Module 2 - Little Women

Summary

The four March sister experience life and grow throughout this classic novel.  Jo is a tomboy that must learn the value of family, even when separated by long distances.  This character is loosely based on the author herself.    Beth is a very quiet and eventually sick sister.  Her passion for music does bring out her personality at times she is most often seen helping her family.  She enjoys putting others first, which she continues to do throughout her short life.  Meg is the oldest sister.  While she does enjoy the finer things in life she puts family first.  Amy, the youngest, is an artist.  She attempts to become great in many different artistic mediums.
Throughout this novel readers follow the lives of these four girls and their neighbor Laurie, the rich boy that lives next door with his kind grandfather.  As the girls grow older the story veers away from their childhood games on focuses on their love lives, travels, and creating families.  Eventually all three girls marry but not until the reader is taken through a roller coaster of emotions and a love triangle.

Bibliographic Citation

Alcott, L. (2010). Little women. HarperCollins Publishers.

Personal Impressions

This book tells the timeless tale of sisters.  The relationship between sisters will be one that attracts readers forevermore.  What dates this book are the unrealistic and overly religious tones.  Frequently the girls are reminded of their religious expectations through each other, their mother, and their little readers.  This makes the story a bit unrelateable for many.
While it was interesting to watch as the four girls grew up and experienced life together, and apart, the plot seemed slow at times.  There are several small events that are used throughout the story to help the reader see the heart of each character.  While many of these events are entertaining the abundance of such creates a lengthy and slow story.  For example, Amy gets hit at school by her teacher for trading limes.  She is then withdrawn from school.  This event did not alter the rest of the story drastically.  It did leave the reader longing for an exciting conclusion and being left without one.  

Reviews

What's the story?

Alcott's semi-autobiographical classic, set in Boston during and just after the Civil War, follows the four March sisters as they struggle to overcome poverty and grow into proper young ladies. Meg, the oldest, is pretty but swayed by material temptations; Jo is a good-hearted tomboy and writer; Beth is a shy, sweet music lover; and Amy, the youngest, is a little selfish but very social and elegant. Even as the girls bicker like all siblings, they keep their loving home together as they wait for their father to return from the war.

  

Is it any good?

 

Like the Little House books, LITTLE WOMEN's appeal is its vivid depiction of its 19th-century time period. Though the writing style can be didactic, even contemporary girls who can't imagine wearing silk dresses or being too ladylike to run will identify with the March sisters' strong bonds and earnest efforts to overcome their faults.  Jo, who romps with her best friend (a boy) and cuts her hair short, remains an enduring character who defied the era's gender conventions.  

At nearly 800 pages (for some editions), the book might work better as a read-aloud so parents can skip the occasionally lengthy, boring passages of description, long letters, or the girls' plays. Young readers may struggle with the sometimes archaic language and unfamiliar references.

  

What families can talk about

• Families can talk about the emphasis on "housewifely" duties for women. How are opportunities and expectations different/similar for women today?
• Would kids have liked living during the 1860s and '70s? Why or why not?
• The type of clothes and objects the girls desire are different than today, but can kids see similarities in their own lives? What lessons about consumerism do the girls learn?
• The writing style is more didactic than most literature written for children today. The author also breaks in with first-person comments. What do readers think of this style? How does it compare to contemporary novels?

  

This review was written by Stephanie Dunnewind

 Library Uses


This would be a good recommendation to high school students that enjoyed extremely detailed plots.  It could also be used to study the construction of a well developed character within a small group setting.  When paired with Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott students could compare the stories told within this book and those told in the short biographical picture book in order to see how the life of the author influenced her work.