Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Little Women and Me

by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (Goodreads Author)

3.01 of 5 stars 3.01 · rating details · 396 ratings · 126 reviews

Emily March is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe one thing she'd change about a classic novel, Little Women is an easy choice. After all, if Emily can't fix things in her own family, she might as well bring a little justice to the other March sisters. Perhaps she can--spoiler alert!--keep Beth from dying? Or maybe she can p...more

Hardcover, 312 pages

Published November 8th 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

What will you read this year (2011)

270th out of 588 books — 434 voters

In the Pink: Pink & Purple Book Covers

65th out of 213 books — 34 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,446)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 06, 2012 Shazzer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-ya, ya

What is everyone's problem with Amy? Am I the only one in the universe (besides Ms. Alcott, of course), that doesn't mind that she ended up with Laurie? Without giving away too much of the ending, I was very annoyed. I don't mind messing with the classics a little (I wouldn't read so many Pride and Prejudice sequels/prequels/reworkings if I did), but this one took it a little too far. I felt an active dislike for the source material, and it really turned me off. But I was having trouble with the...more

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Noninuna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-fiction

Okay. I picked the book up because of the title & the synopsis. I thought it would be fun to live with the March sisters. It started real nice and okay. The adjusting period of Emily to the 1800s surrounding was a bit fun. Then, it take turn to the worst. For a starter, what's up with Emily? So selfish, whiny, always jealous of others, rude, mean at times & too flirtatious. What is her problem with Jo? She keep criticize the Little Women's characters. Even Marmee! If Emily is a real life...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Sinai rated it 1 of 5 stars

...Now. I think I'm a reasonable person when it comes to rating books. I have very few books I've rated one star. But THIS... piece of literature...what can I possibly say about it that hasn't already been said?

My perspective on Little Women: Now, unlike others, I really think Jo and Laurie would have made a great couple--I'm ALWAYS for the guy that was there first. And if it wasn't Jo...Amy? REALLY? I see where Emily comes from with wanting to change that. And for some reason...I NEVER remember...more ...Now. I think I'm a reasonable person when it comes to rating books. I have very few books I've rated one star. But THIS... piece of literature...what can I possibly say about it that hasn't already been said?

My perspective on Little Women: Now, unlike others, I really think Jo and Laurie would have made a great couple--I'm ALWAYS for the guy that was there first. And if it wasn't Jo...Amy? REALLY? I see where Emily comes from with wanting to change that. And for some reason...I NEVER remembered Beth dying. I'd have to reread Little Women again, because I just never got that. But yes, fixing those two bits of reader-cruelty were certainly things that caught my attention.

Starting out with Little Women and Me: When I saw this in the library, it was a no-brainer. Those plot points were things anyone would change! It would be a happy ending and at the same time manage to rekindle my love for the March girls. But I had too much faith in that little blurb. I'm glad I read this book, it will warn me later on in the future about getting my hopes up. From the first few pages, Emily seemed so shallow and it was only her relationship with Beth and Jo that, to me, saved her from my complete condemnation.

Characters: Emily's not a bad kid, she's just sick of being the middle child. I do have a problem with the characters though. Emily, just...being so...unsure of how to behave. I felt like she really grew older near the end of the book, and more mature, but by golly, it could have been a lot better without her talking all the time about Laurie and how he was spending time with her sisters or something about the future.
Besides that, I don't really get a good sense of either of her sisters or her mother or dad (Does she have a dad?)

The characters in the book...were just stripped to their very core. We practically lost Meg and nothing really happened with her except for Mr.Brooke. Beth was a complete sweetheart, and I loved her a lot for it. Jo was...RUDE, and so...enveloped in that pact, my goodness-I didn't think she'd care. And she was just...confusing to me, I guess. Amy and Papa...being time travelers too...that just threw me for a W-T-H is going on right now loop. I NEVER saw that coming till the end, and really, neither did the author. I didn't understand how they got stuck in the book and just changed it like that. It was just...so last minute. There was NO development of that papa dude either--like, really, I wanted some connecting there. It was just...everyone was like a half-made piece of art, and not very beautiful either.

Issues with Writing: It was RIDICULOUS how many times modern things were mentioned--she invented the ponytail, milkshake, and penicillin? You're kidding me! You have got to be kidding me with that. Her narration was unbearable, and there was like, NO action with Laurie besides the time she just randomly kisses him (I was shocked! This girl has NO understanding of guys whatsoever!) And every time she opened her mouth, I was completely appalled by how out of place the things she said were--either rude, or just random ways to show that she's a 21st century girl. I make it a rule not to read things narrated by characters younger than myself, since it can be a tad bit annoying, but oh my goodness, I thought--she's just one year younger, I can deal with this. I most certainly CANNOT deal with it! AGHHH!! FRUSTRATION! And also, honestly, how DID she time travel!? I was expecting maybe, zooming out of the book, maybe someone else is writing it to show her a lesson or something, but it was NEVER revealed. If EVERYONE who EVER complained about Little Women got stuck in the book, why, we'd have a TON more modern references from girls ranging from the 1880's to the 2010's and the March family would be HUGE. I didn't get the last point either about death and Amy trying to prevent it but it still happening. Like, Emily tried to explain it, but I was like: BS! Total BS! Why IS Amy still here? She doesn't even know that she ends up with Laurie! GAH!

Okay, overall, I am so sorry to Ms. Baratz-Logsted that I didn't like her book, especially with such a nice Author's Note in the end. But I just couldn't like it at all. It was just...such a great idea, that was not executed in a way that was pleasing at all. It was painful and a bit random and just overall, not my cup of tea. I hate writing a bad review because it IS someone's baby, but just, maybe with some revision, this could be a really better book.(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 15, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One of my favourite things I love reading about is tales where the main character gets sucked into another world especially the type of world that finds them living inside the book that they have been reading or in this case writing about. Our story starts in the modern world of 2011 when Emily March -the middle child is feeling invisible as the boy she is in love with likes her sisters Charlotte and Anne. The book then forwards into her English Class where the teacher Mr O has given them an ass...more

like · see review

May 03, 2012 Kim rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, teens

When I spotted this on the New Books shelves at my library, I snatched it up so fast that my head nearly spun. I have a huge, huge love for Little Women and thought that this would be a fun, light-hearted twist on a much-beloved classic.

(view spoiler)...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Becky rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics-retooled, ya, time-travel

This book is pretty terrible. It takes Little Women chapter by chapter and cheapens it. While any reader who will pick this book up is mostly likely a fan of Little Women (I myself have read it probably about a dozen times), the author - and the main character - seem both to disdain it and never have really read it. The most glaring error, to me, is the description of Marmee giving the girls copies of "Pilgrim's Progress" for the first Christmas that they then read religiously every day, while -...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 06, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-march-2012

I really want to give this 2 and a half stars, but that wouldn't be fair. Some people will really enjoy it. It's well written with some nice little twists. I just didn't like Emily very much. To me, she seemed way too shallow for a reader. (Little prejudice here?) It took her too long to pick up on her own flaws, although they were obvious to the reader before her "adventure" started.

Emily has a class assignment to take one of her favorite books, describe the three things she likes most about i...more

like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Melody McBride rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was just ok. The idea behind the story is excellent - it really reminded me of the movie "Lost in Austen", so I was excited to start on it.

But like some other reviewers said, Emily, the main character, was just plain annoying and rude. I don't care that she came from the 21st century! She is a smart girl who reads and writes a lot - you'd think that she'd be smart enough to adapt better to the new time period, if she loved Little Women so much. And the attitude stayed for just about th...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Kiirsi Hellewell rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was really excited to read this book...the premise sounded amazing and so fun: modern girl gets sucked into the actual book of "Little Women."

Unfortunately, Emily (the main character) was rather annoying, stuck-up, rude, selfish, and forward. She denigrated and mocked the March girls, for the most part, and their whole world and story. That attitude prevailed for 99.9% of the book. It kind of ruined the story for me.

I liked some things: the major plot point the author changed...I don't know an...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 04, 2012 Karen Yingling added it

Emily March’s language arts teacher assigns a fairly easy project-- students are to discuss three things that they like about their favorite book, as well as just one thing that they would change. After debating many of her favorites, Emily decides that she would pick Little Women, and that she would either stop Beth from dying or make sure that Laurie ended up with Jo instead of Amy. Before she knows it, she is literally sucked into the book and emerges as the middle March sister, on the first...more

like · see review

Dec 02, 2011 Hylary Locsin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Fourteen-year-old Emily March is fed up with being the middle sister. The love of her life, Jackson, only has eyes for Emily’s older sister, Charlotte, and, to make matters worse, her weird English teacher assigned an essay over the weekend. The assignment is to take a novel and select one thing to change in the plot. Emily immediately reaches for Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, one of h...more Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Fourteen-year-old Emily March is fed up with being the middle sister. The love of her life, Jackson, only has eyes for Emily’s older sister, Charlotte, and, to make matters worse, her weird English teacher assigned an essay over the weekend. The assignment is to take a novel and select one thing to change in the plot. Emily immediately reaches for Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, one of her favorite books, and mulls over whether to write about preventing Beth from passing away or ensuring that Laurie ends up with Jo instead of Amy. As she’s thinking, Emily is suddenly transported back in time and finds herself living in the world of Little Women. Emily doesn’t know how or why she has arrived not only in 1860s New England but as a member of the March family. As the events of the original story continue around her, Emily learns to adapt to her new life with older sisters Meg and Jo and younger sisters Beth and Amy. Being a 21st century teen in 1860s Massachusetts, however, has its downsides. Not only is Emily plagued with Victorian sensibilities, a war, and, hairy legs, she is also engaged in a battle of wills with Jo over the attentions of Laurie, the March’s teenage next-door neighbor. Will Emily be able to accomplish both of the changes she had in mind for Little Women?

Amongst the recent bevy of modern adaptations of classic novels, Little Women and Me stands out as a must-read for anyone with even the slightest hint of liking for the original story. The novel immediately takes the reader into Louisa May Alcott’s creation. Those who have read Little Women will recognize characters, events and even quotes from the classic. The addition of Emily, a clever and sarcastic 21st-century fourteen-year-old, makes for a delightful and laugh-out-loud take on the original novel. Emily pokes fun at some of the oddities in the story: Beth’s affinity for kittens, limbless dolls and all things pathetic, Jo’s irritatingly evident penchant for independence, and Amy’s obsession with her nose. Fans of Little Women will find many moments of hilarity in Baratz-Logsted’s creative adaptation. The story also takes several twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing, particularly as to the exact nature of Emily’s presence in the March house. Overall, Little Women and Me is a funny, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable update of a classic novel. Those who have not read Louisa May Alcott’s version will need to brush up on the basics, but Little Women and Me can also be enjoyed by people who are not as familiar with the original.

The 1994 film version of Little Women is one of my all-time favorite movies and is what prompted me to read Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel when I was younger. As an essential lifelong fan of the story, I was intrigued to read this adaptation. The result was far beyond my expectations! I’m not sure if I have ever laughed as much while reading a novel. The clever things that Emily says about the March sisters (basically a vehicle for the author to comment on the original story herself) are, in a word, hilarious. I also really liked the more heartwarming aspects of Emily’s life in Little Women, and was especially pleased with the outcome of the story. I would highly recommend this novel to any fans of the original, or as a means of generating interest in reading the classic. (less)

like · see review

Nov 12, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted begins with Emily who is writing a paper for English class on Little Women. When she opens up her old copy of the book she finds herself sucked into the story living the life as one of the March sisters. The story goes on as it always has with Emily being added to the family and changing small bits of the story.

This was an interesting story that readers are either going to find enchanting or they're going to hate. It literally goes through the origina...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 11, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Let's see, first I'll have to admit this isn't the most exciting book, but then, Little Women wasn't a barn burner either so what can you expect going in. That being said, this one moved slowly for me. Just like Little Women did for me. There just isn't a lot of action. There's a lot of thinking and telling, but no action. Not until the very end and it isn't enough to make up for the lack of action throughout the story.
I think the story probably portrays a very typical New England life back in t...more
Let's see, first I'll have to admit this isn't the most exciting book, but then, Little Women wasn't a barn burner either so what can you expect going in. That being said, this one moved slowly for me. Just like Little Women did for me. There just isn't a lot of action. There's a lot of thinking and telling, but no action. Not until the very end and it isn't enough to make up for the lack of action throughout the story.
I think the story probably portrays a very typical New England life back in the 1860's.

So, let's talk characters. I loved the main character Emily. She was a middle child and suffered from not knowing where she fit in, not the oldest, not the baby. Just who was she? Having an older sister, I know how annoying it is to be bossed around, so when she goes through time to live in the world of Little Women (that isn't a spoiler, if you don't know that's what happens then you haven't read anything about the book) she has two older sisters to boss her around. And if Jo March was my older sister we'd have come to blows. I don't remember the characters all that well from the original book, but in this one, they are all a bit grating. Amy so prissy, Beth so sickly, Jo so bossy and Meg so prim. I wish the author had really shaken things up. Had the girls wearing mini skirts and tube tops or something. But no, that didn't happen.
But as I said I liked Emily. She did grin and bear it and tried to figure out why she was there. She accepted things for what they were. And tried to make changes. She seemed to take a sudden character growth towards the end of the story and then it's all tied up.

Truthfully, it was okay. But not that exciting, not unforgettable. Emily had so much potential, but she just didn't do anything much in the end. So, not really liking the original story, reliving it with one extra person in it, really didn't make me like it any more than before. There were some funny things like Emily introducing new words like "dude" and hearing Laurie answer the door with "Dude". And Emily wondering what the fake love letters between Meg and Mr. Brown contained-him"I find your ankles, when glimpsed beneath the bottom of your voluminous skirts, irresistible." and her-"I do love the idea of you looking at my ankles, but do wait until I am a bit older before gazing at them so forthrightly". The mind reeled."(p. 237) So Emily's wit does help.

Who would like this? I think anyone that loved Little Women but does mind a little change up in the story. I just wasn't into the story. I thought the writing was easy to read and Emily was witty, it just wasn't my kind of story. It doesn't mean you won't find it to be one of your favorites.(less)

like · see review

Nov 08, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: When I was a kid, one of the first books I fell head over heels in love with was Little Women. I must have read it at least a hundred times and will even pick it up now and then for a quick re-read. It’s one of my favorite classical novels! I am obsessed with spin-offs of stories that I love, so I was really excited to see a book about Little Women in the young adult category.

First 50 Pages: When I started to rea...more See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: When I was a kid, one of the first books I fell head over heels in love with was Little Women. I must have read it at least a hundred times and will even pick it up now and then for a quick re-read. It’s one of my favorite classical novels! I am obsessed with spin-offs of stories that I love, so I was really excited to see a book about Little Women in the young adult category.

First 50 Pages: When I started to read this book, I noticed that pacing seemed a little bit off. It moved very quickly and didn’t quite explain things very well. However, the first few chapters weren’t bad so I am jumping ahead of myself. I liked the beginning of this book. I enjoyed Emily’s interaction with her crush and the whole premise of her writing assignment. Who wouldn’t love to go into a story and change a part that you didn’t like? I loved this book up until Emily got sucked into her copy of Little Women. So much went downhill from that point.

Plot: I’ll start with what I really liked about this book. Like I already said, the whole idea of being sucked into a book and being able to change parts that you didn’t like. It’s a really unique idea. I like this book’s concept of time traveling. For Emily, there were some parts she was totally unprepared for and some parts of the book were hilarious. For example, what does 18th century Emily do when she gets her period? It’s in there!

Emily herself was a very interesting character. Some of my favorite parts of this book were when she was psychoanalyzing all the March sisters. She was a really funny character and had this snarky attitude. Her adjustment to live in a completely different world from hers was really entertaining. I liked how she grew throughout the book and how she discovers exactly why she was sucked into Little Women in the first place. She becomes a much more self-dependent young lady, who figures out that…well, I can’t tell you!

Now for the not so good stuff. The pacing of this book was uneven. The plot itself and the dialogue were repetitive. Once Emily was inside of Little Women, she all of a sudden had “story amnesia” and was forgetting what would happen in the story. That was odd to me and I couldn’t understand why she would all of a sudden forget what was supposed to be, one of her favorite stories. The entire middle section of this book should have been cut in half. It almost became boring to read and I had to push myself to keep going.

I did like the ending. It wrapped everything up nicely and I was pleased with the final outcome of the story.

Final Thoughts: This wasn’t my favorite book by this author. I think it could have been done a tiny bit better then it was. It wasn’t a bad read, it just dragged on somewhat too much for me. I think a younger audience will like this book, especially for fans of Little Women. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 07, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 3 of 5 stars

Emily has just received probably the coolest English assignment ever: write about your favorite book, tell three things you like and one thing you'd change. She quickly decides to do Little Women, but is having problems deciding exactly what she'd change. Beth dying? Or Laurie ending up with Amy instead of Jo? And then she gets sucked into the story. As in, all of a sudden, she's helping Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy figure out what to buy Marmee for Christmas. FINALLY, a chance to right the wrongs in L...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 09, 2012 InkBitten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gabby

Judged by the Cover: Eye Catching

I really find the cover rather cute. It clearly depicts the main character, Emily, breaking into the classic story Little Women. With three characters from the original Little Women in the background. Sure it does not show the entire model's face, but in this case it fits. It's fun and creative in a practical way. I don't really like the shade of purple covering the entire book. It does not really work with the pictures or the model's shot. I imagine it working b...more

like · see review

Dec 24, 2011 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feeling ignored and upstaged by her older and younger sisters, middle child Emily March receives an assignment from her freshman English teacher. What one thing would she change about a favorite book to make it perfect? While she ponders whether preventing Beth’s death or fixing Jo’s romance would make Little Women perfect, Emily March finds herself pulled into the book. She finds herself sitting in the March living room listening to Jo bemoan the absence of presents at Christmas.
Since she’s joi...more

like · see review

Mar 20, 2013 XxForeverXx_Xxvampire_diariezxx rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like Little Woman and cute books on time travel

Recommended to XxForeverXx_Xxvampire_diariezxx by: Public library, Goodreads.com

This was a pretty good book. I saw it at the public library and read the blurb and I thought it looked pretty good. I read Little Woman a long time ago and when Emily told about the things that happened to her, I could remember them too. I liked Emily, even though she had a few flaws being the middle sister in both worlds. I also thought she was pretty good for wanting to be able to save Beth. She was also trying to get the boy she saved for Jo to fall for herself. I felt angry when everyone was...more

like · see review

Oct 31, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I've always been a fan of the classic "Little Women", so as soon as I saw this this book was based off that, I knew that I needed to read it. The main character Emily gets a school assignment to pick her favorite book, and to write a paper about three things she loved about the book and one thing she'd change. She could only pick one thing though according to her teacher so she knew she had to choose wisely. Everything changed when she starts writing the paper and finds herself as a March sister...more

like · see review

Mar 16, 2012 Theresa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well, I had high hopes for this book. The idea sounds like fun. However, I was really disappointed in that I couldn't enjoy the book. Reason being was that I really did NOT like the main character. She acted like a very spoiled, disrespectful, selfish, and over-sexed teen without any boundaries. (Which to the author's credit: seem to have captured the overall "typical" teenager of today. She did a great job in telling the story (so the book itself wasn't bad)). The story itself really hightlight...more

like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Somer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Basics

Title: Little Women and Me

Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Expected publication: November 8th 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format Read: Borrowed ARC provided by Smitten With Books ARC Tour

Number of Pages: 336

Summary From Goodreads:

Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justi...more

like · see review

Dec 20, 2012 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-live-up-to-the-hype, children, contemporary, fairy-tales-myths-retellings, teen-ya, tween

At First Sight: Emily March hates being the middle sister, and she particularly hates that her crush went from liking her older sister Charlotte to liking her younger sister Anne in the blink of an eye without ever turning to look at her.

Then, an english assignment gets her thinking about what would she change in a book - any book - and Emily turns to Little Women, and before she knows it she finds herself inside the book as the previously-unheard-of fifth March sister.

Suddenly, she's seeing the...more At First Sight: Emily March hates being the middle sister, and she particularly hates that her crush went from liking her older sister Charlotte to liking her younger sister Anne in the blink of an eye without ever turning to look at her.

Then, an english assignment gets her thinking about what would she change in a book - any book - and Emily turns to Little Women, and before she knows it she finds herself inside the book as the previously-unheard-of fifth March sister.

Suddenly, she's seeing the March's sisters lives up close and finally has the chance to change things.

Second Glance: I wanted to read Little Women and Me because I love Little Women and because I liked The Education of Bet by the same author, sadly, this one wasn't as much of a winner. The writing is quite similar - mostly light-hearted and fun - but my problem was that I didn't like Emily very much.

She has jealousy issues and though I get that situations aren't often fair to her, she comes off as annoying and petty more often than not (at least to me), and I don't think she fully learned her lesson by the end (but more on that later).

I did like going through Little Women, there are parts of that book that I can recite from memory, and I admit that re-writing Little Women is one of those ideas I pet in my head when I can't sleep at night. So I understand the appeal of the story, I just don't think it had the best execution possible, mostly because Emily wasn't very sympathetic.

Then, the ending was so abrupt that I felt like the author ran out of page time, and I barely liked Emily a little better by then. She does do the right thing in the end, but it wasn't enough for me somehow because it kind of felt like it came out of nowhere. And more explanation about why things happened would have been nice too.

Bottom Line: How you feel about Little Women and Me will have a lot to do with how you feel about Alcott's Little Women in general. If you manage to like Emily more than I did, you'll probably enjoy this book a lot because the idea and writing are fun. (less)

like · see review

Nov 03, 2012 Gretchen Fatouros rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

As long as you've read Little Women at some point, you should be fine reading this. It's been years & I'm remembering things with the narrator.

Haven't we all wanted to jump into a book at some point? Cool idea & enjoyable read.

I'm glad she ended it the way I thought. Very interesting turn of events! Wow!

As far as a couple other comments I later read (spoiler alert) - the point of Emily was that she didn't have her own identity & thus kept trying to be like or want what others had....more

like · see review

Dec 25, 2011 Epeeblade rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book

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

1 like · like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Catherine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: school-library-reads

I don't think I've ever given a book a one star before but I've never read a book where an author has had so little regard for the three most important things in writing: her readers (this reads like a cartoon from Nickelodeon with the most awful time travel/world transition I've ever read including WHOOSH! as part of that - is that what she thinks her readers want or expect?), her characters (cardboard, 2 dimensional constructions of what teens were portrayed like in movies 10 years ago), and t...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 27, 2011 Lesley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: tweens-and-teens, favorite-families

What if you could enter the world of your favorite book...and change the outcome? When 14 year old Emily March is asked to write about how she would improve Little Women, she finds herself sucked into the classic novel as a 5th sister. Although alternately bored, horrified and disgusted by their life of 19th century piety and deprivation, Emily quickly realizes that sibling love and rivalry (especially over boys) is not that different in 2010 than it was in 1862. But can she use her 21st century...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2011 Ruby added it

Shelves: teen, book-travel, classic, retelling, fantasy, dnf-did-not-finish

This review was first posted at http://www.rubysreads.com.

I DNF'd Little Women and Me. I kind of think I shouldn't have read it considering that The Twin's Daughter was a mediocre for me. I was, however, enticed by the prospect of a different ending to Little Women. I mean, are there people out there that don't think Jo and Laurie should have ended up together? Or that don't go "Amy!" (in the style of Jerry Seinfeld saying "Newman!") every time they consider the book's ending. I guess that, giv...more This review was first posted at http://www.rubysreads.com.

I DNF'd Little Women and Me. I kind of think I shouldn't have read it considering that The Twin's Daughter was a mediocre for me. I was, however, enticed by the prospect of a different ending to Little Women. I mean, are there people out there that don't think Jo and Laurie should have ended up together? Or that don't go "Amy!" (in the style of Jerry Seinfeld saying "Newman!") every time they consider the book's ending. I guess that, given such a reaction to the original story, I hardly thought Little Women and Me could irritate me more. However...I didn't even make it to the end. Why? Three little words: It was boring.
The story begins in the present tense, with Emily, the MC, facing your typical teenage issues--annoying siblings and crushes that don't realize you exist--but quickly gets to the action of the story. Which is: Emily traveling into Little Women. Let the yawning commence. From that time on, Emily is immersed in the dreary domestic life of Civil War New England. Probably true to life--but that doesn't mean it makes for interesting reading. Also, it took forever for Laurie to actually enter the story. Innumerable pages were spent on Emily's integration into the March family, on the fact that Jo's awesomeness in book form is annoying in person, how Meg is stiflingly principled, Beth is so sweet you feel awful having any negative thoughts about her, and Amy is terribly vain. Not to mention that Marmy is so intent on giving to the needy that she doesn't recall that charity begins at home.
The charm (and joy) of retelling classics is that it's (in theory) bringing new life to an ageless tale. Little Women and Me did not do this. It was a boring retread that utterly failed to hold my interest. To be fair, I'm sure this was, in part, due to the fact that the character was a 14 year old, which made the tone more Middle Grade than Teen. I did peek at the end, but it wasn't enough to make me want to go back and read the intervening pages. It's too bad. Little Women is definitely a book with an ending I'd like to see retold.(less)

like · see review

Jun 01, 2012 Cheryl A rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

What a novel (no pun intended) premise! Freshman Emily March is given an English assignment to change one thing about a novel that they loved. There's a lot Emily loves about Little Women - the last name, Jo being a writer, the relationship between the sisters. Emily is tired of being a middle child and has issues with both her older sister Charlotte and younger sister Anne. Since it's been four years since she's last read the book, Emily picks it up and begins to read and gets sucked into the s...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Tracy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

In all fairness, I might have liked this book better if I were 12, however, in my defense, I like a LOT of books aimed at 12 year olds and I love love love Little Women so this book should have been crack to me.

A girl is charged with changing one thing about a book she loves. While contemplating what she would change about Little Women (Beth should not die? Laurie and Jo should end up together?), the main character is sucked into the cast of Little Women. She spends over five years living with t...more

like · see review

May 20, 2012 Melliott rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was great--a girl working on a class project using Little Women as her subject (the project is to state one thing you would like to change about a book you love) gets sucked into the book and becomes the fifth sister (Emily). I thought it would be a YA version of the Jasper Fforde books (The Eyre Affair, etc.), wherein Special Operative Thursday Next goes into the classics to protect them against interference from outside sources (although in this i...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 48 49 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Young Adult

38 users

Science Fiction > Time Travel

17 users

Fantasy

12 users

Historical Fiction

10 users

Romance

6 users

Young Adult > Teen

6 users

Retellings

5 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

3 users

Classics

3 users

Fantasy > Magic

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

David
by Mary Hoffman
The Jewel and the Key
by Louise Spiegler
Sirenz
by Charlotte Bennardo
Castle of Shadows
by Ellen Renner
In Darkness
by Nick Lake

About Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lauren grew up in Monroe, CT, where her father owned a drugstore at which her mother was the pharmacist. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where she majored in psychology. She also has what she calls her “half-Masters” in English from Western Connecticut State University (five courses down, another five to go…someday!).

Throughout college, she worked semester breaks as a...more

More about Lauren Baratz-Logsted...

Books by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Little Women and Me

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Little Women and Me
avg rating	preview: Little Women and Me Goodreads rating: 3.01 (396 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9583143-little-women-and-me?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320158885l/9583143.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9583143-little-women-and-me?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted[/url]

Little Women and Me

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website