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More like 3.5 stars. 3.75 stars?
One of my early traumas was reading Little Women and finding out that. I was beside myself! I cried hysterically for what felt like hours. And as I read on it just got worse and worse: So ran my ten year old’s thoughts and feelings.
But beyond that, I kind of hated the father figure in the book. I think in hindsight that was my child self projecting, ‘cause my own father at the time had an unpredictable and violent temper that he took out on my mother a lot, and I lived in terror of him basically. So an absent father, as Mr March was for so much of Little Women, was kind of my perfect scenario and to be honest I just could not relate to the girls’ love for him and their wild welcome when he came home.
So it was interesting for the adult me to read this novel, which is written from his perspective..
Anyway, I really liked this until I didn’t. And then it wasn’t that I didn’t like it, just that I liked it less than initially. To be honest I have a soft spot for novels that focus on a peripheral/unknown character from a classic.
One of my early traumas was reading Little Women and finding out that
Spoiler
Laurie and Jo don’t end up togetherSpoiler
Laurie marries Amy! Amy for God’s sake! Jo marries that craggy old know-it-all! I mean, what the actual fuck?But beyond that, I kind of hated the father figure in the book. I think in hindsight that was my child self projecting, ‘cause my own father at the time had an unpredictable and violent temper that he took out on my mother a lot, and I lived in terror of him basically. So an absent father, as Mr March was for so much of Little Women, was kind of my perfect scenario and to be honest I just could not relate to the girls’ love for him and their wild welcome when he came home.
So it was interesting for the adult me to read this novel, which is written from his perspective.
Spoiler
I should say, largely from his perspective — the late-in-the-story shift to Marmee (ugh! Why is her pet name also the name her kids call her?) was actually really jarring, and damn she is painted as an unlikeable figure although I should say not unreasonable; I mean, all her feelings are a consequence of her upbringing in that time period but also aren’t very charitable — it's interesting the dissonance between her compassion for the escaping slaves they provide refuge to and her contempt for all the working or dispossessed black people in WashingtonAnyway, I really liked this until I didn’t. And then it wasn’t that I didn’t like it, just that I liked it less than initially. To be honest I have a soft spot for novels that focus on a peripheral/unknown character from a classic.