15 Oct 2013

LITTLE WOMEN.


SOURCE: Ex-library stock. The edition I read differed from the Amazon product listed above.

Set in a small New England community, it tells of the March family: Marmee looks after daughters in the absence of her husband, who is serving as an army chaplain in the Civil War, and Meg, Jo,Beth, and Amy experience domestic trials and triumphs as they attempt to supplement the family's small income. In the second part of the novel (sometimes known as Good Wives) the girls grow up and fall in love.
...... Amazon book description.

FIRST SENTENCE: Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents, grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: Whoops! Apologies that I passed the book on before making a note of my memorable moment.

MY THOUGHTS: One of the favourite books of several generations of my family. I can vaguely remember reading Little Women as a girl but it obviously didn't leave any lasting impression as it has taken me all these years to feel the need to read it again and, on having read it, I can't say I remembered much of the story.

Originally penned as two separate volumes, Little Women and Good Wives, the version I read though titled Little Women contained both volumes.

Very much a book of its time and I feel largely autobiographical. The story follows the trials and tribulations of four sisters and their passage from childhood to adulthood with the central themes of domesticity and love.

Perhaps a book that I enjoyed as a girl but as an adult I'm afraid I found this twee and overly sentimental.


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PS An on-line edition of Little Women is available to read/Download HERE.

16 comments:

Kelly said...

One I also read as a young girl and never really given any thought to reading again. But then, I'm not one for doing that.

I remember awhile back someone wrote a sequel to this, supposedly in the same style, etc. I don't remember the details, nor did I read the book, but it was an author I liked at the time (I think...it's all so vague).

R. Ramesh said...

ya when we grow and read the same mag that we read yrs ago...v feel a huge difference in perceptions...nice to be here..how u doing tracy? best wishes always:)

Cherie Reich said...

Ah, Little Women is one of those books I meant to read but haven't yet. It's interesting how books we read when we're younger read differently as we grow older.

Lindsay said...

I read this when I was a lot younger too, and only have vague memories of it, though I think I liked it then. I do plan to read it again one day in the not too distant future, but I wonder how I'll react to it now too.

Stephanie@Fairday's Blog said...

I enjoyed this one when I was younger, and have been wanting to read it again as an adult. Sometimes when I read books as an adult I see them very differently from the way I viewed them as a child. Great review!

Suko said...

A book from my youth, but I still relish it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Tracy.

Betty Manousos said...

i also read/enjoyed little women as a young girl, but i still enjoy it greatly.
thank you so much for your brilliant review, tracy!

big hugs~
xx

Brian Joseph said...

Interesting that you got less out of this now. I find that most quality books that we enjoy as children usually hold up into adulthood.

With that said, too much sentimentality can indeed take a lot out of a story.

Unknown said...

I read that book a few years ago and really enjoyed it but can't really remember much, just that I liked it

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Tracy,

I'm another who read 'Little Women' as a single vloume in childhood, when it was amongst my favourite books, mainly because I actually owned my own copy, rather than having borrowed it from the library.

I also recall reading 'Good Wives'. although I can't remember a darned thing about it.

I have no real yearning to read either book again, but 'Little Women' will definitely go down as one of the great classics for me.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Yvonne

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

I should read this as an adult and see what I think of it now. I wonder if I would feel the same way. Hm...

Barbara said...

I loved this when I was little but I've always been afraid of reading it again. I would hate to be disappointed. Thank you for another excellent review.

Alexia561 said...

I read this as a young girl, but have no desire to reread it. I'd probably be disappointed like you were, so will leave this story as a happy memory. :)

The Bookworm said...

I know exactly what you mean about it being a bit oversentimental. I read it as an adult and I wish I had read it when I was twelve or so instead. I love Jo's character though.

Jinky said...

I'm probably one of few who hasn't read this book! Having been a fairly recent book reader, I'll have the view of an adult. Bummer really.

Literary Feline said...

Would you believe I have never read Little Women? Even now I find myself not sure I want to. Maybe someday . . . But I do know it's a favorite of so many.

There are a handful of books I would like to re-visit now that I'm an adult, but I admit to being a but nervous about it. What if I end up hating an old favorite?