About the book:
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 Civil War.
My Review:
The story is set around the American Civil War. What starts as a lowly life of 4 sisters and their mother, grows into themes of family love, friendship, romance, and death.
Written in the late 1860s, the novel is way ahead of its time. The author boldly addresses various feminist issues—women being the bread earner of the family, pursuing their interests, denying a marriage proposal just because they don’t want it, division of household work in marriage, etc.
I love how all the characters have been developed in the story. Each has a special quality. Meg is sweet-natured and actively manages her house, Jo is creative and strong, Beth is shy, sweet, and musical, and Amy is artistic, social, and spoiled.
In the first part, we see more of the four main characters as a bunch of sisters—going about their lives, fighting with each other but constantly making up, too. We learn about their ideologies and their dreams.
In the second part, we see them as individuals with more of their individual personalities and priorities. Their ideologies shape them and how they do in their lives with regards to love and relationships.
I love the strong personalities that the characters unapologetically possess. They do not shy away from speaking their mind, neither from asking forgiveness if they do something wrong.
The only thing I didn’t like in the story was when Jo’s cutting off her hair was treated as her loss of one beauty. As if it was only her hair that made her beautiful.
The story is heart-wrenching and tear-jerking yet romantic and funny and sweet. The little gestures the characters do for each other made me go “aww”.
The language is simple and easy to read. The reader is hooked to the story from the beginning.