A review by kirkdean547
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott

3.0

Honestly, I gave it three stars because of the language and how well written it is. I dislike that Beth becomes a sacrificial lamb of a character, though this is foreshadowed heavily in part one. There is no development of her and the entirety of her internal struggle, when she realizes she is dying, is reduced to one paragraph. Though I appreciate the lessons that Jo and the others learn from Beth and her death, to have her only necessity to be to die seems rather harsh. Though I guess that is how life is sometimes. I have often felt the way Beth says she does when she discusses everything with Jo. There are times when I wonder how long anyone is truly for this world and how sometimes you feel like you are a supporting role to someone else’s story. This idea is explored exceedingly well in the Robertson Davies book, “Fifth Business”. But, I digress. A satisfying conclusion is still made, we just have to accept that not all the characters hold the personalities or wills we thought they had in the previous part. Though again, this may be to show maturation and change.