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acmarinho3's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutamente delicioso. Que livro tão querido! Já queria ler "Mulherzinhas" há algum tempo, mas só agora consegui avançar com esse desejo... e ainda bem que o fiz! Quatro irmãs incríveis, cujas diferenças as tornam mais unidas. É impossível não se gostar dos traços de cada uma. Admito ter criado um carinho especial por Jo.
kessler21's review against another edition
2.0
I don't get this book. I don't feel it has to do with me being male and this being a "chick" book. I've read "chick" books before and enjoyed them.
I don't feel this family's life was worth writing about. Nothing really happens in the book and Alcott did not conjure up any emotion in me with her poor writing. Even with the death of a character.
This book felt to be a collection of short stories centered around the same characters with each story meant to teach a life and morality lesson. More like allegorical stories independent of each other. Then the timeline is not clearly defined. Jo is almost 17 when the book starts and around 25 at the end. I had no idea of the passage of time other than the notion that the quick descriptions of events could not have happened in short time perceived by the writing.
First, this story centers around four sisters, their mother, and their friend Laurie. Outside of these characters, the others a poorly developed and really unimportant. This family's is extremely cliquish within this group. Then characters disappear. After Meg is married, she is gone until she is having marital problems after having children. Then she is gone again. After Father comes home from the war his barely mentioned of again (mainly with the grandchildren). Where is his influence on these "little women's" life.
Next, this poor family is not looked down on by society. It is mentioned they have rich friends and though they feel inferior at times, they are not treated as such. The only spat between one of the women has to do with being offended by a perceived insult by Jo and Amy.
Then, out of four daughters, Marmee and their friend Laurie, no one is a bad apple. They have their faults, just enough to make them human, but due to an overly observant and Confucius like mother, they are all morally conscious and self sacrificing. Even Marmee's faults are not observant but anecdotal to teach the daughters. And due to his association with the March family, Laurie also becomes virtuous in thought and action.
Lastly, I did enjoy the lessons. I agree with the principles and morals in the stories. My favorite was Meg and Mr. Brooks marriage and Marmee does give great advice, but I find this as the only positive of the story.
I don't feel this family's life was worth writing about. Nothing really happens in the book and Alcott did not conjure up any emotion in me with her poor writing. Even with the death of a character.
This book felt to be a collection of short stories centered around the same characters with each story meant to teach a life and morality lesson. More like allegorical stories independent of each other. Then the timeline is not clearly defined. Jo is almost 17 when the book starts and around 25 at the end. I had no idea of the passage of time other than the notion that the quick descriptions of events could not have happened in short time perceived by the writing.
First, this story centers around four sisters, their mother, and their friend Laurie. Outside of these characters, the others a poorly developed and really unimportant. This family's is extremely cliquish within this group. Then characters disappear. After Meg is married, she is gone until she is having marital problems after having children. Then she is gone again. After Father comes home from the war his barely mentioned of again (mainly with the grandchildren). Where is his influence on these "little women's" life.
Next, this poor family is not looked down on by society. It is mentioned they have rich friends and though they feel inferior at times, they are not treated as such. The only spat between one of the women has to do with being offended by a perceived insult by Jo and Amy.
Then, out of four daughters, Marmee and their friend Laurie, no one is a bad apple. They have their faults, just enough to make them human, but due to an overly observant and Confucius like mother, they are all morally conscious and self sacrificing. Even Marmee's faults are not observant but anecdotal to teach the daughters. And due to his association with the March family, Laurie also becomes virtuous in thought and action.
Lastly, I did enjoy the lessons. I agree with the principles and morals in the stories. My favorite was Meg and Mr. Brooks marriage and Marmee does give great advice, but I find this as the only positive of the story.
onesownroom's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
5.0
aliterarydance's review against another edition
1.0
Way to saccharine work little going on. I don't mind character driven stories. But this was too religious and overly simplistic. Meg has very few flaws and yet her trials are treated as if she were overcoming some great sin. Amy is fun and genuinely growing but Jo ... I wish I could love her. I like the idea of her, but anytime she shows any semblance of originality or modern thinking it's shrowded in religious preaching that demonizes her personality as sin. Could only get through part 1 and only because I was audiobook-ing it.
spenkevich's review against another edition
5.0
Some books read like a lifelong friendship, each page a warm or comforting embrace as you laugh and weep along with the characters. Little Women by L.M. Alcott is an enduring and endearing classic that will nestle its way so deep into your heart that you’ll wonder if the sound of turning pages has become your new heartbeat in your chest. To read the novel is a magical experience, and we are all like Laurie peering in through the March’s window and relishing in the warmth within. I have long loved the film adaptations and make it a holiday tradition to ensure I at least watch it every December (it has Christmas in it, it counts), so it was fascinating to finally read the actual novel and return to character I feel I’ve always known yet still find it fresh and even more lovely than ever before. Semi-autobiographical, Alcott traces the lives of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and their struggles to make their own way in a society that offers little use for women beyond the household. An emotional epic and moving family saga full of strong characters, sharp criticisms on society and gender roles, and a beautiful plea to dispense with the worship of wealth and find true purpose and value in simplicity, nature and generosity.
‘I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.’
Little Women will leave your heart full and your pen dry from underlining the seemingly endless lovely passages. I’d like to thank Adira and her wonderful review for convincing me to finally actually read this and not just watch the movie again (I did last night though, because who doesn’t want to relive the joy of yelling “Bob Odenkirk?!” in a theater and later sobbing) because, just when I thought I couldn’t love this story more, now I’m fully engulfed by it. Surely enough has been written about this book already, but i like to ramble about things I love so here’s a more I guess (I’ll try to keep it shorter than usual [having finished writing it now, I failed]). But how can you not be with such incredible characters? Jo is of course the favorite, but I think part of loving this book is wanting to be Jo and realizing you are Amy, but each character touches your heart in their own way. Mr. Laurence and Beth’s connection with the piano and lost daughters makes me teary just writing this. Alcott based the story on her real family and one can read a genuine love for the characters pouring from every page.
‘Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny side, and one of the sweet uses of adversity is the genuine satisfaction which comes from hearty work of head or hand, and to the inspiration of necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the world.’
Alcott was a transcendentalist and many of her beliefs shine through in the novel. Much of this came from her father and one will be pleased to learn that the real Mr. March—Amos Bronson Alcott—was as radical in his time as his fictional counterpart. An abolitionist who also advocated for women’s rights, Amos became a major transcendentalist figure along with his friend, [a:Ralph Waldo Emerson|12080|Ralph Waldo Emerson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1393555704p2/12080.jpg]. Alcott’s mother was equally radical for her time too, and many of their teachings arrive here through Mrs. March to her children. There is, of course, the belief in nature as the ideal, such as when the March girls, having little jewelry, adorn themselves in flowers instead. Even Laurie states ‘I don’t like fuss and feathers,’ another instance of a return to simplicity over flashy status symbols. There is also the belief in generosity, which is seen throughout with the March family always involved in helping others, and the belief that hard work is important, but not for profit reasons but because it leads to spiritual and emotional happiness and freedom.
Towards the start of the novel, the mother advises the children to be like Christian from [a:John Bunyan|16244|John Bunyan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201095460p2/16244.jpg]’s allegorical novel [b:The Pilgrim's Progress|29797|The Pilgrim's Progress|John Bunyan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405982367l/29797._SY75_.jpg|1960084] and we can see how Little Women follows a similar fashion of Pilgrim’s being knowledge gained through the travel of a life lived, and each daughter is shown to face certain trials and must learn to bear their burdens, like Jo’s anger, Amy’s desire to be liked, Meg’s desire for vanity, Beth’s passivity. But the largest burdens here are those of love and labor.
‘Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.’
The relationship to work is threaded through the entire novel. We have Jo and Amy who wish to be great and break from the traditional mold for women in society. Jo wants to be a writer, though she only publishes scandalous stories under a false name, and Amy desires to be a painter. And neither will settle for anything less than greatness ‘because talent isn't genius, Amy states, ‘and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.’ Meg and Beth, on the other hand, show different routes a woman can take. The novel questions if women can find happiness outside marriage and caring for a household, and these struggles bash against social expectations along the way.
‘ 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.’
‘ I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy,’ Jo quips, and a major part of Little Women is a critique of gender roles and how they stifle people in society. Laurie is an excellent foil to Jo, in many ways, but is also a way that Alcott addresses and subverts gender expectations. Jo and Laurie both use shortened versions of their name that seem to cross gender expectations (even though Laurie didn’t like being called Dora) and in many ways Jo tends to represent more masculine behavior while Laurie often a more feminine role. While Meg dresses in finery and tries to fill the traditional role of a woman, Jo prefers to romp in nature in simple or dirty garments and behave, by her own admission, like a boy.
Recently there has been a lot of discussion on the author’s gender and sexuality, with even the New York Times writing an opinion piece wondering if Alcott or Jo was a trans man. I know that frustrates some people but personally I find it interesting to think about, even if a bit anachronistic, but it seems to be a genuine question people investigate about authors who subvert gender expectations (think how often it was avoided to discuss [a:Virginia Woolf|6765|Virginia Woolf|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419596619p2/6765.jpg]’s sexuality in the past and now we have letters and look at scenes in Mrs Dalloway and think “oh yea, that makes total sense”). Honestly, I say Jo is whatever you want Jo to be. Trans, lesbian, ace, or just a girl pushing back on gender norms. I think the key detail is that Jo was breaking out of the mold, so let that empower you as you best see fit. Personally I thought the marriage to Friedrich felt tacked on anyways (I enjoy the way the Gerwig adaptation addresses this) but, side note, I do see how Alcott weaves in the transcendentalist notion of the “universal family” and belief in learning about and supporting other cultures here. Friedrich is German, Meg marries the English John, and Laurie is said to be half-Italian, which all comes as a rebuttal to the anti-immigration sentiments of the times.
‘I like good strong words that mean something,’ Jo says and that appeals to my love of language as well. This book deals with love in many ways, but feels like a romance between book and reader as you enjoy every page. Little Women was ahead of its time and still stands proudly today as an endearing work that dares challenge social convention. But most importantly, it feels like a friend. Finishing is hard as now I’ll miss the days with the March sisters, and I find books that take you from childhood to adulthood often hit the hardest because you feel as if you’ve grown up together. An emotional read, also a genius one, Little Women is a favorite now forever.
5/5
‘ Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.’
‘I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.’
Little Women will leave your heart full and your pen dry from underlining the seemingly endless lovely passages. I’d like to thank Adira and her wonderful review for convincing me to finally actually read this and not just watch the movie again (I did last night though, because who doesn’t want to relive the joy of yelling “Bob Odenkirk?!” in a theater and later sobbing) because, just when I thought I couldn’t love this story more, now I’m fully engulfed by it. Surely enough has been written about this book already, but i like to ramble about things I love so here’s a more I guess (I’ll try to keep it shorter than usual [having finished writing it now, I failed]). But how can you not be with such incredible characters? Jo is of course the favorite, but I think part of loving this book is wanting to be Jo and realizing you are Amy, but each character touches your heart in their own way. Mr. Laurence and Beth’s connection with the piano and lost daughters makes me teary just writing this. Alcott based the story on her real family and one can read a genuine love for the characters pouring from every page.
‘Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny side, and one of the sweet uses of adversity is the genuine satisfaction which comes from hearty work of head or hand, and to the inspiration of necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the world.’
Alcott was a transcendentalist and many of her beliefs shine through in the novel. Much of this came from her father and one will be pleased to learn that the real Mr. March—Amos Bronson Alcott—was as radical in his time as his fictional counterpart. An abolitionist who also advocated for women’s rights, Amos became a major transcendentalist figure along with his friend, [a:Ralph Waldo Emerson|12080|Ralph Waldo Emerson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1393555704p2/12080.jpg]. Alcott’s mother was equally radical for her time too, and many of their teachings arrive here through Mrs. March to her children. There is, of course, the belief in nature as the ideal, such as when the March girls, having little jewelry, adorn themselves in flowers instead. Even Laurie states ‘I don’t like fuss and feathers,’ another instance of a return to simplicity over flashy status symbols. There is also the belief in generosity, which is seen throughout with the March family always involved in helping others, and the belief that hard work is important, but not for profit reasons but because it leads to spiritual and emotional happiness and freedom.
‘Then let me advise you to take up your little burdens again; for though they seem heavy sometimes, they are good for us, and lighten as we learn to carry them. Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for every one; it keeps us from ennui and mischief; is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or fashion.’
Towards the start of the novel, the mother advises the children to be like Christian from [a:John Bunyan|16244|John Bunyan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201095460p2/16244.jpg]’s allegorical novel [b:The Pilgrim's Progress|29797|The Pilgrim's Progress|John Bunyan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405982367l/29797._SY75_.jpg|1960084] and we can see how Little Women follows a similar fashion of Pilgrim’s being knowledge gained through the travel of a life lived, and each daughter is shown to face certain trials and must learn to bear their burdens, like Jo’s anger, Amy’s desire to be liked, Meg’s desire for vanity, Beth’s passivity. But the largest burdens here are those of love and labor.
‘Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.’
The relationship to work is threaded through the entire novel. We have Jo and Amy who wish to be great and break from the traditional mold for women in society. Jo wants to be a writer, though she only publishes scandalous stories under a false name, and Amy desires to be a painter. And neither will settle for anything less than greatness ‘because talent isn't genius, Amy states, ‘and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.’ Meg and Beth, on the other hand, show different routes a woman can take. The novel questions if women can find happiness outside marriage and caring for a household, and these struggles bash against social expectations along the way.
‘ 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.’
‘ I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy,’ Jo quips, and a major part of Little Women is a critique of gender roles and how they stifle people in society. Laurie is an excellent foil to Jo, in many ways, but is also a way that Alcott addresses and subverts gender expectations. Jo and Laurie both use shortened versions of their name that seem to cross gender expectations (even though Laurie didn’t like being called Dora) and in many ways Jo tends to represent more masculine behavior while Laurie often a more feminine role. While Meg dresses in finery and tries to fill the traditional role of a woman, Jo prefers to romp in nature in simple or dirty garments and behave, by her own admission, like a boy.
Recently there has been a lot of discussion on the author’s gender and sexuality, with even the New York Times writing an opinion piece wondering if Alcott or Jo was a trans man. I know that frustrates some people but personally I find it interesting to think about, even if a bit anachronistic, but it seems to be a genuine question people investigate about authors who subvert gender expectations (think how often it was avoided to discuss [a:Virginia Woolf|6765|Virginia Woolf|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419596619p2/6765.jpg]’s sexuality in the past and now we have letters and look at scenes in Mrs Dalloway and think “oh yea, that makes total sense”). Honestly, I say Jo is whatever you want Jo to be. Trans, lesbian, ace, or just a girl pushing back on gender norms. I think the key detail is that Jo was breaking out of the mold, so let that empower you as you best see fit. Personally I thought the marriage to Friedrich felt tacked on anyways (I enjoy the way the Gerwig adaptation addresses this) but, side note, I do see how Alcott weaves in the transcendentalist notion of the “universal family” and belief in learning about and supporting other cultures here. Friedrich is German, Meg marries the English John, and Laurie is said to be half-Italian, which all comes as a rebuttal to the anti-immigration sentiments of the times.
‘I like good strong words that mean something,’ Jo says and that appeals to my love of language as well. This book deals with love in many ways, but feels like a romance between book and reader as you enjoy every page. Little Women was ahead of its time and still stands proudly today as an endearing work that dares challenge social convention. But most importantly, it feels like a friend. Finishing is hard as now I’ll miss the days with the March sisters, and I find books that take you from childhood to adulthood often hit the hardest because you feel as if you’ve grown up together. An emotional read, also a genius one, Little Women is a favorite now forever.
5/5
‘ Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.’
changeinpressure's review against another edition
4.0
How I adore this book! After watching the 2019 adaptation directed by Greta Gerwig, I immediately purchased the novel, having enjoyed the film so much. I liked the book even more, though it took me a little while to properly 'get into it', if you will. Whilst most would have preferred Jo to end up with Laurie, I believe that Alcott was right in pairing Laurie with Amy, and Jo with Friedrich. They are well-suited, I would have been quite displeased if Jo had married Laurie for they are much better off as friends, but that is simply my own opinion.
zhra's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
lea3141's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
ameliaperry's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bluubleuu's review against another edition
3.0
➸ 3 stars
* reread my old children's book *
"When you feel unhappy, count your blessings and be grateful - for there are always those in the world with less"
* reread my old children's book *
"When you feel unhappy, count your blessings and be grateful - for there are always those in the world with less"