Book Review: Little Women

 

   

    Little Women is a lovely fictional story about four sisters and their different experiences in their lives. As you read about the life of the March family, you'll discover the hardships, joy, grief, love, and laughter the sisters encountered as they lived life as "little women."

    There are plenty of difficulties in the March sisters' lives, with their father at war, and not enough money; even if it's just to buy Christmas presents. Despite these obstacles, there are good things too, like singing hymns, and putting on Christmas plays. The March sisters; Meg, Joe, Beth, and Amy; each have their own faults whether it's being selfish, or caring too much about her looks, but by following their "guidebooks" (the Bible) they grow in love and faith, learning all the while how to be good, and faithful  "little women."

    This is a very good book that I would definitely recommend reading. Before reading this book though, it's good to read "Pilgrims Progress" first. You don't have to, but it is referenced a lot in the book. I love this book for many reasons, but there are two specific ones I want to mention. The first reason is the way the writer, Louisa May Alcott, gave each sister a a different, unique personality. The second reason is the many different lessons that appear throughout the book. Almost always their mom, whom they call Marmie, gives a sermon-like speech to help her daughters work through their problems. This book made me laugh and cry, and as I said in my last post, I rarely find a book that makes me cry. There are some slow parts to the book, but you just have to read through them. Little Woman is a beautiful, wholesome, yet captivating book.

    I would recommend this book for middle schoolers. I find it is helpful when reading this book to have past experience with older novels. Not only is the wording different, but there are a ton of older words, or words that were used when this book was written, that have a different meaning now. The AR level for Little Woman is 7.9. Another thing I should mention is that there are two parts to Little Woman. First, I read the Usborne version which has only part one. The version I am currently doing a review on is part one and two. I'm not sure part if two is a sequel or not, but either way, I recommend reading both parts.

    I love this book and would recommend to anyone, especially if you like older novels. I would give this book four stars.

    

    

-Amelia