Book Review: Little Women

Val's Review

Hello again, and welcome to the first Labyrinthus XXI book review.  Little Women is a book Dori and I read over a year ago in our ‘Children’s Literature’ module with The Open University, and again recently.  This is one of the ‘classic’ works I neglected to read as a youngster, and one I know my own mother particularly loves.  I may have gone through the rest of my life never having read it, had I not had to study it.  I think studying Little Women reinforced ideas I had about the book after reading it, but I did thoroughly enjoy it, finding the main character, Jo, really engaging and somewhat surprising, considering this book was published in 1868.  My favourite character, I suspect she is a literary reflection of her creator, Louisa May Alcott.

Little Women is a coming of age novel and opens with the four March sisters discussing Christmas.  We get a sense of each girl’s character from their very individual responses to their poverty and potential lack of presents.  We learn that Meg, the eldest sister, is pretty, lectures her siblings and wants to be a ‘woman’.  Amy, the youngest, is artistic, self-important and socially ambitious – she can’t wait to grow up.  Beth, a musician, is the timid selfless angel and peacemaker of the house, beloved by everyone, while Jo, our heroine, is a determined tomboy and passionate bookworm and writer, who most definitely pushes against social norms and feels there is more to life than just becoming a lady at home bringing up her family – a ‘little woman’.  She is clumsy yet quick-witted and enterprising, uses slang and sees herself as the man of the house while her father is away fighting in the civil war.  The girls adore their mother, Marmee, who, as the story continues, reveals herself to be the glue holding the family together and, against gender expectations of the time, supports her husband.  Despite being ‘head of the house’, Mr March seems vulnerable and weakened by war.

A strong Christian element runs through the story, as the sisters’ path through life is paralleled with John Bunyan’s A Pilgrim’s Progress, and the religious undertones may be a little off-putting to some readers today.  However, I found the characters and their own journeys (particularly Jo and Professor Bhaer’s) and relationships enthralling enough that the religious aspects did not bother me.  The characters have their own challenges and successes, and learn to deal with all that life can throw at them.  Some accept their station in life as a ‘little woman’ (and become dependent on a man) while other implicitly subversive characters (like the masculine Jo, and Marmee as a surrogate father) might be viewed as rebelling against nineteenth century ideas and the expectation that women should sacrifice their dreams, ambitions and ‘self’ to conform to gender stereotypes.  Without wanting to introduce any ‘spoilers’ to this review, there are some beautifully written scenes, and I feel the story has a satisfying conclusion, where Jo finds success and peace whilst retaining her individuality and passion.  Overall, I enjoyed Little Women far more than I expected to, and I would rate this book at eight out of ten.

*******

 

 

Dori's Review

 

I read Little Women when I was a little girl so I am always loved this book. When we were assigned the book to read when Val and I were taking a Children's Literature course, I remembered it fondly but hadn't read it in a long while. So it was wonderful to read it again. Little Women is the story of the March family and how they live their lives in Massachusetts during the Civil War in the absence of their father who is away serving in the conflict.

I've always identified very much with the character of Jo. She was the one who was always writing and I could very much identify with her drive to tell stories. The other sisters, Meg, Amy, and Beth were also very interesting characters and they are all intriguing in their own right. The close relationship that they share with their mother Marmee is heart-warming and reflects just how much they all rely upon each other, especially in light of the times that they were living in.

I had always enjoyed Little Women as a girl and I enjoy it just as much as a grown woman. There are themes within the book about family, sacrifice, and growing up that are universal. Even though the book was written and is set in a time long past, those themes still hold some truth today even if the circumstances of our modern lives differ somewhat.

I would rate Little Women 9 out of 10. It is one of my favorite books and I imagine that I will return to it in a few years and read it again. That's the beauty of books, they are always there to be revisited like an old friend.