Little Women (Signet Classics)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy come of age while their father is off to war.

Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

From "Little Women" to "Good Wives" August 23, 2004
68 out of 74 found this review helpful

Louisa May Alcott wrote many books, but "Little Women" retains a special place in the heart of American literature. Her warmly realistic stories, sense of comedy and tragedy, and insights into human nature make the romance, humor and sweet stories of "Little Women" come alive.

The four March girls -- practical Meg, rambunctious Jo, sweet Beth and childish artist Amy -- live in genteel poverty with their mother Marmee; their father is away in the Civil War. Despite having little money, the girls keep their spirits up with writing, gardening, homemade plays, and the occasional romp with wealthier pals. Their pal, "poor little rich boy" Laurie, joins in and becomes their adoptive brother, as the girls deal with Meg's first romance, Beth's life-threatening illness, and fears for their father's safety.

The second half of the book opens with Meg's wedding (if not to the man of her dreams, then to the man she loves). Things rapidly go awry after the wedding, when Laurie admits his true feelings to Jo -- only to be rejected. Distraught, he leaves; Amy also leaves on a trip to Europe with a picky old relative. Despite the deterioration of Beth's health, Jo makes her way into a job as a governess, seeking to put her treasured writing into print -- and finds her destiny as well.

There's a clearly autobiographical tone to "Little Women." Not surprising -- the March girls really are like the girls next door. Alcott wrote them with flaws and strengths, and their misadventures -- like Amy's embarrassing problem with her huge lobster -- have the feeling of authenticity. How much of it is real? A passage late in the book portrays Alcott -- in the form of Jo -- "scribbling" down the book itself, and getting it published because it feels so real and true.

Sure, usually classics are hard to read. But "Little Women" is mainly daunting because of its length; the actual stories flow nicely and smoothly. Don't think it's just a book for teenage girls, either -- adults and boys can appreciate it as well. There's something for everyone: drama, romance, humor, sad and happy endings alike.

Alcott's writing itself is nicely detailed. While certain items are no longer in common use (what IS a charabanc anyway?), Alcott's stories themselves seem very fresh and could easily be seen in a modern home. And as nauseating as "heartwarming" stories sometimes are, these definitely qualify. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, Alcott is a bit too preachy and hamhanded. But her touch becomes defter as she writes on.

Jo is the quintessential tomboy, and the best character in the book: rough, gawky, fun-loving, impulsive, with a love of literature and a mouth that is slightly too big. Meg's love of luxury adds a flaw to the "perfect little homemaker" image, and Beth just avoids being shown as too saintly. Amy is an annoying little brat throughout much of the first half of the book, but by her teens she's almost as good as Jo.

"Little Women" is one of those rare classic novels that is still relevant, funny, fresh and heartbreaking today. Louisa May Alcott's best-known novel is a magnificent achievement.

5 out of 5 stars

Little Women Leave Big Impact July 16, 2004
29 out of 32 found this review helpful

The story of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy is one that will forever be a part of American liteary culture. Set in the mid-1800s in a small New England town, Louisa May Alcott invites the reader into the home of these four sisters as they deal with the struggles of having a father off fighting in the Civil War, having to mature and grow up supporting themselves with little jobs here and there and finding out about the joys of love, children, and the sadness of death. This coming of age novel follows Jo mainly as she is faced with the day to day choices that will help her sisters and mother make it through the harsh New England winters. My nana gave this book to me and I hope to continue on the tradtion of passing this book on. It's a wonderful book to be shared by mothers and daughter and granddaughters alike since it shows the true spirit of women.

5 out of 5 stars

Alcott Threw Me For A Loop! October 19, 2006
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

This may sound ridiculous, but I was bound and determined to hate this novel. I had managed to avoid it all my life, but was recently assigned the text in a graduate class on the "Study of the Novel." I consider myself a feminist, and a somewhat cynical one at that, and was sure this was going to be too "Pollyanna" for my literary tastes. I stand corrected!
I absolutely fell in love with Jo's tomboyish headstrong character and furthermore, I must confess that next to Dolores Price (from Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone) and David Copperfield (Dickens' own), Laurie has become one of my all-time favorite literary characters.
There are a lot of overly religious maxims being spewed forth in the first half of the book, but it was not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment. And while the book is "light hearted" in many respects, there are many serious topics worthy of graduate level discussion, such as the suppression of feminine anger and utilization and importance of self control, inner versus outer appearances, Victorian expectations of behaviors across classes and genders, and the cause and effect of the absence of the "father" for the sisters, as well as Laurie.
My overall literary experience has been greatly enriched by having read this book and I recommend it to all who have not yet had the pleasure of reading it. Of course, I especially recommend it to those skeptics out there, like me, who think they already have the whole thing pegged for "fluff" :)
Alcott's "Little Women" is, without question, an American masterpiece and deserves to be on the shelves with the "Huck Finn"s and "Great Gatsby"s.

5 out of 5 stars

For All Times October 22, 2004
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Buy this book now because in a year or two you'll want to read it again -- no matter what your age.

I think I read Little Women first as a preteen. I identified strongly, probably like most girls, with the protagonist Jo, a tomboy who struggles to find her place in society. But as the years have worn on, I have found myself returning again and again to this enthralling story. The book has an emotional impact unlike any other I have encountered.

The girls' antics will make you laugh; alternately, the book features two of the saddest scenes you will ever read. If you want to become engrossed in another world, affected profoundly not just by the fictional girls but by the knowledge that this book is semi-autobiographical for Louisa May Alcott, read it. Little Women is wholesome but not boring; classic but not hard to read; better than all of the Little Women movies combined. At the heart of the book is pure love and goodness -- what we all long for in life.

5 out of 5 stars

A Timeless Work Teaches Important Lessons for Today August 19, 2006
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Having not read Little Women in many decades, I was drawn back to the book by my love of visiting the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. I plan to re-visit that wonderful home and want to refresh my recollections of Little Women before doing so. By the way, if you have a chance to visit Orchard House, I strongly recommend that you do. Your sense of Little Women will expand.

As I re-read these delightful pages, I found myself comparing Little Women to Pride and Prejudice, that outstanding work that captures human psychology so well. The comparison made me see new depths in Little Women that convince me that Little Women is by far the stronger work.

But my biggest reaction was how modern the views in the book are. Women should have education, access to opportunities to develop their interests and marriage to men who will complement them. People should be concerned about each other and help one another, lest any person's life be harmed or feelings hurt in the process.

I also noticed how complete a community of loving women can be within the same family.

The writing style is beautifully spare. The key point of a chapter may turn on two or three words. And then, everything changes in the twinkling of an eye.

Being a long book, Ms. Alcott has plenty of chances to develop her characters and she does so beautifully . . . allowing Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and Laurie to grow and change as they age.

I also came to appreciate more the scope of the book, taking the young women from teenage years through the first few years of marriage. It's a time period that few books consider. Usually, it's all over when the marriage happens. I like this approach better.

Should you read Little Women? Does the sun rise in the East?

If you haven't read Little Women, you've missed great role models for how to be a parent, spouse and child.

Here's the story in a nutshell: During the Civil War, Mr. March is away serving as a chaplain in the Union army. Mrs. March (Marmee) and her four daughters are at home in the cold north making do on small income with the help of one servant, Hannah. As the story opens, the March family is facing a frugal Christmas. But events soon take an unexpected turn and their hearts are filled with gladness. Jo makes an unexpected and most humorous acquaintance of the Laurence boy (Theodore, known as Laurie) who lives next door with old Mr. Laurance, his grandfather. The two families draw upon one another for strength and friendships grow. Illness intercedes making the two families even more dependent on one another. One by one, the children move into adulthood, deal with their romantic feelings and form their alliances.

The characters of each child are quite different, allowing Ms. Alcott to explore the contrasts by putting them together in various private and social occasions. Meg is beautiful and much admired. She should attract many suitors. Jo is energetic, self-absorbed and talented in writing (the character closest to Ms. Alcott herself). Beth is very kind and yet fragile. Amy is the social climber in the family . . . and the pet. Laurie has an artistic temperament, but finds himself expected to play an heir's role.

You'll long remember with delight the stories of their thespian performances, games, dances and social visits. Although the book makes up a wonderfully detailed novel, the chapters are written almost as stand-alone short stories that pack a powerful punch in their modeling of good behavior.

What a joy!

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