Little Women

Written by Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Generations of people-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. Talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy remain united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the free-thinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with "woman's work," including sewing, doing laundry, and acting as a domestic servant. But she soon discovered she could make more money writing. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the "girl's book" her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 18, 2008
• ISBN: 9781400178605

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. Born in Philadelphia to a family of transcendentalists—her parents were friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau—Alcott was raised in Massachusetts. She worked from a young age as a teacher, seamstress, and domestic worker in order to alleviate her family’s difficult financial situation. These experiences helped to guide her as a professional writer, just as her family’s background in education reform, social work, and abolition—their home was a safe house for escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad—aided her development as an early feminist and staunch abolitionist. Her career began as a writer for the Atlantic Monthly in 1860, took a brief pause while she served as a nurse in a Georgetown Hospital for wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War, and truly flourished with the 1868 and 1869 publications of parts one and two of Little Women. The first installment of her acclaimed and immensely popular “March Family Saga” has since become a classic of American literature and has been adapted countless times for the theater, film, and television. Alcott was a prolific writer throughout her lifetime, with dozens of novels, short stories, and novelettes published under her name, as the pseudonym A.M. Barnard, and anonymously.

Reviews for Little Women

[jessiep73 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is tough to get into it at first, because they just seem too perfect, but the book really picks up if you just keep going. I really enjoyed it, and am very glad I finally read it. This one will be staying on my bookshelf and will be read many more times!

[gfriedman_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From the Inside Flap: Little Women is an adored classic of four sisters and their enduring devotion to and protection of one another. Alcott drew from her own personality to create a unique protagonist: Jo, willful, headstrong, and undoubtedly the backbone of the March family, is a heroine unlike any seen before. Follow the sisters from innocent adolescence to sage adulthood, with all the joy and sorrow of life in between, and fall in love with them and this endearing story.

[ohdani_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can I say that hasn't been said so many times before? Little Women was on my list of books that I was ashamed to say I hadn't read, and knowing what a nice story it is now, I'm upset to have missed out on it for so long. Not only is writing and story itself pleasant and well-done, the feeling it leaves the reader with is just wonderful. For someone who didn't grow up with a close-knit family, Little Women is sweet and heart-warming and something that almost fills the gap left by a slightly dysfunctional family of my own. The March family and their lives are quaint and unobtrusive, but their little world is one which the reader wishes to jump through the pages and join. A lovely, lovely story.

[candacevan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't often re-read books, but I had read this so very long ago (50 years) that I thought I might be interesting to read from an adult perspective. I read it beginning when I was six, because my mother so loved it. Honestly, six is a little young for it, even with a precocious kid, but I persevered and got through it.

What surprised me on re-reading it is that I had remembered every detail of the plot quite accurately, which says something about how vividly Alcott drew her characters and how memorably she plotted their adventures.

It's a very good book, but what struck me on this reading was the same thing I thought at age six: It made no sense for Jo to finally fall in love and get all gushy over a geriatric German professor. It's the only real false note in the novel, but it's a whopper. Her rejection of Laurie makes sense, but then to fall for the professor? I just don't buy it.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think it goes without saying that Little Women is a classic. Who doesn't know the story of Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth? Okay, so female readers of all ages probably know it better than men but either way, there is no denying it's a classic! Plus, plus, plus! They made a movie out of it!So. To repeat the obvious: This is the story of the March women - Mrs. March and her four daughters. Too old to be drafted into service, Mr. March enlists to be a chaplain in the civil war. While he is away Mrs. March and her girls keep a modest house house in Concord, Massachusetts. The story centers around the four daughters and their four very different personalities. Alcott was ahead of her time when she created the character of Josephine ("Jo"). Jo is an ambitious tomboy who cuts her hair and wants to be a unmarried writer. She is referred to as male by herself (saying she is the man of the house while Father is away) and by her father (who calls her "son"). It's an interesting dynamic to the plot. The rest of the March women are as Victorian as can be. I try to refrain from seeing them as prissy. They are all very pretty and wishy-washy and have talent. As a aside, the storytelling reminded me of Anne of Green Gables.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved it and can't believe I waited so many years to get around to reading it.

[cmsnails · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How could this not be a favorite? One of my favorites growing up I always liked Beth and Jo but at the time was disappointed on the matches made. Now I can take a more tolerant view.

[imperfectcj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I read this in elementary school, I found it very boring. But then, what could a child addicted to television find appealing about "playing Pilgrims"? As a grown-up homeschooling mom, I found the book delightful. I read this just after reading almost all of Jane Austen's novels and the contrast was quite refreshing. The March girls are just the kinds of heroines I want my daughter to emulate. They are real characters with real faults that they are able to overcome through sincere effort. They are brave and daring young women who are not saved by marriage, nor is making a financially advantageous match their first goal when choosing a mate. Marriage in this book is just what I hope I'm modeling for my children: a partnership based on mutual love and respect, and held together through loving compromise rather than sacrifice by one party or the other.

This book was also particularly interesting after having learned more about the intellectual and spiritual culture of New England during the second half of the 19th century.

[gaurid3_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful read. I liked reading this book. Takes reader to the 19th century. 4 sisters living so very harmoniously together and the neighbor "Teddy"I like part 1 better than the part 2. Part 1 is nice, fresh, enjoyable.Part 2 is good but little too drag. At times the book gets very preachy. Maybe it does relate to the authors life... wonder what was her life as Jo is portrayed as her.

[crayolacrayon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a wonderful classic and a book every child should read by the time they're thirteen. This is also a good book to read out loud. Many people have been posting that they thought the book was to preachy but I love those parts because it makes the book so comfortable.

[shadrachanki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is another one of those "childhood classics" that I managed to miss reading when I was actually a child. I'm still trying to decide whether or not this is a good thing. I think that, had I tried reading it as a child, I would have been just a bit bored by the story overall. But as an adult reader, I find I am probably less forgiving of things I perceive as flaws in the writing.

Coming to it as an adult reader, I can see why it is viewed as a classic, and I enjoyed reading it, but I also don't think it would really be publishable today. The pacing is somewhat uneven--it seemed that just when things would start to pick up a good pace we would be treated to another "now gentle reader" moment, highlighting the moral lessons we should be learning from the story, and also bringing the forward momentum of the story to a halt.

I had problems with Beth as a character, mostly because I don't feel she really was a character. Of the main characters, she is the only one whose viewpoint we don't really see. We are told she is sweet and perfect and wonderful and beloved, but the only real evidence we have of these things is circumstantial at best: Beth is wonderful because we are told she is wonderful. Consequently, the major plot points that hinge on Beth all struck me as a little bit fake, which was rather unfortunate.

I liked John and Laurie and Professor Bhaer, and I enjoyed the romances that came with them (though again, it seemed like we got an awful lot of preaching and moralising whenever something interesting was about to happen).

I'm glad I read it, and I may very well read it again at some point, but probably not for several years.

----
Some edition-specific notes:

The Barnes & Noble Classics ebook edition is, for the most part, quite good. It comes with quite a bit of supplementary material in the form of a biography of the author; historical background of both when the book was written and the time period in which it was set; and approximately twenty pages of endnotes and footnotes, all hyper-linked within the book itself.

I would have preferred to see the information about the author and her history placed at the end of the text rather than the beginning. Ditto with the introduction, which, like most such introductions, assumes the reader is already familiar with the text.

The proofreading of the ebook text is...spotty. As far as I can tell it was typeset by scanning an existing print copy of the book, using OCR technology to render the text. On the whole, this works perfectly well, but there are a number of places where words are split oddly (e.g. "beg inning" instead of "beginning"), or specific letters were not translated correctly, leading to spelling errors (e.g. "tor" instead of "for").

[misscatie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read "Little Women" for the first time when I was eight years old. Since then I've read it so many times that it barely has a cover anymore! It has had an incredible impact on me--so much so that I've used how it's affected me as a topic for college application essays. I have three younger sisters (and a little brother) and I've often thought about us in relation to the March sisters. I also see aspects of each of the sister's characters in my own: I am modest and motherly like Meg, passionate, stubborn and wildly affectionate like Jo, sweet, ill and thoughtful like Beth and I long to be taken seriously, much like Amy. I completely love this book.

[echoesofstars · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite book. Good morality as the basis for strong character is at the heart of the lessons throughout the book. However, I am disappointed in the sequel (part two of the book). It seems that Ms. Alcott wrote part two to simply please her audience. Although the moral character of the girls remains strong, there is less attention paid to the everyday details of their lives, which was the charm of part one. The goal of part two, it seems, is simply to get the girls off and married, rather than focusing on the small defining moments of personal growth for each character. In spite of this, I have never read any other book (other than the Bible) that has touched my heart so deeply and has ministered so well to my own struggles with personal growth and positive character development. I only wish I had read this book sooner. The book's wisdom, so neatly packaged but yet so very conspicuous, blesses the reader in an easy, non-judgemental way. It causes the reader to reflect on her own life and to make positive changes in attitude and thought to such a degree that self-help books can only look on with envy. If you have a teenage or young adult daughter, encourage her to read this book. She will be greatly blessed for it, not only by the charming story, but quite possibly by the changes in her heart and mind that result from the good influence of Alcott's Little Women.

[mmignano11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh book of little women about your little men! I was charmed by Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" and I'm bound to read another book by her. It has been suggested that I read "Eight Cousins." I could not help but notice that each of the girls is involved in the pursuit of a man to make her life complete, because as she sees it, the formation of a family is the focus of a young man or woman's life, and why be coy about it? The characters in "Little Women" each of whom the reader follows from childhood to young adulthood into motherhood, are a combination of saucy, bitingly honest, refreshingly sincere and touchingly common, in the gentlest sense of the word. Even the vocabulary reflects their station in life. At any given point, the reader can find a sentence in which the character states "It don't mean" or she "don't intend to" but they do not lack commonsense or book smarts, as provided by their home-schooling mother, fondly called"Marmee." Money is never the focus of their love interests, while still being of key importance to young women who always struggled for more than the basic necessities. And yet, when necessary, they gave generously of what they called their own, be it time, money, clothing or food. Throughout the book, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth, lovingly exist in their plain home next to the dwelling of the Laurence boy, Teddy. His friendship with them is of long-standing, in fact, he finally becomes a part of the family. Each of the girls has their own special quality that serves them best and makes them special to the other members of the family. Jo is focused on primarily, and she, in turn, focuses on the family for the readers, who see them through Jo's eyes. There is Meg, proper oldest sister, who becomes a model of domesticity for her younger sisters, and Amy, the painfully shy youngest sister, talented piano player, much beloved of Mr. Laurence, the girls benefactor and appointed grandfather, who has a piano moved to the house for the March girls pleasure. Beth,next youngest, is never quite well, but decidedly proper and made much of by her sisters, particularly Jo.And then, Jo, the writer, outspoken and unabashedly opinionated, admired by her sisters, self-appointed protector and instructor for Teddy.Not only were the characters quite fun to observe as they developed into "little women" but the story was well-written, full of literary allusions and other well noted references. Each chapter is titled and progresses the story to its conclusion, in which the March sisters are happily ensconced within their small, nuclear families. It was a relaxing pleasure to read "Little Women" and I did not find it syrupy sweet as I suspected I might due to the era in which it was written. No, I looked forward to the ways in which they solved each of their dilemmas and I think I read it at the appropriate time in my life, when I seemed to benefit from an enduring classic of the American home. It seemed to me not unlike a memoir, and as it is based loosely on Alcott's life I think it is safe to say it was fiction's closest cousin. I recommend it highly, and also suggest it for a family read.

[bratlaw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic story, along the lines of "The Little House" series. Bringing up four girls with her husband in the war, money tight, Marmee doles out life wisdom and skills. The daughters learn togetherness, love, happiness and sadness. Life is what you make of it. Good Read.

[justabookreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not going to call this a review because it’s not. If you want to read more about the book, google it. I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about what I thought of it on this go around instead. When I picked this up, I was in a slight reading slump and thought a beloved book from my childhood that I’ve always considered a comfort read would pull me out of it. By page 40, I was so annoyed with everyone --- Meg for bemoaning being poor, Jo for her hyper personality, Beth for all her goodness could only talk about being even better, Amy took me to the heights of annoyance over wanting to be so prim, proper and rich, and even dear Marmee started to rankle. They were too perfect. They were too moral. Everything was a lesson. Then something changed. It was that dear old scene where Beth befriends Mr. Laurence and when the little piano arrives, she boldly walks next door to thank him properly for the joy he’s brought her. The two become a pair content in a friendship that comes of music and Beth’s simple nature. My annoyances dropped away and once more I felt at home. It took me a minute though and even when I thought about dropping it, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to leave the story on a bad note. Sometimes when re-reading a story that is so loved, there creeps in the need to change it or to imagine it with different endings. I’ve heard others talk about wanting Jo and Laurie to get together and while I can see that as a possible ending, and at one point in my life I felt it should have been that way, I found this time that I wanted Jo and the Professor to be together instead. Yes, Jo and Laurie fit together perfectly but they are so alike that it wouldn’t feel satisfying to me now. Somehow just like Marmee said! Jo finds someone who appreciates her outbursts and willingness to learn by throwing herself so fully into things that she forgets about the world around her and there’s something lovely in that simple ending for her. She finds not only love but a partner. While I still found Jo to be my favorite, Meg and Amy left me wanting this time. They were still, I don’t know how to put this, but still too preoccupied with the thoughts of others. Amy does redeem herself but she felt small and slightly inconsequential. Her romance with Laurie isn’t so much of a romance as a settling for me and maybe that’s why years ago I felt cheated by it and wanted Laurie to be with Jo. Meg has a way of wrapping herself up so tightly in small things that she forgets there are others in her life, and when this happens in her marriage, I didn’t feel for her. It was a normal reaction and the lesson from Marmee felt more like preaching and I sort of glossed over it. Marriage is tough and Meg needed to find that out. Yes, Marmee let her but it didn’t stop any discussion of the lesson learned. Then there is the moral; make that morals. There’s a lesson to be learned by one and all every day, rich or poor. I felt preached to in the end by people better than me and that frustrated me. Not because I think I’m a bad person, I think the contrary actually, but this time it weighed heavily. It was probably my mood considering how busy life has been during the last few weeks but I was looking for comfort and I got a sermon. I don’t remember it being this way on other reads but somewhere along the way I saw it all differently. And I’m grateful for that. I appreciate being able to take a book I’ve read and loved, re-examine it and look at it from a new perspective. In some ways it became a more satisfying read this time even if I didn’t enjoy it as much. I still adore this story and nothing in the world will change that but it’s interesting to see how my current life and experiences changes my reading and memories.

[godiva3_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

one of the books that define my childhood...and i believe also other's. characters that you love, a great story, beautiful writing!! even if you haven't read it young, i think it's never late.

[jamiesuzanne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this in 8th grade and have loved it since. Experienced a disappointment in the middle of class when a grammar book gave away a tragic plot point.

[bohemima · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Along with thousands of others, I believe this is the world's best book for young girls. Some now think it's much too syrupy, but it remains a great story of four sisters, trying hard to learn to be the "Little Women" of the title. Moving, funny, and a glimpse of a vanished world.

[mazeway · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The only good thing I got out of reading March was that it got me to finally read "Little Women." I'd avoided it as a kid b/c, let's face it, that's a terrible title to a girl who mostly likes mysteries and horses. But I finally read it and really enjoyed it. I skimmed a lot b/c I just don't care about the actual script of the play the girls produced or Jo's actual stories. I liked the slice of life at the time. I got a kick out of the descriptions of their clothes and decorations. The characters were so fully realized and engaging. now I have the task of convincing my own kids that it really is worth a read.

[katieloucks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a great story. I love that I could identify with characteristics in each girl. Never read it until college, but I think it was nice to read it now because I could reflect on how I acted at those ages.

[librarylou · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A charming book, that I love to reread.

[misslizzy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my mother's favorite books, and consequently, one of mine. This is yet another of my favorite books, and when I had the great luck to tour Orchard House, Louisa's home in which she wrote and centered her novel around, in 2003, I became even more absorbed. I also love the fact that even though she wrote this novel, as well as several children's/Christmas stories, more of her work is as dark and foreboding as Jo's never-ending scribbles.

[shesinplainview · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story of four sisters growing up during the War Between the States, with their mother holding everyone together while their father is serving for the North, is beautiful and tender. After the loss of their fortune, they are brought up to know what truly makes a person rich in other ways.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Little Women is so preachy in places that it's a wonder I loved it as much as I did, when I was younger. Reading it now, the preaching is more obvious than ever -- though, I still love it. That's part nostalgia, and part Jo. She's my favourite character of them all. Her faults, her temper, is like mine, and she's a writer, and she's by far the most interesting of the girls. Meg is just irritating, to me, and likewise Amy; Beth is sweet, but we keep getting told how sweet and perfect she is, which is somewhat trying. Jo's mistakes are funny and endearing -- salt instead of sugar on berries, indeed -- and she's no saint.

Must confess, I wept a little, reading this again. Even at points which I've never cried at before. There was something about the family feeling and the way the children try so very hard that got to me extremely, this time.

One thing I don't like very much is the relationship between Meg and Brooke. I mean, it doesn't come out of nowhere, but I'm just not that invested in it and so the time spent on it bores me.

I was never that interested in reading the sequels to this. I was content in the picture of the family we get at the end -- the parents reunited, Meg and Brooke together, Beth getting better, etc, etc. So don't plague me with tales of Beth's death!

[krista23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You'll laugh, you'll cry and you will devote yourself to these 4 young sisters and their great development as they grow as a family and become closer through each others achievements and friendships and loss. A true classic.

[lookingforpenguins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every woman should read this book at least once every ten years.

[missboyer3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Louisa May Alcott's story about the four March sisters who learn the hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War.

[bkohl_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The morality of Little Women is very 19th century; charity toward the immigrant Hummels seems to consist of largely giving away prepared food that one dislikes and not calling or paying for a doctor when children are gravely ill. Meg is advised to be content with her poverty, which involves a new house upon marriage and a servant. Amy and Laurie resolve to spend their fortune on people on the verge of falling out of their class, not those who are trying to make their way into it.Jo is the most lively character; she has an animating power beyond the simple "thou shalt not" stories. Her path through life, and late marriage, is a good counterpoint to an Edith Wharton heroine, stuck like a fly in societal sticky paper.

[victrola_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book growing up and I think I may love it even more as an adult. Exceedingly poignant; manages to be realistic but sentimental at the same time.