I’ve got exciting news! I finally read the full version of Little Women! I started it on Wednesday the 13th and finished it in the course of a little over a week (my reading time was only about 2-2 1/2 days because I didn’t read every single day and some days I read for hours and hours and others for really small amounts of time). It can be a pretty easy/quick read if you have the time, patience, and can speed read. Some parts are easier to get through than others (because some parts are duller and easy to pay less attention to) but it was extremely good. This post will contain spoilers.
Little Women was written by Louisa May Alcott. I know Jo is supposed to be the main character (right?), but I feel like each March sister has their own moments, and has their own amount of changes throughout the novel. Little Women is a story about life. We see our beloved characters grow up and become women over the course of about ten years.
The March Sisters:
Meg is the eldest March sister and is about sixteen in the novel’s opening. She desires wealth, beauty, and rich things.
Josephine (Jo) is fifteen in the beginning and is very headstrong, bold, and tomboyish. She eventually wants to be a writer.
Beth is thirteen at the start and is extremely timid, quiet, and sweet. She is the musician. When I was little, Beth was my favorite.
Amy is identified as twelve in the first part of the story. She is the artist of the family and loves to be proper. She really dislikes her nose.
The Other Important Characters:
Theodore Lawrence (Laurie/Teddy) is Jo’s best friend, Amy’s future husband, and neighbor of the March family.
Marmee is the loving and kind mother of the “little women.”
Mr. Lawrence is Laurie’s grandfather and is extremely sweet. He and Beth have a special connection.
Mr. John Brooke is Meg’s future husband.
Mr. March is the father of the “little women.” He is at war for some of the novel.
Aunt March is the cranky old aunt of the March family. She does have a good side, and eventually leaves Plumfield to Jo when she passes.
Professor Friedrich Bhaer is Jo’s future husband. He is German and a sweetheart.
As written above, this is a story about life. Little Women is frozen in time. It was written long ago, and yet we still read it. But why? Louisa May Alcott’s characters are real. They are not over the top, Lord of the Rings characters. The struggles and hardships the March family faces are not overly absurd. They could happen to any one of us. Any knights in shining armor happen in the imaginations and stories of the characters. The characters all have flaws. Jo is way too headstrong and outspoken. Beth is overly shy. Amy is selfish. Meg isn’t content. This novel is very enjoyable. It is loved by all different ages, and will be loved into the future. Definitely a must-read for every book lover!
Words, Words, Words! 