Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Little Women” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

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

Open Preview

more photos (8)

Read Book* *Different edition

Little Women

(Little Women #1)

Louisa May Alcott

4.10 · Rating details · 1,741,072 ratings · 32,337 reviews

Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 537 pages

Published January 1st 1994 by Barnes & Noble (first published September 30th 1868)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

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

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Little Women, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Uplifting Fiction

302 books — 270 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.10 ·

Rating details

· 1,741,072 ratings · 32,337 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Little Women

Mar 01, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, love-the-love

Galentine's Day is right around the corner...so why not curl up with a good book? Check out my latest BooktTube Video - all about five fabulous books on female friendship!

The Written Review

“Don't try to make me grow up before my time…”

The March sisters may be radically different but they all have one thing in common - love.

Their love for their mother and father, their love for adventure and for each other unites them in this troubled time.

The Civil War is afoo ...more

flag 659 likes · Like · see review

Oct 04, 2007 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile

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 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.

*note* for those of you who liked this review, check out my review of the new The Little Women Cookbook by Jenne Bergstrom and Miko Osada. ...more

flag 1886 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2013 Fabian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Yes, yes. I AM a grown-ass man reading this, but I'm not even remotely ashamed.

What I tried to do here was dispel the extra melodrama & embrace the cut-outs (fat trimmed out) of the Winona Ryder film. I was on the hunt for all the "new" (ha!) stuff that the regular person, well informed of the plot involving four young girls growing up (or in the case of Beth, not) never even knew existed. But it seems that the film did a great job not adding many more scenes than direly needed (like the Byrne- ...more

flag 903 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2020 Lala BooksandLala rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, read-in-2020

we stan.
https://youtu.be/KREaj07OEfU ...more

flag 1038 likes · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book means SISTERHOOD... FAMILY… HAPPINESS…TOGETHERNESS… THANKFULNESS… GENUINENESS…SOLIDARITY…BELIEFS… RESPECT…UNCONDITIONAL LOVE…HONESTY…KINDNESS…

This is magical book, when I get into my hands for the first time, I was only eleven and for decades I kept on getting it into my hands, reread it several times and same words resonated different for me, awoke different feelings, made me look at the characters’ flaws and differences at brand new perspective.
Even though I know the ending: I laughe ...more

flag 395 likes · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2019 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

A new movie is coming out December 25th...

I've never read it so I might have to do a readalong for it that month! ...more

flag 393 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2007 Rory rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 come off as morality plays than solid scenes or plots. 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 ...more

flag 381 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2019 emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gorgeous-covers, comments, non-ya, 4-and-a-half-stars, owned, recommend, classics, reviewed, beautifully-written

I’M IN LOVE, I’M IN LOVE, AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!

When I was a child, my mother used to drag me to antique stores all the time. There is nothing more boring to a kid than an antique store. It smelled like dust and old people, and everything looked the same (dark wood), and if we were in a particularly bauble-heavy shop I had to clasp my hands behind my back like a Von Trapp child in order to avoid invoking the you-break-it-you-buy-it policy on a $42 crystal ashtray.

On one such excursion, w ...more

flag 336 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

that feeling when you spend the majority of the book desperately longing to be a jo, but then end up realising youre actually just a beth… :/

also, the fact that i still like laurie, even after he messes around in france trying to “find himself,” says a lot more about me than it does about him, to be fair.

and dont even get me started on the new film coming out. the casting definitely has me feeling some kind of way. im still not over the precision of timothée chalamet as laurie, the literary char ...more

flag 296 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2013 Emily May rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: clothbound-own, classics

Never liked this one. I read Alcott back around the time I was first reading the Brontes and Dickens, and her books always struck me as incredibly dull in comparison. I was probably about 12, though, so I suppose I should try it again someday.

flag 250 likes · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2010 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, historical, 1001-book, fiction, classics, 19th-century

(863 from 1001) - Little Women (Little Women #1), Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), which was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. Alcott wrote the books over several months at the request of her publisher. Following the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy— the novel details their passage from childhood to womanhood and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters.

زنان کوچک - نویسنده: لوئییز می آل ...more

flag 214 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2008 Corrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 Alcott would have gone much furthe ...more

flag 194 likes · Like · see review

Apr 06, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, classics, hardback-own, historical

I have owned this book forever! I have the movie and have always loved it. Thanks to several group challenges on here, I have finally gotten to this little gem.

Happy Reading!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

flag 183 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2020 Ruby Granger rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: convenience

I decided to re-read Little Women after watching the new film and am so glad that I did! I enjoyed this book when I first read it at 12, but truly LOVED it this time. The growth and progression of the sisters is wonderful, and the moral lessons infused in Alcott's writing make it a must-read children's classic. ...more

flag 178 likes · Like · see review

Dec 20, 2019 Angela M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This classic that so many have loved over the years, many having read it as young girls, is somehow one that I never read until now. It’s a lovely story, and I wonder how I would have felt about it, had I read it when I was younger. Like so many readers, Jo, the lover of books, the writer, is my favorite, a woman before her time, exhibiting independence and a desire for more in her life. It’s a coming of age story in so many ways as we see Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy develop over the years, each reali ...more

flag 175 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2020 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Read this many years ago, and it was delightful to reconnect with this wonderful classic once again.

flag 165 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2020 theburqaavenger➹ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: we-ll-always-have-paris, classics, shall-i-compare-theeto-summers-day, i-have-but-one-heart, you-made-me-a-believer, i-love-her, i-love-him, there-s-no-war-in-ba-sing-se, winds-are-blowing

“Love is a great beautifier.”

The March Sisters.
Marmee.
Laurie.
Hannah.
Mr. Laurence.

What a beautiful journey. What a beautiful family. What a beautiful story.
The book is so simple that every time after i complete it, i wonder whether i missed something. It leaves me wanting to know what led Alcott to write this simple masterpiece.

We have Jo ; a tomboy and an author who has a temper and a quick tongue, although she works hard to control both.

We have Meg ; responsible and kind, has a smal ...more

flag 153 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2021 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Alexa, play “Champagne Problems” by Taylor Swift.

flag 141 likes · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2015 Justin Tate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Relentlessly captivating story of sisters doing it for themselves. Alcott is a master of character, pacing, and creating page-turning suspense within a context of moderately low stakes. I admire everything about her, from her writing talent to her personal life as an abolitionist and feminist. Much of her personal advocacy makes it into the pages of Little Women. Sometimes in subtle ways, and sometimes not. I'm glad to see that the new movie appears to spotlight the feminist undertones because i ...more

flag 145 likes · Like · see review

Sep 10, 2019 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-shelf, chunksters, favorites

"I don’t believe fine young ladies enjoy themselves a bit more than we do, in spite of our burnt hair, old gowns, one glove apiece, and tight slippers, that sprain our ankles when we are silly enough to wear them." – Jo March

Whether you like this book or not, I doubt there are many that would deny that Jo March is the star of this mid-nineteenth century novel about the March family. In many ways, because of this remarkably self-assured heroine, Little Women seemed to me much ahead of its time. S "I don’t believe fine young ladies enjoy themselves a bit more than we do, in spite of our burnt hair, old gowns, one glove apiece, and tight slippers, that sprain our ankles when we are silly enough to wear them." – Jo March

Whether you like this book or not, I doubt there are many that would deny that Jo March is the star of this mid-nineteenth century novel about the March family. In many ways, because of this remarkably self-assured heroine, Little Women seemed to me much ahead of its time. Sisters Meg, Beth and Amy all have their moments to shine; while Mr. and Mrs. March are more broad-minded than what I imagine their contemporaries to have been. Had I been required to plant myself down in the midst of an American family during that era, I would have been satisfied to settle in with the Marches.

Meg yearns for the fine things she once had before poverty knocked the Marches down a few notches; yet she retains a mother-like quality that warmed me to her. Beth is quiet, good-natured and pious; all her sisters look to her as the epitome of virtue. The artistic little Amy is spoiled and vain and dreams of someday becoming a moneyed gentlewoman. I admit to feeling a bit sorry for her and by book’s end I became a fan. People do grow up after all, don’t they?!

And then there is Jo who adores books and dreams of someday becoming a writer. Described as a bit of a tomboy, which I suppose a girl with her pluck would have been commonly labeled back in the day, Jo is at the center of the novel. Given that Little Women is somewhat autobiographical in nature, it is fascinating to read of this spirited young woman. I can just imagine how she felt – stifled by society’s norms and expectations of a Victorian ‘lady’. She wanted the freedom to express herself; she would often have difficulty suppressing the pent-up rage that she felt deep inside; and she wanted to do what made her happiest.

"An old maid – that’s what I’m to be. A literary spinster, with a pen for a spouse, a family of stories for children, and twenty years hence a morsel of fame, perhaps…"

She shared her hopes with Laurie, the boy next door and her greatest pal besides her dear sisters. They shared a love of literature and the outdoors and confided in one another their greatest dreams.

"Wouldn’t it be fun if all the castles in the air which we make could come true, and we could live in them?"

I read this story as a young teen and didn’t recall much of the plot. I have always carried a strong, positive image of Jo in my head during the intervening years; and I’m very glad I decided to reacquaint myself with her and the entire March family. I’m happy to say the image held up. With the exception of ever-sweet Beth, I would say that all of the girls exhibited growth throughout the book, and it was fun to spend some time with them. At times the story felt a bit over-sentimental, but I believe it was aimed at young women and given the date of publication, I decided to forgive it for this small ‘crime.’ I’m all for a sweet from time to time, as long as it’s balanced out with something nutritious, and I believe I got both here. I am super-excited to see the upcoming screen version of this to be released on Christmas Day!

"Now and then, in this work-a-day world, things do happen in the delightful story-book fashion, and what a comfort that is." ...more

flag 151 likes · Like · see review

May 05, 2011 Shovelmonkey1 rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one, seriously.

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: My mum and the 1001 books list

Shelves: read-in-2010, 1001-books

To me this book is just a big neon highlighted literary exclamation mark defining how incredibly different I am from my mother. She loves this book. Really, really loves it....a lot. She always used to tell me how great she thought it was although, as a kid I somehow avoided reading it; mainly because at this point I was too busy dangling from a climbing frame by my ankles or stealing scrap wood from building sites in order to make dens and tree houses.

As it is prominently placed on the 1001 boo ...more

flag 133 likes · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2020 Gabby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, favorite-female-characters, favorites, 500-or-more-pages, classics, cover-lust, own, read-in-2020, 4-star-books, inspirational

I finally read Little Women! Jo is one of the most relatable characters of all time for me. I feel like this book came into my life at the perfect time. Here’s a reading vlog of my experience reading this: https://youtu.be/MkzZAxk4MLQ ...more

flag 131 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2016 K. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, audience-children, childhood-revisited, classics-club, library, classics, own-it-hard-copy, setting-usa

Look, I'm going to be brutally honest here: I read this when I was about 10 and I quite enjoyed it. But reading it at the age of 33? OH MY GOD, THIS WAS THE MOST SACCHARINE SWEET, INTOLERABLE TWADDLE I'VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF READING.

All four of the girls are so ridiculously perfect that even when they make the tiny little mistakes that are painted as monumental fuck ups in the book, they're instantly fixed with a sweet smile or a sermon from their mother about women needing to control th ...more

flag 125 likes · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2018 Kylie D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: seasonal-challenges, historical-fiction

A timeless classic that I enjoyed just as much now as I did when I first read it at school.

flag 123 likes · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2015 Zoë rated it liked it · review of another edition

2017 update: I reread this as it was the Austentatious book for June and July! I didn't love it as much as I did the first time I read it, but I am glad I got to revisit the story. (Also, this time I Amy was my favorite character?)

Book 12/100 for 2015
I had to read this book for my Children's Lit class and I loved it! We've done a lot of discussion which has really opened my mind to new things in the book and made me love it even more. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to get i ...more

flag 111 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2009 Cecily marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: overrated, usa-and-canada, ya, bildungsroman, classics

I was given this more than 30 years ago, and it never appealed, but I gave it a go when it was selected by my book group in 2009.

As most people know, it's Louisa May Alcott's semi-autobiographical account of four teenage sisters growing up in slight poverty, while their father is away at war.

The opening words alerted me to the tone:
"'Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without any presents'... 'I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls to have nothing a ...more

flag 106 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2015 Joey Woolfardis rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, septic, ce19, bairns, bookshelf, feminine, bloody-cack

Read as part of The Infinite Variety Reading Challenge, based on the BBC's Big Read Poll of 2003.

The one thing I'm not going to do is apologise for not liking this. I hold no truck with that: stop apologising for having an opinion that is different to the majority.

Little Women was relatively written well in the grammatically correct sense, but I found it to be a very slow and dull read. It is definitely of its time and even though there are small points of seeing the necessity of having strong, ...more

flag 102 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2007 Dottie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-ya, 1001-read, trgbc, 1944-1966, perennials, favorites, own

My copy of this is probably 55 years old -- I've probably read it at least twenty-five times. One of my all-time favorite books. One of my favorite authors ever. Yes, it is old-fashioned -- it was old-fashioned fifty-five years ago. But that is the point pretty much in my opinion. This is a story of times past, of a family which functioned in a particular way in a particular time. This is also a story of what one person in a family might have wished were so all of the time in the family but wasn ...more

flag 99 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2018 may ❀ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, 400-pgs, buddy-read, decent, classics, audiobook

i've never witnessed a ship of mine get sunk so tragically, how dare you ms. alcott (ง •̀_•́)ง

RTC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

probably the first classic that i'm //choosing// to read so let's hope this goes well bc it'll probs determine whether i keep this charade up or not :))

Buddy read with ma girl, t swizzle ...more

flag 97 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2020 Iben Frederiksen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, books-i-own-and-have-read

★ 4.0 Stars ★

“I do think that families are the most beautiful things in all the world!”

Little Women, the classic american story written by Louisa May Alcott, follows four sisters; Grown up Meg, free-spririted Jo, kind Beth and ambitious Amy, as they grow from children into women. Alcott tells the story of the March family with so much charm, warmth and humour, that I looked forward to reading a piece of the book every day. Jo March was my favourite of the four, but I loved them all and enjoyed ...more

flag 92 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Sharing Thoughts ...: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Optional book discussion for Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2021	2	20	Feb 08, 2021 10:46AM
March Sisters: Introduce Yourselves!	2	2	Feb 02, 2021 02:43PM
Goodreads Librari...: Update Book Cover	2	25	Jan 13, 2021 01:12AM
SA Book & Challen...: Little Women	2	8	Dec 30, 2020 12:13AM
The Midnight Readers: Little Women (Isra, Eman Fazyl & Bumble)	71	40	Dec 20, 2020 08:11AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Classics

29,974 users

Fiction

8,775 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

3,234 users

Young Adult

2,753 users

Romance

1,697 users

Historical

1,210 users

Literature

1,037 users

Childrens

990 users

Classics > Classic Literature

689 users

Novels

614 users

See top shelves…

About Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott

6,895 followers

As A.M. Barnard:
Behind a Mask, or a Woman's Power (1866)
The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation (1867)
A Long Fatal Love Chase (1866 – first published 1995)
First published anonymously:
A Modern Mephistopheles (1877)

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. She and her three sisters, Anna, Elizabeth and May were educated by their father, philosopher/ t As A.M. Barnard:
Behind a Mask, or a Woman's Power (1866)
The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation (1867)
A Long Fatal Love Chase (1866 – first published 1995)
First published anonymously:
A Modern Mephistopheles (1877)

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. She and her three sisters, Anna, Elizabeth and May were educated by their father, philosopher/ teacher, Bronson Alcott and raised on the practical Christianity of their mother, Abigail May.

Louisa spent her childhood in Boston and in Concord, Massachusetts, where her days were enlightened by visits to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s library, excursions into nature with Henry David Thoreau and theatricals in the barn at Hillside (now Hawthorne’s "Wayside").

Like her character, Jo March in Little Women, young Louisa was a tomboy: "No boy could be my friend till I had beaten him in a race," she claimed, " and no girl if she refused to climb trees, leap fences...."

For Louisa, writing was an early passion. She had a rich imagination and often her stories became melodramas that she and her sisters would act out for friends. Louisa preferred to play the "lurid" parts in these plays, "the villains, ghosts, bandits, and disdainful queens."

At age 15, troubled by the poverty that plagued her family, she vowed: "I will do something by and by. Don’t care what, teach, sew, act, write, anything to help the family; and I’ll be rich and famous and happy before I die, see if I won’t!"

Confronting a society that offered little opportunity to women seeking employment, Louisa determined "...I will make a battering-ram of my head and make my way through this rough and tumble world." Whether as a teacher, seamstress, governess, or household servant, for many years Louisa did any work she could find.

Louisa’s career as an author began with poetry and short stories that appeared in popular magazines. In 1854, when she was 22, her first book Flower Fables was published. A milestone along her literary path was Hospital Sketches (1863) based on the letters she had written home from her post as a nurse in Washington, DC as a nurse during the Civil War.

When Louisa was 35 years old, her publisher Thomas Niles in Boston asked her to write "a book for girls." Little Women was written at Orchard House from May to July 1868. The novel is based on Louisa and her sisters’ coming of age and is set in Civil War New England. Jo March was the first American juvenile heroine to act from her own individuality; a living, breathing person rather than the idealized stereotype then prevalent in children’s fiction.

In all, Louisa published over 30 books and collections of stories. She died on March 6, 1888, only two days after her father, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord. ...more