Format: Paperback
Pages: 449 pages
Published: September 30, 1868
Publisher: Bantam Classics
Genre: Classics, Fiction & Literature, Young Adult, Children
Synopsis:
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.
As any true book lover will say, there is always that one book that stays with them always. For me, I have at most two: Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. Now, I can add Little Women to that list.
Little Women is indescribable. I have always heard about how great novel is and how it is a timeless classic but I truly never understood it until I read it. I could not put this book down! I took every opportunity to discover the life and adventures of the March family. Louisa May Alcott created a family of characters that becomes part of the readers’ family. You are surprisingly invested in the March sisters’ lives. Alcott created amazing characters that not only stay with you but characters you create a connection. Meg, Jo, beth and Amy are so memorable that you can’t even imagine what your reading life was like before you met them.
Another aspect I thought was amazing was the life lessons and the ideas that were depicted. With the classics, people argue that the ideas that are presented in the stories are not relevant to the current times and give the appearance of being outdated. I believe that is not true with most classic novels, but that is especially applicable to Little Women. The lessons and the ideas the story can be applied to anyone’s life and I will have a hard time believing the opposite. Little Women may have been written as a children/young adult novel but Alcott created a story that can be enjoyed by all ages. She doesn’t talk down to her audience, both children and adults. Alcott has a story to tell about a family and their lives through a span of years and she does it so beautifully and so memorable. She doesn’t give out a commanding tone but Alcott doesn’t let her audience forget the joys and the hardships of life and the lessons that go along with it.
Beautifully written and entertainingly touching, Little Women is a story that will warm your heart. You know how there is a list of books that you should read before you die? This is one that should definitely be on your list. With the uncertainty and turmoil that is occurring in the world today, this is the book that we need in our lives.
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Get It At: Amazon |Barnes & Noble|Book Depository| Your local library
One of my all-time favourite novels – I love it as much as an adult as I did as a child. There’s a warmth and compassion about Louisa May Alcott’s writing that is rarely found elsewhere.