Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women.

Oxford University Press, USA; 2009 (originally published in 1868),

ISBN: 0199538115.

Reader’s Annotation

Four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, learn the joys and heartbreaks of life in the small New England community while their father serves in the civil war.

Plot Summary

Together with their mother, Marmee, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, live in relative poverty, but their love of life and of each other sustains them while their father is at war.  Each sister has hopes and dreams of her own:  Meg wants to marry for love and have a home and family; Jo is an aspiring writer who longs to study and travel and most of all write books; Beth is a sweet homebody who loves and is beloved by all; and Amy wants to be beautiful and rich, in that order.  When Laurie, the grandson of the wealthy old man next door moves in, the sisters, especially Jo, get that brother and companion they’ve always wanted.  And Laurie gets to experience the warmth of a loving family.  The story chronicles the day-to-day happenings in the March household.  As the girls grow up, things have a way of changing, and change is often bittersweet.

Critical Evaluation

In this classic novel, funny incidents as well as heartbreaking ones are balanced into a plot that carries the reader along.  Alcott’s literary skill shines with such memorable characters as Laurie, Aunt March, Marmee, Mr. Lawrence, but especially the sisters themselves.  The fact that Little Women has been made into a movie countless times, and even now into a Broadway musical, is a testament to the fact that these characters still resonate with modern readers.  To her credit, Alcott’s characters are syrupy sweet—Jo, who also narrates the story, has an impetuousness and temper that can get her into trouble sometimes.  And Meg, who is at risk of being too goody-goody, reveals her own foibles when she gives in to temptation of letting some wealthy “mean girls” dress her up in finery and makeup for a dance.  Marmee’s character instills love, strength, and strong values in her girls, making her one of the greatest mother characters ever.

Information about the Author

Born in Pennsylvania in 1932, Louisa May Alcott grew up in Concord, MA.  Her home, Orchard House, is where she wrote and set Little Women, and is open to visitors today.  Alcott was a prolific author of all kinds of works, and she even edited a children's magazine for a time.  Alcott and her family were staunch supporters of women’s suffrage, and she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1996.  For more information, go to: http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=8

Genre

Classic Fiction

Curriculum Tie-ins

History

Booktalk Ideas

1. How would Jo’s life, as well as her family’s situation, been different if she had been male instead of female?
2. What do you think makes Little Women a classic?

Reading level/Interest age

Young Adult (ages 12+)

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

None

Why I included this work

It’s incredible that a book that was published in 1868, and it is still relevant to today’s teens.  It was ranked as one of the best young adult books at:  Good Reads Best Young Adult Books

Great Quote from the Book:

"I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman,' and not be rough and wild; but do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere else."