Little Women (Signet Classics) by Louisa May Alcott
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Book Reviews of Little Women (Signet Classics)
Book Review: Moral value and awakening in the midst of society and age...
Summary: 5 Stars
MY SYNOPSIS:
The Marchs are the picture of a happy home: with conscientious and righteous Father, who is serving the Union cause as a chaplain, and wise and generous Marmee, who watches over her girls with love and care. Then there's the little women: sixteen-year-old Meg, who is pretty and mature; free-spirited, fiery Jo, who is determined to become a famous writer; timid Beth, who always puts others before herself; and young Amy with her artistic tastes and airs. There's also the March's lonely neighbor, Theodre Laurence (Laurie), who befriends the girls and supplements their experiences and family.
MY REVIEW: This heartwarming story about four sisters growing up during the Civil War visits upon themes of family, transcendence, sincerity, and duty. In a novel based upon her own family and experiences, Louisa May Alcott chronicles the first of three books about the March family, which is the universal story of the family unit and the self in the face of the world: how each lives and how happiness prevails in morality and truth.
Alcott's novel caters to all audiences, regardless of age and gender. As a children's book, as it is often placed, Little Women serves as a record of the coming-of-age of four girls as: Amy bears injustice at school, Jo struggles with personal, literary, and romantic issues, Meg faces society and Vanity Fair, and as life threats Beth's solitude. As a piece of classic literature, Little Women serves testimony to the emerging conscious and individual. It's impossible to resist the gentle lessons and the charming, dimensional characters that stimulate the reader to the same awakening and discovery of value.
Book Review: Wonderful Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Set during the Civil War, "Little Women" is the story of the four March sisters. Meg, the oldest, is sixteen and very much into being a "young lady". Jo, fifteen, is the exact opposite of Meg, a tomboy who hates everything girlish. Beth, thirteen, is a homebody, always cheerful and looking at the bright side of things. Amy, the youngest, is loving but a bit selfish and shallow. The March's don't have much money, but they are rich in love and that love carries them throughout the course of "Little Women" which takes place over a span of ten years. The March's have many adventures as they grow up, several of them with their next door neighbor, Teddy Laurence. There is joy and sorrow in their lives, but the love they have for each other carries them through everything.
"Little Women" is old fashioned, sentimental but not too sentimental, and a wonderful book to read. The book is partially autobiographical, based on Louisa May Alcott's own sisters and the love she had for them is evident throughout the book. There are heartbreaking parts which make me cry each and every time I read "Little Women", yet there are heartwarming and comical moments that make me smile every time I read it. The four March sisters are very realistic, even Beth, who is almost too good to be true. Alcott was an imaginative writer who could make inanimate objects, such as roses, seem alive. "Little Women" was originally written in two parts and Alcott's style changes a bit in the second part, as she addresses the reader directly and at times delivers little "sermons" to her readers.
"Little Women" is a delightful book for readers young and old.
Book Review: Alcott Threw Me For A Loop!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Little Women-Lot of heart
Summary: 5 Stars
Little Women follows the March sisters: Meg-the oldest and prettiest sister, Jo-the tomboy and aspiring writer, Beth- the painfully shy music lover, and Amy-the artist who yearns to be a true lady. Each of these characters is interesting and different in their own right but it is the family bond emphasized throughout the story that makes this book so endearing.
I enjoyed both the light-hearted moments where the sisters play "Pilgrim's Progress" and form a club complete with meetings and a newspaper and where each is named after a Charles Dicken's character and also the trials the girls face such as their father's illness and learning to appreciate what they do have in life despite their poverty.
There is also plenty of romance-even for Jo who claims she will be a literary spinster all her days. I liked all of the girls but I really loved Jo because she had such spirit, stayed true to herself throughout the entire book and never gave up on her dreams. There is even a bit of sadness as one of the sisters tragically dies. I do have to say I didn't like the youngest sister, Amy, very much in the beginning of the book but once she approached womanhood she definitely grew on me in the end.
I noticed on Amazon that the age range given for the book is 9-12. This book is completely refreshing when compared with some of the books that girls in this age range are reading now. LW is completely innocent which I love. I keep asking myself why I never read this when I was younger. I would recommend Little Women to anyone looking for a good family story.
Book Review: 4 "little" helpers
Summary: 5 Stars
This story takes place mostly at the March's house and the Laurence house which is important because it gives the reader an idea of how the each live and helps the reader understand them better.
This book is mostly about four sisters named Margaret, Josephine, Elizabeth and Amy March,their mother Marmee March, Theodore Laurence, Mr. Laurence, they are always helping each other and others in need and are happy the way they are and will always be friends, are always thoughtful, truthful, and use manners even when talking to each other and others and even though they have very few money they still enjoy their lives and Mr.Laurence enjoys the company of them at his house, even though the Laurence's are wealthy the girls him and his grandson the same way they treat each other with respect and tells about their lives.
In my opinion this is the best book I've Ever read ! I think this is an educational book because it teaches that money isn't everything that's better to be happy the way you are and you don't need money to be happy and you can be happy by helping people and that you should respect elders and others.
I would recommend this book because it's educational and a good book to read when bored or just want to read a book or read an interesting book.