Little Women (Book Review)

Ooh - this is such a feel-good story for me (even though many may say quite the opposite)!

People say that this has too many "life-lessons" and that it's not a really suitable children's book, but I loved it! Amy, the youngest sister, eleven at the start of the book, is very artistic and selfish - Beth is musical and shy - Jo is very unladylike and literacy-like, while Meg cares too much for her pretty hands and despises work around the house.

The March family are poor. The father has went off to war, and the family has to work hard to survive.
I loved seeing them all go through their adventures and lessons, in the end becoming very close to Teddy Laurence, the boy next door, and being more good and womanly in the end.
It should be said that near the end of the book, Beth (second-youngest), caught scarlet fever - I think - and almost passed away; for it was a rainy day, and the mother was away, and Beth asked Jo to go look after the Hummel baby, that had scarlet fever, while her sister was too lazy and said "no". So Beth went herself, and said that the baby died in her arms, which made her too upset, and then it was discovered that she had caught the virus.

Also, the family, somewhere at the start of the book, went to "Camp Laurence" - camping with Theodore (Teddy!) Laurence, his grandfather, and - I thought they were family friends? There was a little girl, age ten, then the two twins, a few years elder than her, one on crutches, and the eldest sister.
Everybody had a capital time, and Mr. Brooke (who's Teddy's tutor), who had come as well, paid a bit too much of attention to the eldest Meg, I thought. But she's very pretty - I cannot blame him.

At the end, Mr. Brooke confesses his love for Meg, which is in Christmas, and when Father comes home from the war. She says that she's still too young, and won't marry till at least twenty-three, and doesn't love John Brooke - but something makes her mind change.

There are also other advenures that they go through - for example, Jo gets her first story published in the local newsletter, Mr. Laurence lets Beth play the piano of his late girl in his enormous house, and Amy gets to stay home for a while after having a hard day at school. I truly loved - love - the sisters, and hope they don't change too much in the future three books.

But the thing that surprised me most - how they changed in the end! Meg, hard-working, Jo managing to keep her sharp tongue from talking "in slang", and not whistling, Beth, more out-going and bright, and Amy less selfish.
To be honest, I think Amy changed most!
If you've read the book, then may I wonder which character you liked best?

From
Sandra