protagonist (many argue that Jo is the heroine, but I disagree). It doesn't even have an overall PLOT (unless "four sisters grow up" can be considered a plot). And yet, for me, it's a page turner. WHY??? I honestly don't know. But I think Alcott creates her characters with such love (and why not--since the entire thing is basically autobiographical?) that you honestly love them yourself. You have to know what becomes of them... not because any great plot point is hanging in the balance, but because you just genuinely CARE. How does she DO that? I would love to know, as a writer. I think Alcott herself left a clue when she wrote the chapter "All Alone." Jo is talking to her father, baffled that her latest story has found so much success. She says:

"I don't understand it. What CAN there be in a simple story like that, to make people praise it so?"

And her father answers:

"There is truth in it, Jo, that's the secret; humor and pathos make it alive... You wrote with no thought of fame or money, and put your heart into it."

Isn't that beautiful?

By the way, check out the Broadway musical (if your local library is at least medium-sized, it probably has a CD). Overall, it's decent... but the song Marmee sings to Jo after you-know-who dies is AMAZING.

Little bit of trivia: I'm named "Margaret" after my grandmother, but my mom nicknamed me "Meg" after the oldest of the Little Women. Though I'm really not like her at all... I'm basically Jo's real-life twin (with a little Beth mixed in). Though I wish I was more like Marmee. She's pretty much my literary mom hero--so wise and lovingly patient without being "preachy," as Jo says. Which of the Little Women are you guys most like? (men need not respond)
...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Hannah G. rated it:

06/02/08

Little Women is about the four March daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and what they deal with growing up.

In part I, the story starts around Christmas time in the early nineteenth-century, and makes it evident right away that the March family is going through a small economic crisis because of Mr. March, the father, fighting in the war. Meg is the oldest of the March daughters and is really into material things and is saddened when the family is stuck in a poverty-like situation. Jo, the...more
Little Women is about the four March daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and what they deal with growing up.

In part I, the story starts around Christmas time in the early nineteenth-century, and makes it evident right away that the March family is going through a small economic crisis because of Mr. March, the father, fighting in the war. Meg is the oldest of the March daughters and is really into material things and is saddened when the family is stuck in a poverty-like situation. Jo, the middle daughter and main character, is not your typical “young lady”. She has tomboy-like qualities and has a hot temper and a short fuse sometimes. Beth is the second youngest and really loves helping people, and has a love for music. Amy is the youngest and is constantly influenced by everyone that is around her. She later becomes really interested in art. Mrs. March, the mother, is trying all that she can to care for her four daughters, and mold them into classy young ladies.

In part II, Mr. March returns from the war and all of the girls are a bit older, and start to deal with adult issues. Each character deals with the issues differently according to their personalities. Toward the end of the book, the family is struck with a great tragedy where they rely on each other as well as friends for support. There is also a bit of a twist that you may or may not see coming.

Since the setting of the story is in a place where everyone was proper and sophisticated, the dialect can be a lot different than ours and, therefore, might be hard for some people to understand at first. Once you read a little into the book, it becomes easier to adjust.

I liked this book a lot, although it is very long and at some points in the book, it tends to drag out descriptions for such a long time it is hard to remember what they are talking about. But in most cases Louisa May Alcott does a really nice job describing things so you get a nice mental picture of what she is talking about. I thought this was a beautiful book and was written in a lovely way.

...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Santh rated it:

03/17/08

bookshelves: classic_fiction, my-collections

The tale of March family in 1800 setting of Civil War. Mr. March – clergyman –was sent to Washington to fulfill his duty as chaplain in the army. Mrs. March – a very spending mother – was as social worker and spent all her free time helping the poor and needy. The first daughter – Margaret “Meg” March – was pretty at sixteen, with large eyes, soft, brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was very proud. Jo – Josephine March – was the second daughter, she was ...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Amy rated it:

03/11/08

bookshelves: classic, favorites

Read in January, 1987

recommends it for: Those who have retained their innocence in this materialistic world we live in.

I absolutely cannot read this again or it will be ruined from my 10-year-old remembrance of it. I really don't want that to happen. You need to be a bit naive yourself to truly appreciate the nunnish thoughts and adventures of 4 perfectly innocent preteens and teenagers of the 1860s. I remember reading it and wishing that I had sisters to perform plays with and write newspapers with and that I had a next door neighbor to fall in love with. But trying to read the book again when I'm in my 30s, I ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Ashley rated it:

02/22/08

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Ashley by: my mother's childhood favorite

so, in the back of my copy there was the study guide question: is this a feminine or a feminist work?

as someone who wears skirts as much as humanly possible, is frequently rocking (fake) pearls, and would really like for more things to be pink, but damn i'm a feminist. i don't think that this is an 'either or' answer.

yes, all of the characters do get married, but their mother encourages them-even though poor-to mary for love and not money. (marmie is a HUGE feminist) and ultimately, eac...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Lauren P rated it:

05/24/08

Read in May, 2008

I am only a little more than halfway through “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, but from what I have read so far I know that it is a great book in my opinion and I have really enjoyed it.

It is written in third person point of view and tells the story of the four sisters of the March family, who keep their family together while their father is off fighting in the Civil War. The individual personalities of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, are shown throughout the book, which makes it interesting ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Carter rated it:

(review of isbn 1402714580)

12/13/07

bookshelves: general-fiction, young-adult

Read in December, 2007

I can't believe how much I loved this book. But it's so good. While I read it, I tried to keep in mind the time in which it was written. Perhaps it helped. Because all of the things that seem so out-dated I didn't mind so much. A couple of times, I went to Wikipedia to find out something or another concerning the book (scarlet fever for example) and every time I did, there was a secret about the book I was reading. I suppose for many, it's not that big of a deal because they know the story...more

Like this review? yes

6 comments

Anna rated it:

04/11/08

Read in January, 1994

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Carmen rated it:

10/22/07

Read in January, 1994

The story of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy is one that will forever be a part of American liteary culture. Set in the mid-1800s in a small New England town, Louisa May Alcott invites the reader into the home of these four sisters as they deal with the struggles of having a father off fighting in the Civil War, having to mature and grow up supporting themselves with little jobs here and there and finding out about the joys of love, children, and the sadness of death. This coming of age nov...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 1402714580)

08/25/07

Read in January, 2007

Little Women is the story of The Marches--a family of four daughters (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy), their Mother (Marmee), the next door neighbors (Mr. Laurence and his grandson Theodore, a.k.a Laurie) and other assorted characters that come into their lives. The story begins at the time of the Civil War, in which Father March is serving, and follows the family over several years. Through good times, bad times and hard times, the sisters are close and stick together, along with Laurie, who becomes so ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Rory rated it:

07/30/07

Read in July, 2007

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 play like morality plays than a solid plot. 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 is...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comments

Annalisa rated it:

05/28/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: teenagers: read this instead of Twilight

I'm definitely a victim of modern society when I find this book slow. Had I read it in its day (or even as a youth) it would probably be fantastic, but as it is I'm finding the life lessons saturated in every chapter a little much, not sweet. Which brings me to Beth. Back in the day sweet, mild, submissive were prime female qualities. Now I look at the picture of her on the front cover with her empty eyes and blank stares and she looks sweet in a mentally challenged way. And Jo who is endearing ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Lilas rated it:

09/29/07

Honestly, I don't like Little Women that much, at least not after a certain point in the story. I don't hate it, but much of it doesn't ring true for me. I never understood why Jo didn't love Laurie, or how on earth shallow Amy would attract him. The characters are contradictory in acting their age - they act like children playing together yet are proposing to one another the next page. Are these grown ups or middle schoolers? It's hard to tell at times. Jo speaks belittlingly of Laurie as her b...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Judi rated it:

08/30/07

bookshelves: lovedit

Read in January, 1989

recommends it for: anyone

We had this old hardcover edition with gold leaf when I was young and I loved it because it had those great illustration in it, including full page color ones every now and then. I'm guessing I was about eight when I read it the first time.

My favorite character was Meg because she was the beautiful one, even though I am Jo through and through, from the writing to the temper to ending up with an old German professor (ok maybe not the last part). What did I love so much about Little Women? I ...more

Little Women

discuss this book

groups with this book

friend reviews (0)

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 35767)