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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow
1 review
booksthatburn's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
SO MANY BEGINNINGS reimagines the story of LITTLE WOMEN with the March family as newly freed Black people in the Freedpeople's Colony of Roanoke Island. It fundamentally transforms the original story with the change in context and characterization. I love the decision to keep the same nicknames for the sisters but different full names. That small change makes it clear early on that this is its own story, that these are different March sisters and from now on I need not belabor further distinctions and divergences.
There's so much love between the March sisters and their parents. Their father is away for most of the story, but he is constantly in their thoughts and in correspondence with them through letters to their mother.
The story begins with the March family emancipated and living in the Freedpeople's Colony. Much time is devoted to showing their lives there, a mix of precarious circumstances and deliberate choices to fortify what they have and make things better for those around them. Meg is a teacher, and she teaches Amy at home when she's done with her students in the colony's school. Jo (Joanna) composes words and thoughts constantly and is persuaded by her sisters to begin putting them to paper so they can be shared with others. Beth (Bethlehem) is a seamstress, taking apart the clothes which were left behind and using them to create new garments for her family. Amy (Amethyst) is full of energy and constantly dancing. Her mother and sisters try to shield her from adult concerns as much as they can so that she can have a childhood in ways they were never able to.
The audiobook narrator is a delight, bringing them all to life. The narrative seems to focus a bit more on Beth and Jo than on Meg and Amy in the first portion, then after the time jump most of the story is about Jo and Amy, with some scenes featuring the others. I love how Beth and Jo are handled, which might have tinted my recollection of the balance between the characters. They all have plenty of time in focus and no one feels neglected by the narrative. I'm especially pleased with Jo and Lorie, as Jo describes herself in ways consistent with an aspec character even though that label would have been anachronistic (and therefore doesn't appear). Instead she does the more useful thing of describing the tension she experiences in how other people think she should feel about Lorie. Their bond is unshakeable and doesn't need to fit anyone else's ideas of how they should be with one another, and the narrative supports that instead of trying to bend them to society's expectations. It's a small but important thing which feels emblematic of how the whole story approaches these characters. It's in everything from seeking answers about Beth's illness, to Jo using her words to educate others about the colony rather than letting white journalists control the narrative without even interviewing a single Black resident.
There's so much love between the March sisters and their parents. Their father is away for most of the story, but he is constantly in their thoughts and in correspondence with them through letters to their mother.
The story begins with the March family emancipated and living in the Freedpeople's Colony. Much time is devoted to showing their lives there, a mix of precarious circumstances and deliberate choices to fortify what they have and make things better for those around them. Meg is a teacher, and she teaches Amy at home when she's done with her students in the colony's school. Jo (Joanna) composes words and thoughts constantly and is persuaded by her sisters to begin putting them to paper so they can be shared with others. Beth (Bethlehem) is a seamstress, taking apart the clothes which were left behind and using them to create new garments for her family. Amy (Amethyst) is full of energy and constantly dancing. Her mother and sisters try to shield her from adult concerns as much as they can so that she can have a childhood in ways they were never able to.
The audiobook narrator is a delight, bringing them all to life. The narrative seems to focus a bit more on Beth and Jo than on Meg and Amy in the first portion, then after the time jump most of the story is about Jo and Amy, with some scenes featuring the others. I love how Beth and Jo are handled, which might have tinted my recollection of the balance between the characters. They all have plenty of time in focus and no one feels neglected by the narrative. I'm especially pleased with Jo and Lorie, as Jo describes herself in ways consistent with an aspec character even though that label would have been anachronistic (and therefore doesn't appear). Instead she does the more useful thing of describing the tension she experiences in how other people think she should feel about Lorie. Their bond is unshakeable and doesn't need to fit anyone else's ideas of how they should be with one another, and the narrative supports that instead of trying to bend them to society's expectations. It's a small but important thing which feels emblematic of how the whole story approaches these characters. It's in everything from seeking answers about Beth's illness, to Jo using her words to educate others about the colony rather than letting white journalists control the narrative without even interviewing a single Black resident.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Chronic illness, Slavery, War, Death, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
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