Little Women

Written by Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by Geoffrey Giuliano and & The Ark

Little Women is the classic story of the March family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. March and their four girls–Practical, yet fashion conscious, Meg, who longs for the nice things they used to have. Rambunctious, book worm, Jo, who wants to become a writer and wishes she were born a boy. Shy and quiet, homeloving, Beth, who loves to play the piano and play with her kitties. Finally, the youngest, artistic, Amy, who longs for an aristocratic nose!

The story takes place during the American Civil War, and begins with Mr. March away from home as a chaplain to the Union army, while his wife and daughters remain at home to work and wait for his safe return. This book follows their joys and sorrows and scrapes along the path to the girl’s becoming grown up “little women”.

Many of the scrapes they get into include Laurie–their harum scarum next door neighbor, who becomes their adopted brother. The two families, the March’s and the Laurence’s strike up a lasting friendship, despite their differences in material possessions

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Audio Arts
• Release date: Oct 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798887674964

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was a 19th-century American novelist best known for her novel, Little Women, as well as its well-loved sequels, Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women is renowned as one of the very first classics of children’s literature, and remains a popular masterpiece today.

Reviews for Little Women

[katie33_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A favorite from childhood!

[laurat81 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic for all ages about four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, growing up during the Civil War and experiencing war-time poverty and the absence of their father. A wonderful read filled with love, friendship, romance, and loss. A great winter read!

[kristinamiranda-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite books of all time. My grandmother read it to me, chapter by chapter, when I was a little girl. A must read!

[vtkatiesue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. The love that the March sisters have for each other continues to astound me every time I read it. The first time I read it (actually it was read to my sister and I by my mother) I was not quite as enamored by Alcott's charm as I am now. I grew up with this novel, reading it every few years and each time I read it, I saw the story from a completely different prospective. Reading it in high school, I was furious at Jo when she turned down Laurie's marriage proposal, but now I understand her reasoning behind it and applaud her. A truly remarkable work of art that has touched my heart throughout my entire life.

[dianaleez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I took off a star because Beth should so not have died. It was like Bambi's mom. grrrr....

[rubyscarlett-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very frustrating book. The first part is lovely and each vignette is very special and cosy, but this book is such a missed opportunity. I can't believe Jo - revolutionary, talented, independent Jo - sacrifices her dream of being a successful writer and ends up marrying and having kids when we're repeatedly told that's just not what she wants. Alcott's own life - she remained single - should have been inspiration enough to have her heroine enjoy happiness in unconventional ways. I'm so disappointed at her choice of having a young woman's goal in life to be marriage.

There are many things to enjoy in this book - the girls' creativity, the lush descriptions of food, the pastimes, how Louisa gives each a very specific personality and really develops that - but it's a letdown. It could have been so great. I'd rather read a biography of the author's life, it's much more inspiring.

[soniaandree_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Somehow, this book did not work for me - the March daughters were too readily faulty and the parallel with Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress' was just too...righteous. The fact that Jo and Laurie are not marrying as I thought they should was way too much; the absent father comes back to check on his daughters, only to comment that they are becoming 'perfect' women (his comments about their change of character was, in my opinion, a true reflection of the concerns of the time - the denial of the 'self' to become society's ideal woman in the civil war: charitable, selfless, sacrificing all for the greater good in the absence of men, etc...). While I may have enjoyed just reading it, I felt unease at the background ideology, I am sorry to say!

[sfm13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my all-time favorite book. I love the March sisters, and find something in common with all of them. I especially relate to Jo and her love of books. I remember one of her greatest pleasures was to curl up with a book and a crunchy apple. As a girl, I followed her lead, and secluded myself high in the backyard apple tree for hours with my books. I loved how the sisters each had a personal journal that they keep notes on their "journey" like Christian in "Pilgrim's Progress." It was after reading this book, that I read of the trials Christian faced while making his way to Zion. The saddest part for me was when Beth died. I remember when my mother read this to me as a young girl, and I cried myself to sleep one night. I haven't read this book in quite awhile, but I know I'll read it again. There were so many memorable scenes!

[librarianryan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

OMG this book is SOOOOOOO boring. I can not believe that this is still a classic and how many times the movie has been remade. UGHHHHHH. I liked the Wynona Rider version of the movie. I thought Christian Bale Lurie was perfect. But the book, I thought it was never going to end. I didn’t like Amy. I thought she was a brat in the movie and I still think the same thing according to this book. In the book I actually liked her ending up with Lurie. It felt fitting and a good match. And could see why her aunt wanted her to accompany her around the world.Beth lasted longer in the book than in the movie. In the movie she dies of scarlet fever, but lasts years longer in the book. I did think the way she was described was interesting. In modern society, she would have a ton of initialed diagnoses after her name. High anxiety, etc.There was so much more depth to the oldest march sister Meg. I don’t remember if it was in the movie that she had twins, or the deals she had with her husband upon marrying. I actually liked her much more in the book than I ever did in the movie. She has more depth.As for Joe. Joe is the reason we have a book. But I wonder if this story was modernized if she wouldn’t be a “they” or “questioning” her gender and roles in society. But that comes from a modern mind reading a classic book. And I don’t make this point because of all the times they say “queer” used as it’s original definiation as odd or unusual. But it's when she is described as not being womanly, or not caring for the roles of women. Overall I may not have enjoyed this book, but I did find it interesting. I know why I tried to read this book many times but never made it that far. And parts of me see why others like it, and why people use it for character studies. But for me, this will never be a book I recommend, but it will be a book I argue and debate.+21 #TBRread#BBRC #OriginalFreezerBook#booked2019 #publicdomain

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lovely and lively vignette of girls growing up. I don't know what else I can say about it. The story is so well known, all I can say is that I enjoyed it to it's last classic page.

[bellafoxx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I decided to reread this book. It was just as charming as I remembered it. The book introduces us to the Marches, a formerly prosperous family that has fallen on hard times and is now poor. The four girls are teenagers when the story begins and cover a little over a year if I remember correctly. Their father is away at war, the two oldest girls are working to help the family make ends meet. We learn their hopes, dreams, and personality. The book ends with Meg's engagement to John Brooke.Read first time: 1980

[oswinssouffle · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book up until a point where I knew what was happening. In many books, a similar situation will arise where you can start making guesses to what is going to occur. With this particular book, something else happened. It wasn't guesses, as I soon learned. It was the route of the book and I lost my desire to continue reading it. Even Jo's chapters, which I usually loved, couldn't keep me invovled. And thus, I admit, I skipped around two chapters. To honor that confession, I will also note that they were Amy's chapters.

By the end of the book, I was waiting for find a secret chapter that ended similarly to the television show, Roseanne. I wanted to find out that this story wasn't the actual story and that the mother character changed things around because she felt that is how things worked. But, that wasn't to happen.

So, I find it difficult to giving this book a rating. If this was before those chapters in Nice, I would surely give this an 5. Now, I sit debating a 3.

To give a book whose chapters I have skipped a 5 makes little to no sense and a 4 seems pointless. A two, truthly, seems most exact but I cannot deny that there were things I loved before the last arc.

[bibliobabes · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

We agreed to stop reading this one as it was difficult to finish. This book was the only one we all agreed to stop reading!

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although this was a novel primarily intended for a female audience, I still found this incredibly likable and appealing. There is much here: sorrow, friendship, family, yearnings, disillusionment, and closure. The characters are vivid and the setting serves as a ready placard to explore their innermost feelings, desires, and emotions. The plot does not waver, it stays concentrated and focused on the intrigues of its principal characters and I feel that it managed to accomplish all that was intended. Overall, a great book. 4 stars.

[rosenstern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the writing style of the book. It was fun to read, and terribly sad at times. Yes I cried a little. The story follows the lives of the for March women, their ups and downs and general merriment making. I was unsure of the ending; I do not know if I approved. But it was worth the read.

[jshillingford_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Little Women is, at its heart, a wonderful story about family. It's also an example of historical fiction that is great for young adults and adults. This is one of those rare "classics" that I think actually deserves to be called such. It reaches across generations and times - just about anyone with siblings can identify with what these girls go through as a family. Moreover, many people can also identify with having too little money to get by at times, and what a struggle it is to make ends meet. These characters are so real, with such individual personalities, that they come alive off the page and suck you into their world. I read this as young girl, and again as a woman. It resonated with me both times. Highly recommended.

[suzannes04 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is more of a female book because it is based on girls and has girl problems. It is a heartwarming book.

[smorton11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I started re-reading Little Women because I decided that the bookstore needed more book clubs and I was inspired by Atomic Books in Baltimore to begin a Page to Screen Book Club. After much debate, I decided to start with Little Women and we would have a different staff member moderate the club each month. March 10th the first meeting. In the bookstore. In Montgomery County. In the epicenter of the Covid-19 virus outbreak in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, no one showed up. So we’ll try again in April, and as a former film major and screenwriter, I cannot wait to start this club.

I grew up with a soft and tattered covered copy of Little Women that I read over and over again, so ardently did I wish I was Jo, because my little sister was certainly Amy, and I believed that if I read it constantly, my wish would come true. And she would turn into a kinder and gentler sister, like Beth. That was my wish until my sister had a dreadful fever as a child and my grandmother had us convinced it was Scarlet Fever. And I thought I would lose my sister, just as Jo (well established spoiler but obligatory warning) lost her Beth. And all of a sudden, the book, and the relationships between the sisters, took on a whole new meaning.

My mother clarified to my sister and I recently that Laura most certainly did not have Scarlet Fever and that Moppy had made an offhand comment about fevers that we latched on to as children, as one does. And in that same conversation, as happens every time Little Women came up, my mother lamented having to share a name with the youngest and most obnoxious March sister, Amy (my mom is definitely a Marmee, not an Amy as I was convinced my sister was). But the lamentation led to an in depth conversation about whether she was redeemed in Greta Gerwig’s film.

As a writer, someone who has written thousands of unpublished pages of manuscripts across most mediums, I would have an extremely difficult time forgiving a sister who destroyed a single copy of my work. And as I hand write everything, it was, and is, something that could be done. I know I should type it up, but I don’t always. I have milk crates of all the notebooks I filled, binders with printed out copies once I typed them, and right now, a lonely teal softcover Moleskine that hasn’t been touched in way too long.

To say I identified with Jo for most of my life is an understatement. I’ve always been outspoken and a touch dramatic, the one person who begged her parents for an older sibling (which they always said didn’t work that way until they got divorced and remarried and I got my older brother, and 6 other older siblings over the years to boot), so I could be a middle child like Jo. I refuse to be ignored and I want nothing more than to be remembered, even if just by my family and future generations as I hope to ensure my Moppy will be.

But one of the defining characteristics of Jo, and Amy, was their competition and distrust of each other. Oh Amy, you troubled, difficult sister. The baby of the family, spoiled by all, including lovely Beth, it was hard to think of her as a character that would ever grow up. She has always gotten dragged for her behavior and actions by readers and I’m often one to jump in on the Amy-bashing, especially given my contentious relationship with my sister when we were younger. While I don’t find many redeeming qualities in Amy in the book, I do think that Greta did a spectacular job of making her a less-hateable character in her film adaptation.

And as Greta’s Amy changed, so did my own family. Laura grew up, and she reminded me less and less of precocious Amy. I realized we were always more like Ramona and Beezus then we were Amy and Jo. She’s never mellowed into Beth, but has lately begun to encroach on Jo territory, especially that we now have a younger stepbrother and she’s no longer the baby of the family. For myself, the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve found myself drawn to motherly oldest sister Meg, slowly but surely reclaiming my biological birth order persona that I abandoned for many years, content to be the outspoken middle child throughout my adolescence and twenties.

As a teen, I never really “got” Meg. I didn’t understand why she was a bit vain, and I never thought I was pretty. I just didn’t understand, either, why she’d want to get married – she’d have to give up so many freedoms when she did. And while Meg ultimately made the most socially acceptable decisions in post-Civil War Massachusetts, I’ve realized that she’s now my favorite because those are her decisions, her choices. She makes them not because society demands it of her, but because she wants them. She’s in love, she’s not forced into a match by anyone. Her dreams are different than Jo’s, but they’re still important.

I had a conversation with a customer recently about if her daughter views her as a feminist because she chose to be a stay-at-home mom. When she was in school, the stay-at-home moms looked down on the working moms, and now it’s the other way around. She was worried that her daughter would think that she caved to some outdated societal expectation, not understanding that she made the decision because it was her choice, not because she had to. I told her that I didn’t think her daughter would think any less of her for staying home and always being there and shared with her a topic that I’d been struggling with for awhile as well.

I’ve had the conversation with people many times, including with good friends, about the fact that I changed my name when I got married. I have friends who refuse to acknowledge that I’ve changed it, insisting on addressing me by my maiden name because they think that’s what a feminist should have done, kept her name. Few of them understand my choice in changing it was in an effort to carve out my own identity, separate to that of my mother’s as we were in the same field and my work and merit was being questioned as nepotism.

Meg, the customer, and my choices may fit what modern feminists consider to be outdated social norms, but the point of feminism that I believe Louisa May Alcott is making, is that of freedom. That women should have the right and the opportunity to make whatever decisions they like for their own reasoning, if any reasoning. We should not have to defend ourselves for pursuing our own interests and relationships.

Little Women has reminded me what it means to be a feminist in a way that I couldn’t conceptualize the first 9 times I read it from the ages of 10 to 14 (I read it twice a year over Christmas and summer break). In rereading and rewatching, I’m reminded of why I love the March sisters, why Marmee is such a good mother, and how I hope to continue to support my own beautiful and loving sister as well as all the women around me.

[jgbyers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this story the March family is separated by war and their family is left in poverty. The story follows the lives of the four families sisters; Meg, Beth, Jo, and Amy. Each one of the sisters have very unique personalitites, Jo being the most courageous and Beth being the most silent.

[audacity88_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Just completely uninteresting for me as an adult male reader.

[sarahzilkastarke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Still one of my favorite books.

[t1bclasslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an edited and abridged version of the original. Little Women is of course Louisa May Alcott's story of four sisters who each live according to their personalities. Meg wants to be the ideal, typical housewife, Jo has dreams of being a famous author, Beth wants only to help others, and Amy is a little vain and very artistic. All of them love one another despite their feuds. This version especially focuses on Jo and how she grows.

[natumi1s · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story is poor family. This family have four daughters.Daughters thought we are poor , but we are happy .I think poor is not happy. But, after I read this story, I think family is very important and rich is not always happy.And, it is important to help each other.

[dabofdarkness · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This American classic, set in the 19th century during the Civil War, follows the lives of the March sisters as they grow up and become young ladies. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are often joined by their neighbor Laurie, who is living with his grandfather.Some how I missed reading this book as a kid but as an adult, I have had the pleasure to read it twice, this being the second time. Jo is still my favorite character. I love how she often flies in the face of what society might expect from a proper young lady. At one point she cuts off a good chunk of her hair. She learns to writes short stories that sell to newspapers, so she has a source of independent income. She’s not caught up in the latest dance or the stylish lace. Yep. She’s much how I would imagine myself if I was trapped in the 1800s.The other sisters all have their own personalities as well. Meg is the oldest and seems be a little mother in waiting. Once she falls in love, that’s exactly what she becomes – a dotting mom. Then sweet Beth embodies the tender heart of the family. She is so kind to everyone and everyone in turn is so gentle and kind with her. Amy has a flash of independence as well but she’s also rather caught up in appearances. While the Marches don’t have much money, Amy makes up for it in grace and practical kindness.Laurie is a good addition to the mix. I really like his grandfather as well. Laurie starts off as a rather shy and lonely lad but the girls draw him out pretty quickly and adopt him into their little circle of confidences and games. Marmee (Mrs. March) does her best to be a confidant to her daughters while also allowing them the privacy they need. Robert March, the dad, is seen quite a bit less in the book though he’s totally doted on by the family when he is home.The entire book is riddled with little life lessons. For the first 3/4 of the book, these are well portrayed in story form. The author shows us rather than tells us. For instance, I like how Marmee often gives her girls enough rope to hang themselves. She lets them make mistakes so that they will recall the lesson better in the future. The solitary thing I don’t care for is that the last bit of this book gets a bit preachy. I feel the author was either rushed or got a little tired of the book herself and started telling us the lessons instead of showing us. Plus, perhaps since a main character dies, religion is brought into the mix. Despite this minor let down for the ending of the book, I still really enjoy this classic.Let’s talk limes. Yes, limes. There’s a great little bit of the book that goes on about these pickled limes that were all the rage at school. In fact, the teacher banned them from his classroom since they were a distraction. One of the sisters had to borrow money from another sister just so she could buy some limes. After reading that section, I really want to try a pickled lime.One of the reasons I so like this book is that most of the characters are women and it’s not a big romance. There is romance here and there, but that isn’t the main driving force of the plot. Women have so many more freedoms and rights now than they did during the Civil War and yet here we have a well written and enjoyable book that has women actually doing things, instead of being these flowery, vague love interests. So, when someone gives me the excuse, ‘Oh, things were different back then,’ to explain why a book is lacking in relevant female characters, I can always point to Alcott and quirk an eyebrow. Yes, things were different back then, but women were still relevant. Thank you Ms. Alcott!I received a free copy of this book via The Audiobookworm.The Narration: Andrea Emmes did such a lovely job with this book. She made each sister sound unique and she also managed to make them sound young when they are little girls and like young ladies by the end of the book. She also had a variety of male voices which were quite believable.

[kpickett_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The March family is an interesting bunch. Each sister represents her own personality, the beautiful and kind Meg, the tomboyish Jo, the fragile and creative Beth and the romantic and dramatic Meg. Every girl can find a personality they like. Jo is independent and smart and doesn’t take anything from one! Follow Jo as she experiences love, challenges and discrimination in her quest to become a writer.

[mommablogsalot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about this one. I will say that I liked the book better than the movie I saw, because so many more details are given and the relationships feel more natural and realistic but I found the “moral and religious overtones” to be a bit much at times and the descriptions to sometimes go on a bit longer than they needed to (a la Nathaniel Hawthorne). As far as classics go, I much preferred Anne of Green Gables which though also descriptive, managed to do the whole moral lesson thing much better, as in, not beating you over the head with it. I think the heart of this story is excellent, which is why the movies are so good I think, but sometimes reading it felt like a chore.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, my childhood. I remember reading this when I was much younger (and fresh out of the Little House on the Prairie books). I absolutely love this book and have memories of watching the movie (with Winona Ryder) and just falling in love with it all over again. Highly recommend this classic. Such a lovely tale of family, friendship, and strong women.

[kaionvin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A confession: I love my brother, but I always wanted sisters. (Would you deny such an idyllic, idle daydream?) That about summarizes the appeal of Little Women for me at its best parts, where Alcott really reveled in portraying, falsely perhaps, an almost enshrined childhood. Fiery Jo, meek Beth, prissy Meg, and prideful Amy are drawn deftly as Characters (with a capital 'c')- with exaggerated verisimilitude that really brings bite to their passionately petty arguments and tenuous alliances.There's an underlying joy in recognizing the familiarity of such sibling spats.I also enjoyed the introduction into 19th century America. It's notable that the girls' beloved Marmee is raising them rather singly while their father is off during the Civil War. The older girls are expected to work, and all contribute to the housework- and from all emerges a sense of practical, common sense ideology.Not that you could miss it, because the main plot of every chapter is thus: One of the girls commits a moral sin based on her defining character trait. Marmee disapproves. The girl learns her lesson and attempts to improve. Rinse and repeat. And while it's given with much charm perhaps mainly due to the old-timey-ness of the situation, you've almost got to start wondering if there's a purposefully satirical tone to the ridiculous levels of didactic moralizing. Rating: 3 starsWhich turns out isn't quite as palatable when applied to grown women in the 'sequel', Good Wives. It's one thing to drive such a point home to children, but when the characters in question are ready to enter the wide world on their own, such black and white goofy moral messages are frankly condescending.It's no secret that Little Women is largely autobiographical and Jo's winning independent traits are based on Louisa May Alcott herself. And while the novel piles further on Jo about her failings and doles her subsequent 'punishments', it becomes increasingly harder to ignore that Jo's 'failings' (for example, writing salacious horror stories) are actually Alcott's strengths. It's a huge tonal disconnect lends an almost schizophrenic quality in the proceedings. In the Jo's 'happy' resolution, I hear the battle between two competing voices: Alcott the author who'd told us the story of becoming a good person, and Alcott the woman who told us the story of 'good wife' (of being crushed into conformity).Was it how Alcott felt about her choices in life? Her subversive message to the world? Or was her hand simply forced by the publisher- by 'public' sentiment in her fiction if not in her life? I'm left with no answers, only dissatisfaction. Rating: 1 star

[jscheper_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Little Women is the story of the March Sisters. The oldest Meg, the tomboy Jo, fragile Beth, and a little princess Amy. The story begins with the girls father away at war. Their mother is left to care for the little girls alone with the occasional uplifting letter from their father. Meg ends up marrying for love and going on to have a beautiful family. Jo spends all her time writing and taking care of her ailing sister Beth. Amy is able to travel to Europe where she spends years becoming a perfect society girl. Little Women is a great book for little women. Every reader can find themselves, or a little bit of themselves, in at least one character in the book. The story starts out slow but you easily find yourself swept up in the March story. Throughout the classic there are little reminders on life, how to love or how to act properly. It's story is very simple and classic. A great read-aloud to share with a class or your daughter.

[hoosgracie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a non-reading child, I had tried to get through Little Women and failed, although I always loved the movie (the June Allyson version specifically). So, I finally decided to "read" it by listening to the audio. While I thoroughly enjoyed this classic story, aspects of it are very dated - thus the 1/2 star off my rating. Beth's tragedy is still striking, and I found Jo and Laurie as likeable as ever. I actually liked Amy a bit better than I thought I might and disliked Meg more.