Reviews

Little Women / Good Wives / Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

beillumined's review

4.0

Does it really count as a 2013 book if I started it in 2012? We'll count it anyway. This is probably the third or fourth time I've read this classic, and I still love it every time. This is actually three books in one, Little Women and the two short sequels that followed. I'm not as big of a fan of the sequels, but they are all together in my version so I read them that way.

ameserole's review against another edition

4.0

Spoiler

Now Little Men definitely improved my opinion on the Little Women Series. It was a huge improvement from Good Wives.



The children are extremely adorable in this book and I think I love Jo even more? If that is at all possible. Although I didn't like one of her "plays" because it had the two girls, the only girls, in the kitchen cooking for the men. AND SHE ENCOURAGED IT.



Girls should be able to grow up into anything. If Nan wants to be a god damn Doctor than she shall be able to do it. Women do not need to be at home and wait all damn day for their husband to come home to them. So yeah, I had a problem with that. But then again...this is a totally different time period then what I'm living in. I still don't like it but that's my opinion.

I loved Dan so much. Yes he was the difficult child and was always in and out of trouble. He was also a bully for like half of the book. More than half maybe? But he changed significantly and become a really sweet, charming, and loving boy.

I felt really bad for Meg in this book as well. Even though I didn't like her husband, John, in Good Wives I feel like he deserved better. Or Meg deserved better. He shouldn't have died so suddenly.

Other than that, I really liked this book. Each character learned something that helped them grow in the right direction. I didn't hate any of them either.

soniapage's review against another edition

2.0

I actually found it a chore to finish this book and sped up the audio version to hurry through it. After enjoying Little Women, which is rich in family life, growing pains, and mature themes, I found Little Men to be too childish for me. Jo March-Bhaer seems a shadow of her former energetic self - I guess she's been "domesticated" by her marriage. Since I never liked spoiled Amy March, it's unfortunate to see her daughter being set up to be "a princess" also. I cannot imagine modern day boys reading this with all it's moralizing and preaching.

littletaiko's review against another edition

2.0

Oof, I remember loving this when I was younger however reading it now I just kept cringing. Way too much moralizing and focus on the young children when really what I wanted was more of Meg, Amy, Joe, and Laurie instead of just brief mentions.

paperbacksandpines's review against another edition

3.0

This book was a beloved favorite book the first time I read it. There was such an air of childhood innocence that wasn't tainted by cynicism or the changing nature of childhood today. I loved reading stories told from a variety of viewpoints from the inhabitants at Plumfield, both adult and children.

Reading this book a second time around, there were a few problematic areas that would no longer be socially acceptable in the twenty-first century. Some of the solutions to problems in the story were overly simplified but since this is a children's book, I'm willing to give it more leeway than if it had been geared towards adults. My experience this time around lost some of its shine but it still managed to be an enjoyable and entertaining read. I would downgrade this book from a 4 to a 3 as an adult reader.

annabellezerdi's review against another edition

1.0

A huge disappointment. I tried to enjoy this book and worked hard at it, purely because i was a massive fan and am to this day of ‘Little Women’. However, even if you loved Little Women i think it’s impossible to like this book. It’s soulless and mind numbingly boring - i’ve honestly read philosophy textbooks better than this. LMA you can see did not like writing this and my bad review is nothing personal towards her as a writer, but even my favourite literary heroine Jo March has lost her spirit in this half hearted unnecessary novel. Definitely not worth a read, if you’re wondering what happened to the characters after the events of ‘Little Women’ I would just come to your own conclusions.

provenance's review against another edition

3.0

This was clearly written for an (even) younger audience than Little Women & Good Wives- but I enjoyed it enough. I think I never bothered to finish reading it as a child because I didn't care about reading of the adventures of little boys. It is a bit more palpable and charming as an adult.

Pretty sure Amy & Laurie's daughter is going to grow up to be a brat but considering her parentage this is not surprising.

Also Tommy Bangs is an excellent name.

cjfiebert's review against another edition

4.0

Without a doubt, Jo was my favorite character in Little Women & Good Wives. So I was excited to see a book focused around her. I loved the antics that each of the boys and seeing how the characters grew, especially Nat and Dan. I loved seeing each of the characters, although I found it quite heartbreaking when one of the main characters of the previous books died. But it served the story well and helped the characters grow in such a wonderful way.

kdf_333's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition

4.0

I actually like Little Men better than Little Women.