Little Women

Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott

First published in the USA in 1868.

This is a book I come back to again and again.  I can't even remember the first time I read it, but I now have the series on my bookcase, including a separate book of 'Little Women' and 'Good Wives' (I still have the two books separately as well because who can get rid of a favourite book??)  It might be an older story by now, and one a lot of people say isn't relevant nowadays, but I find it always cheers me up and I take different things from the story now than I did when I was younger.

Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth are the March sisters, who live with their mother; their father is away at war.  They are not a rich family and we meet the girls in winter as the girls ponder a Christmas without presents.  Beth says that they have 'father and mother and each other' and so should be happy, and that is a main theme of the book.  The girls make their own fun by putting on plays written by Jo and make friends with their neighbour Laurie.  The book series follows them as the grow from 'little women' to ladies with their own families.  Some of it is a bit slow going and not a lot seems to happen, but then there are moments when I always cheer or cry or want to shake the characters.

The writing is very straightforward and easy to read; there is the occasional word or phrase which is no longer used but it is easy enough to work out the meaning from the context.  With four sisters all on different journeys there is one that everyone can relate to, from Meg (the eldest), through Jo and Beth to Amy.

When I first read this I found Meg really annoying but as I have grown up I understand her more, though my favourite (along with most readers) is Jo.  Jo is confident, outgoing and wishes to be a boy but has to be content with shortening her full name 'Josephine'.  She looks after her sisters and refuses to wear her hair tied up or act 'ladylike'.  This is usually to the despair of Meg, who's main concern is how they look in society and who they will marry.  To me these two sisters show different sides of growing up, and the way they interact with the younger two is believable -  they find them annoying yet are protective at the same time.

I know this book isn't going to be one for everyone, a lot of people find it irritatingly old-fashioned, but if you do like a classic family drama then add the series to your shelf.