“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott | Book Review

Book Review | Rating – 4/5 | Genre – Classic Fiction

Here we are once more on an exploration of past books that I was meant to read when studying them at university but didn’t. In what may be the final selectino for the time being I wanted to read through Louisa May Alcott’s classic tale “Little Women”.

The weird thing about this book is that I remember not wanting to read this book clearly for the reason that it was a classic book, therefore I assumed I wouldn’t enjoy it. This must have been my unconscious thought towards all these books – therefore, completely disregarding so many books I could’ve genuinely enjoy. Much like this one…

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The timeless tale of four sisters – Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth – experiencing both hardship and adventure in Civil War New England. Though the March family may be poor, their lives are rich with colour, as they play games, put on wild theatricals, make new friends, argue, grapple with their vices, learn from their mistakes, nurse each other through sickness and disappointments, and get into all sorts of trouble. In this simple, enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott created four of American literature’s most beloved “little women”. (synopsis from Goodreads)

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What did I think?

As I said above, I came to genuinely enjoy this book the further into the story that I got. Although I already knew what to expect, having seen movie adaptations as well as the time it featured on Friends, I still found enjoyment watching the story unfold.

I will say, that like the other classics, it did take a while for me to get into the book, but after a chapter or two – I found myself incapable of putting the book down. For me, it was Alcott’s writing style that made the story seem so vivid, she allowed me to conjure an exact picture of all four girls, and really empathise with each one on different levels. Jo very much reminded me of my younger sister, so she naturally became my favourite.

However, I only realised towards the end of the book is technically split into two parts. Especially when a certain moment (that I won’t spoil) didn’t occur when I had readily braced myself. This does mean that I’ll gladly buy the next book to see more of the girl’s adventure.

Favourite moments…

• Beautifully detailed characters: watching how these characters grow throughout the book is the highlight for me. I was absolutely fascinated with the way Alcott managed to craft four distinct women with differing and complimentary personalities, with their own flaws, that developed as they aged with such ease. It read more like a recount of real people rather than fictional characters.
• Jo: like I said above, this character reminded me very much of my younger sister. Her “outlandish” behaviour and ability to hold her own at the best of times was always exciting to see, especially through my belief that classic books restrict their characters through societal pressures at the time. She read more like a modern day heroine than a damsel in distress.
• The writing style: Reading the book became an abosolite pleasure, with the author helping to craft detailed characters and show the progression with time in such a way that it felt so real. It felt as if the narrator really new and cared for these characters and what they were going through, it helped me feel more empathetic to their struggles and had me routing for them during their hardships.

Overall…

This was definitely a book that I enjoyed. It was such a fun story to follow and to see how the characters change and grow as they age. The narration was great at detailing who these characters were and what they wanted from their lives, to the point where I felt like I knew this characters. I’m going to be actively looking for the next part to see the next stage in these characters’ lives.