Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Some years ago I decided to revisit some of the books from my child hood. Those that have stayed with me throughout my life.  One of my favourites and that of my daughter was Frances Hodgson Burnett's  The Secret Garden.  As we approached the New Year I thought it might be nice to do this again and continue revisiting some of the books that may or may not have influenced me growing up. 

With all the publicity about the new version of the Little Women film at the cinema I decided that revisiting Louisa May Alcott's Little Women would be good place to start. This version is The Complete Little Women Series available through Amazon for just 49p on the kindle at the moment and contains all four books written about the March family.  I haven't seen the latest film version but the version I remember best was the one of 1949, which thankfully remained faithful to the original books. Although called Little Women  the film did in fact span across the first two novels and in true Hollywood style the film had a different ending to that in the book.  

Little Women-Four sisters live with their mother, facing Christmas without their father as the American Civil War is underway. The family is settled in a new neighbourhood, living in genteel poverty after the father lost their money. Meg and Jo March, the elder sisters, both work outside the home for money to support the family. Meg teaches four children in a nearby family, while Jo aids her grand-aunt March, a wealthy widow whose strength is failing. Beth helps with housework, and Amy attends school. Their nearest neighbour is a wealthy man whose orphaned grandson lives with him. The sisters introduce themselves to the handsome shy boy, Laurie, who is the age of Jo. Meg is the beautiful sister; Jo is the tomboy; Beth is the musician; and Amy is the charming artist with blond curls. Jo is impulsive and quick to anger. One of her challenges in growing up is to control acting out of anger, a challenge that also faced her mother, Marmee. Marmee advises Jo on speaking with forethought. The boy Laurie enjoys his neighbours, joining the family often in play and home theatrics written by Jo. His grandfather, Mr. Laurence, is charmed by Beth, and gives her the piano used by Laurie’s dead sister.

Beth contracts scarlet fever after tending to a family where three children died of it. Her poor condition forces her sisters and the Laurences to call Marmee back from Washington, where she has gone to tend her husband, who contracted pneumonia. Beth recovers, but never fully. Jo tends Beth in her illness. Amy, not yet exposed to scarlet fever, is sent to live with Aunt March, replacing Jo after Beth recovers. Jo has success earning money with her writing. Meg spends two weeks with friends, where there are parties for the girls to dance with boys and improve social skills. Laurie is invited to one of the dances, as her friends incorrectly think Meg is in love with him. Meg is more interested in the young tutor for Laurie, John Brooke. Brooke travelled to Washington to help Mr. March, staying there when Marmee comes back to tend Beth. While with both March parents, Brooke confesses his love for Meg. The parents agree, but suggest they are both too young to marry, as Meg is just seventeen. They agree to wait. In the interim, Brooke serves a year in the war, is wounded, returns home and finds work so he can get a house for their upcoming marriage. Laurie’s need for a tutor ends, as he goes off to college. The war ends.

Good Wives -Three years on from Little Women, the March girls and their friend Laurie are young adults with their futures ahead of them. Although they all face painful trials along the way - from Meg's sad lesson in housekeeping to Laurie's disappointment in love and a tragedy which touches them all - each of the girls finally finds happiness, if not always in the way they expect


Little Men/Jo's Boys the little men of Plumfield are now grown and making their ways in the world. But even as their pursuits take them far from home, “Mother” Jo March continues to play an inspiring and steadying role in their lives.

Through adventures great and small, Tommy, Emil, Demi, Nat, Dan, and the rest of the March children experience love and loss, but never forget the lessons they learned from Meg, Jo, and Amy March—the little women who have guided them from childhood.

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It was a pleasure to revisit this little series of books.  Following the stories of each of the four girls from their childhood into adulthood and beyond.  

Mx