Little Women (Penguin Classics)

This timeless children's classic is read and enjoyed by many adults as well as children. Unlike most classics considered children's works today, Little Women was intended for an audience of children. It takes place during the Civil War and the years following, and narrates the story of 4 girls as they grow up, including their friends and their family. Louisa May Alcott based this work in large part on her family, although many of the events are born totally of her imagination. Jo is based on Louisa May; Meg is based on her older sister Anna; Beth is based on her younger sister Elizabeth, or Lizzie; and Amy is based on her youngest sister May. Because the character Jo is based on the author herself, she is the most well defined character in the book and the one most children identify with. A tomboy, a writer, and quite determined, Jo is the central figure in the book and most events center around her growing up, but all of the other girls get special attention in stories particularly about them from time to time.There is a great sense of morality in the work, but it is never treated in a 'preachy' manner. Values and morals are taught and absorbed by the reader as the girls learn them through various trials, some funny, some sorrowful, some frustrating. There is likewise a very strong emphasis on God. Much of the first half of the book centers around concepts found in the Puritan work, Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. The girls are often pointed by their mother toward God and placing their trust in Him and seeking His aid in various situations. Louisa May Alcott was also a transcendentalist and her family was close friends with Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne. Because of this, there is a sense of joy found in nature as well as respect. In addition, Louisa May was an avid feminist in her day, although not in the sense of feminist that many think of today. She believed that women should not be barred from admission in the workforce, or limited to work as seamstresses or governesses, nor should marriage be their only avenue of insuring a stable and secure future. She did not get married, but did raise her sister May's daughter after May died. Little Women is definitely not anti-marriage, but some of the characters dream of becoming well-known in their favorite fields; also, some of the characters speak about how the only way they can insure a positive, pleasant future is by marrying well, which is later rejected in a way that asserts that women should be able to choose marriage freely for love, not for position or money and likewise free to choose not to marry.This book is well loved by so many. It spurs many children on to become strong readers for life and the childhood copy of Little Women will become worn from much loved reading. This book will be loved by most girls, but boys will enjoy it as well. Jo's tomboyish behavior and the neighbor boy, Laurie's presence will attract the attention of boys. It makes a great choice for bedtime reading with chapters of perfect length to read one per night and short enough that if begged by the kids, you can read two. In addition to Little Women, it would also be beneficial to read a biography of Louisa May Alcott.I strongly recommend an unabridged version. Don't miss out on the well-known sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys.

I have known of this classic novel for all of my life and now have finally knocked it off my reading list and now I understand the timelessness of the novel... beautifully written a must read for any age and yeseven the films have embraced it adapting the novel into at least 5 films....

This is such a beautiful, classic novel. The way Louisa May Alcott wrote this, connects you with the characters. In chapter 40, when Beth dies, I literally cried. Louisa did such an amazing job writing this story. I absolutely loved this book. The way it moves you, the joy and sorrow you journey though with the characters, it's beautiful. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family. I gave this a five star rating due to the stunningly wonderful writing techniques, the beauty, and the love this books holds and shares. I am quite eager to explore further into the series and movies. I hope whoever is reading this found my rating and review helpful. Thank you Louisa May Alcott for writing this forever cherished book! Bravo Louisa! Thou wrote this beautiful novel with such elegance and excellence! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The media could not be loaded.  Thankfully it wasn’t destroyed like the ones in their reviews.

I read Little Women as a girl and loved it so I was excited to have the opportunity to review an audio production of the book. However, I was quite surprised when the audio book abruptly ended in the middle of the story. I discovered that Little Women was originally two volumes: Little Women and Good Wives. They were first published together as one book titled Little Women in 1880. Most versions of Little Women published today are both volumes together in one book. This audio recording is just the first volume. Because what most people read as Little Women is actually both volumes, I feel like there should have been some indication on the box somewhere that this audio book does not include the second volume.(I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may not have read it yet so I'll say this - remember the Friends episode when Rachel convinces Joey to read Little Women? And he has to put the book in the freezer because of one particularly sad part? This audiobook ends before that sad part happens.)Even though this book was written more than one-hundred years ago, it still has relevance today. I think that the four March girls and Marmee have some good lessons to teach young girls that are timeless. Reading it now as a mother myself, I marveled at Marmee's patience and wisdom. I could learn a lot from her! I was very impressed at how independent and free-thinking the girls and their mother were given the time period the book was written in and took place. (Of course, Louisa May Alcott was a Unitarian so I shouldn't have been surprised at that.)Lorelei King narrated this audio book. I thought she did a great job for the most part. The two voices I didn't like were Beth and Amy's. I thought Beth's was too breathy and Amy's was too babyish - they didn't sound realistic to me. Overall, I enjoyed this audio production. My biggest complaint is that it left unexpectedly hanging at the end.

I LOVED this book as a girl. Now, with an English degree and a job as a teacher I’m forced to re-read it to help a student with coursework. What a mistake. The writing style is florid and mawkish, the characters (always wanted to be Jo) suddenly took on two dimensional saintliness rivalled only by Jane Eyre in it’s goody two shoes delivery. It’s flipping awful and the 10 year old me is crying in the corner right now.

I felt that I had to read this book as it is described as a classic . Now , I’ve read most of what I would consider to be novels in a similar vein but almost without exception , these books have been better conceived ,written written and without the nauseatingly sentimental prose .Louisa May Alcott May have been considered a good writer amongst her peers but it’s writing that’s of its time and more importantly, it’s very American . For example , no young English lady would have been allowed to be in the company of a young man ( as the March sisters often were with Laurie Laurence ) without a chaperone as to do so would have been ruinous to the reputation of any young woman - so I found it peculiar that an American novelist writing at this time would not have known that the March sisters from the age of around 14 onwards , would never have been allowed to be in the company of any young man, never mind walk and talk alone with him, unless they were chaperoned or engaged to the young man in question.The one episode in the two books that could have and indeed should have been written with sentimentality and sympathy, was the death of Beth , and yet this was barely mentioned - Beth died “ off screen” was buried without any honours or even a funeral and there wasn’t even a grave marker to mark her final resting place .......so much for Beth then.Meg and Amy are shallow beyond belief and the only decent thing Jo does is sell her hair so her “ Marmee” ( I know, it’s nauseating isn’t it ?) gets enough money to travel to see her husband when he’s ill. Poor Mr March ( are Reverends Mr’s in 1860’s America ?) barely gets any worthwhile mentions throughout and is therefore a poorly drawn character with no light and shade who might as well have died in the war for all the influence he has ).How Laurie Laurence could transfer his affections from one sister to the other so swiftly and without drawing breath, is a mystery to me - and yet people will condemn modern girls and boys are shallow and promiscuous - but as these people function only to marry well or marry , I suppose it’s better than being left on a shelf - after all , to be a man and not be married by 25 must have been scandalous .The writer’s prose is astonishing and I’m not sure what all this “ petting” of one another was about at all - does it mean stroke ? If so, I again refer back to English women of similar class and age and it makes all the petting sound ludicrous - as to the scene where a 25 year old Amy is being cradled in her mother’s lap , well, words failed me as they did when the table was “ promiscuously laid” - what on earth can that mean ???All in all, I’m glad that I have read it , listening to it didn’t work except as a means of falling asleep , the narrator was English and kept talking about “ mischieve-ee- ousness “ Laurie and Jo in stream of mischievousness - I hate it when spoken English is mangled , especially when the person in question speaks otherwise as though they have a rather large plum in the mouth they simply cannot move - well done to her though for reading 10 hours of meaningless pap out loud .It’s an awful yawn of a novel - poorly written, poorly drawn characters not one of whom I’d want to sit down to a lively dinner with and yet, it’s a classic with 87% of people who read it ,loving it .I should think there is a bit of pretension about claiming to live “ Little Women “ , maybe people are just too frightened to ‘dis’ a classic American novel written by a woman .I would think I’m not the only non-feminist, feminist who has read this novel whilst grinding their teeth down to stumps .Have I read worse books that are considered “ classical “ ? Err, no , this is by far the dullest of the lot and I kept going only to see how the death of Beth was swept under the March’s shabby carpet whereas an English writer would have reveled in every grave detail , right down to the mourning cards and letters of condolence ( think Mrs Gaskell or the Bronte Sisters ) .It was one long yawn of a book that I’m relieved to see the end of . I won’t be reading Little Men , that’s for sure .Disagree if you wish, I’m sure 87% of you have equally valid reasons for adoring this book, my late Mum, God bless, her , adored it and tried to make me read it when she was alive - I have a 1:1 English degree with honours - if I’d been made to read this by my tutors , I wouldn’t have hung around long enough to graduate .........( sorry celestial Mum, I hated it with a passion .x)

As a child, books were often my best friends. The odd-one-out in family order, living the life of a military brat, moving frequently, real life allies were harder to find. So the characters of my favourite books, whether What Katy Did, Mallory Towers, The Chalet School or Little Women became like friends who I could always turn to, and always rely on. As an adult I still enjoy those books, but for me the first third are childhood favourites, whereas the latter is a great book, full stop. The four March sisters and their family and friends are truly part of me, and I've learned countless lessons about life and about myself through the gentle pages of Louisa May Alcott's masterpiece. This book often makes me smile, always makes me cry, and never fails to make me think. It is truly a work of beauty.

Das Buch ist ein Klassiker der amerikanischen Literatur aus der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jhd.. Es wird auch heute noch für Erwachsene empfohlen, obwohl es die Autorin damals vor allem für Mädchen und junge Frauen geschrieben hat. Und die vielen Adaption in Filmen und im Fernsehen weisen ein bißchen in Richtung englischer Klassiker aus dem 19. Jhd, wie Austen, Bronte oder Dickens. Leider ist es die Lektüre sehr enttäuschend - im Gegensatz zu den englischen Klassikern fällt es deutlich ab und ist schlecht gealtert.Das Buch, das die beiden ursprünglichen Bücher Little Women und Little Wives umfasst, erzählt von den vier March-Schwestern Meg, Jo, Beth und Amy. Am Anfang sind sie zwischen 12 und 18 Jahre alt. Der erste Band spielt im Bürgerkrieg in einer größeren Stadt der Nordstaaten. Der Vater ist im Krieg, die Familie gehört zur guten Gesellschaft, ist aber verarmt und die Mutter sowie die beiden älteren Töchter müssen selbst Geld verdienen. Der erste Teil begleitet die vier Mädchen durch ein Jahr der Jugend, der zweite Teil beginnt drei Jahre später und schildert ihren den Übergang in die Ehe. Viele kleine Episoden, die nicht immer gut verbunden sind, schildern wie aus eher sorglosen Kindern vernünftige und gottesfürchtige Frauen werden.Das Buch ist für heutige Leser*innen langweilige und dröge und ärgert einen mit einer unangenehm puritanischen Spießigkeit. Dafür gibt es mehrere Gründe:1. Das Buch ist sehr tief in der Moral und den Sitten seiner Zeit verwurzelt. Die Gesellschaft, von der Alcott erzählt, ist spießig und prüde. Es gibt sehr feste Vorgaben, wie man zu sein hat. Familie March lebt eine frommes Ideal der Mäßigung und ruhigen Heiterkeit. Überschwang, Individualität oder Eigennutz dürfen nicht sein. Ein junges Mädchen muss ruhig, bescheiden, häuslich und freundlich sein. Alles, was über ein sehr bescheidenes Auskommen raus geht, ist schlecht. Deshalb ist ein deutliches Streben nach Geld, Schönheit, Genie oder Stellung zu unterdrücken. Jede der Mädchen wird im Laufe des Buchs deutlich zurecht gestutzt, sie verlieren ihre Lebhaftigkeit, ihre Besonderheit und ihre Eigenständigkeit - außer Beth, die von Anfang an nur aus "Nichts wollen, aber alles für andere geben" besteht. Dieses Ideal ist nicht (mehr) überzeugend, weil es die Persönlichkeitsentwicklung der Mädchen so beschränkt und recht freudlos wirkt.2. Die Autorin hat ein pädagogisches Jugendbuch geschrieben, das offenbar junge Mädchen zu einem gottgefälligen und bescheidenen Leben erziehen soll. Auch wenn man akzeptiert, dass Bücher nicht nur unterhalten, sondern moralisch bilden sollen, ist es eines der unangenehmen Beispiele für diese Art pädagogischer Werke. Denn es ist nie subtil oder regt zum Nachdenken an. Sondern es stellt in einfach konstruierten Episoden die Moral vor, häufig sogar noch durch eine Art von "Die Moral von der Geschicht'" am Kapitelende unterstützt. Das macht es natürlich langatmig, aber vor allem hat man dauernd das Gefühl einer Lektion in der Kirchenschule zu lauschen.3. Und Alcott ist keine gute Autorin. Vergleiche mit Austen usw. sind absolut verfehlt, da dieses Niveau meilenweit entfernt ist. Die Charaktere sind platt und grob, jedem Mädchen wird eine Eigenschaft zugeordnet ohne Tiefe oder Ambivalenz. Die Entwicklung vollzieht sich nicht permanent und organisch, sondern es gibt immer einen Vorfall, der eines der Mädchen zu einer Änderung bringt. Ein Streit mit ihrer Schwester Amy bringt Jo dazu ihr stürmisches Temperament zu zügeln, ein Besuch bei einer (natürlich eitlen und dummen) Freundin treibt Meg das Streben nach einer höheren Stellung aus usw. Man hat nicht das Gefühl, dass hier jemand anfängt zu denken und daraus eine Verhaltensänderung ableitet (wie es z.B. Austen es in Stolz und Vorurteil oder Sinn und Sinnlichkeit macht). Zudem sind die Episoden meistens einfach langweilig. Bei vielen fragt man sich, wo eigentlich das Problem lag und warum es irgend jemand interessiert. Und die Autorin verrät ihre Figuren. Sie mißbilligt ganz offensichtlich das burschikose Benehmen von Jo (es wird ihr natürlich fast völlig ausgetrieben) oder sie verspottet Amys Bemühungen eine bildende Künstlerin zu werden und lässt sie als kleines Dummchen dastehen. Das berührt unangenehm und wirkt, als ob man mit einem Holzhammer auf den Kern der Geschichtchen hingewiesen wird.Das alles zusammen macht das Buch nur noch als historisches Dokument interessant und sicher als Filmvorlage, weil der Plot an sich (4 Mädchen werden in der hübschen Kulisse des 19. Jhd. erwachsen) unkaputtbar ist. Aber ein guter Roman, den man lesen sollte, ist es nicht!

When first read I would have given 5 stars, now as an older reader I took one off as it can be rather syrupy at times. It seems to be a book promoting Christian values but shies away from Christianity - eg the mysterious little books the girls got for Christmas - Bibles perhaps? The lack of reference to their church attendance is a bit odd too. That said it is full of many good moral tales, which today's youth may not appreciate or enjoy. Growing up forty years ago it is amazing to remember the work ethic that was in our own home, with the family striving to help each other, and acquire musical skills etc. This struck a chord with me as I read. The original book of the series, and the best.