Book Review

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Roberts Brothers, (1st Volume) 1868, (2nd Volume) 1869

527 pages

Little Women is about the journey of four sisters as they grow from adolescents to adults together after the Civil War in America. It was originally published in two volumes. Meg (Margaret), Jo (Josephine), Beth (Elizabeth), Amy Curtis, and their mother, Mrs March are the main characters of the story. This novel is very complex; each chapter is like a short story from a character’s point of view. This style really adds to the development of the story and you get to grasp who they are as you read on.

The characters are very fascinating- how realistic and different they are from each other. It’s not the drama or the events that gripped my attention, it’s actually how they reveal things about the characters and show how much they grow and learn each time. To me, this is the most interesting aspect of the book. I love how the main themes in this book like family, their struggle with poverty, marriage, independence, and self-improvement were shown in the story in a natural way through these characters and their interactions with each other.

Although the author successfully portrayed them in an authentic way, Beth was one character she didn’t bother with. I didn’t get a chance to know Beth and understand her as much as the others. This must’ve been because Alcott knew that Beth wasn’t going to live as long as the rest. Her death was anticipated because the reader was warned about it chapters before it happened so they could make their peace with it.

Alcott hinted at her death earlier in the 13th chapter when everyone talked about who they’d like to be and what they wanted to achieve in the future while Beth didn't have any plans for the future. She said she was content with what she already had. Beth even mentioned this before she died when she told Jo that she didn't think she was going to live any longer.

However, Alcott seems like an additional character in the book and that didn’t really sit well with me. She shared her thoughts and sometimes addressed the reader about certain things. I think it looked like an excuse to ramble and beat around the bush instead of getting straight to the story. Her writing and descriptions of the scenes aren’t very captivating- I immediately lost interest once I picked up the book because of this. She didn’t use much immersive language and she went pages telling me about the events when I wanted her to show me what she was talking about instead.

I feel that the most relevant message of the book was seen in the growth of the characters. It’s mostly about allowing your experiences shape you into a better person. Overall, the book seems to be written in a very genuine way, given that it is semi-autobiographical. It has a lot of life lessons that readers can learn from. It shows us that everyone has flaws and is capable of rising above them. This is continuously displayed in the characters throughout the book. It’s no wonder why this is one of the most loved novels of all time. Though I feel lukewarm about this, she definitely didn’t fail to pass the most important messages across which is the point of writing a book anyway.