Family Always-A Review of "Little Women"

Book Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Version: Children's Classics Hardback
Voice: Omniscient
ISBN: 9781857159264
Original Publisher: Roberts Brothers
First Published: 1868-1869
Edition Publisher: Everyman's Library
Published: October 6th, 1994
Number of Pages: 528


SYNOPSIS: I didn't read "Little Women" until I was in my teens but I ended up loving it so much that I went out and bought myself a gorgeous hardback copy and have preceeded to read it almost every year since. It is one of my all time favorite books and I wanted to share it with all of you.

It is the story of the March family, a family of women. Meg, is the eldest at sixteen and already a woman in her eyes, Jo the second eldest is the tomboy of the family and since her father left for war the 'man' of the house, fragile Beth is the third in line but protected as if she were the baby, and little Amy, stubborn, willful and utterly convinced that she has to have a Grecian nose in order to be a true beauty. These four girls are the heart of the story but the heart of the March family is their Marmee, Mrs. March, the big hearted mother that is literally the cure to all their ailments and woes.

The book starts during Christmas Eve and the March sisters sit around talking as they wait for their mother to return. The March's are poor people and the sisters never feel it more then around Christmas. They are sitting around complaining about not getting any presents when their mother walks in with a gift more precious than any gift of silk or jewels, a letter from their father. In it he reminds them that there is more to life then money and material things, he reminds them all that they are kind, special in their own ways, and loved by him, their mother and God. His letter leaves them all feeling as if they had let him down and they each make a promise to be the girls, or in Jo's case the 'boy,' that their father believes them to be. What starts out as a simple Christmas promise turns into a lifetime of struggles and triumphs that shape each girl into a beautiful woman.

Jo wants more then anything to be a published writer and so she goes out to have gentlemanly experiences which becomes much easier once she befriends the boy next door. A young, wealthy, friendly boy by the name of Theodore Lawerence, called Laurie by every one except Jo who calls him by a special nickname that only she is allowed to use, Teddy. They form a friendship that more often then not lands them both in some scrape or another and as they grow their feelings of friendship turn into something more. Meg who is old enough to remember what it was like when the March's had money, simply wants the finer things in life. She goes to parties and balls with women and men that are wealthy and treat as if she is a poor project to be played with and then forgotten. What she discovers about herself though is that she is perfectly content to be poor as long as she is surrounded by those she loves. Soft spoken Beth seems to be the angel of the family, she is quiet and humble, and is perfectly content to be at home playing with her dolls and helping around the house. Beth is treated as the baby because she is fragile and frigthened most of the time. But she is really the eyes and ears of the March family and she knows all that goes on around her. Amy is obsessed with becoming rich and she decides that the best way to do that is marry a very rich man whether she loves him or not. She also finds herself increasingly drawn to art and the finer points of beauty. And as she grows she learns little lessons that help her turn into a lady.

The sisters go through ups and downs, they fall and they rise all with their sisters by their side. Their Marmee is there for them when they need advice from her but their main support and the real loves of their lives are each other. Though they learn things the hard way some of the time they each find ways to overcome the hardtimes and find within themselves true and beautiful women.

REVIEW: I chose to talk mainly about the characters because that is what the book is. The sisters are what drive the book, they are what make the stories come alive. What Louisa May Alcott has done is bring to life four very real and tangible girls that are each a little piece of us. Her writing is simple and pure and at times, at least for me, too full of religious rights and wrongs. However for the time that it was written it is exactly right. In today's modern world it may be a little more difficult for young girls to be swept up in but not much. 

I have loved this book for years and I am an all modern girl. But there is something about the world of the March sisters that truly fascinates me. Every time I start reading Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" it feels as if it is for the very first time. The stories that are told and the lessons that are learned are beautiful, there really is no other word for them. Louis May Alcott has brought to life a world that not many people get to see and it's a world that is well worth a peak. Like I said the writing is simple, it isn't pretenious or over done in any way. She is simply telling a story about four little girls that learn to be women. I truly feel that this should be considered a classic, and not just a children's classic, and so even though it is called "Little Women" I think that there are boys and men that will enjoy it. Jo is such a tomboy and with Teddy by her side there is quite enough adventure in the book to satisfy the male element. 

"Little Women" is a fantastic book. That's really all there is to it, it is well written and full of emotion and characters that make you fall in love with them. I highly, highly recommend this book to all those readers out there that want to curl up with a book that will simply make you feel good. I know that each time I open the book to start reading I find myself lost and smiling, and I know that, that will happen to you as well.