Little Women: Collins Classics

I know I will remember this book for years to come and it will always feel as if it were almost yesterday that I read it, as it is a book to treasure and keep on a dusty bookshelf to pass on for generations
I try to get every girly girl to read this one because those four sisters are so real. Everybody's favourite is Jo, the tomboy who wants to be a writer
Deals with life's big questions - love and death, war and peace, and ambition versus family responsibility - in a way that is inspiring and realistic. Use a hankie as a bookmark - tears are guaranteed
The book is not so much a novel, in the Henry James sense of the term, as a sort of wad of themes and scenes and cultural wishes. It is more like the Mahabharata or the Old Testament than it is like a novel. And that makes it an extraordinary novel
Alcott's writing was elegant yet poignant and haunting at moments, and perfect for the era it was set in, whilst the sister's personalities were intricately described throughout the whole book. It gave you a sense of what it was like to be a normal family in the 1800's and subtly showed the feelings of each character
A beautiful heartwarming read
Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is as much a part of every girl's childhood as her first pair of ballet shoes and the Brothers Grimm
'I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.'

The four March sisters couldn't be more different: Meg, the eldest, is dutiful and patient; Jo is adventurous, with dreams of being a great writer; shy, musical Beth is the peacemaker; and headstrong Amy likes the finer things in life. They may not always get along, but with their father away in the Civil War and their mother struggling to make ends meet, the sisters have never needed each other more. Together, the girls navigate growing up - from first love to sibling rivalry, loss and marriage. Whatever comes their way, they know they can rely on each other.

Playing Pilgrims


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

"It's so dreadful to be poor!"sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have lots of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

"We've got father and mother, and each other, anyhow,"said Beth, contentedly, from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly?

"We haven't got father, and shall not have him for a long time." She didn't say "perhaps never,"but each silently added it, thinking of father far away, where the fighting was.

Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, "You know the reason mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas, was because it's going to be a hard winter for every one; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don't;"and Megshook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.

"But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from mother or you, but I do want to buy Undine and Sintram for myself; I've wanted it so long,'said Jo, who was a bookworm.

"I planned to spend mine in new music,"said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth-brush and kettle-holder.

"I shall get a nice box of Faber's drawing pencils; I really need them," said Amy, decidedly.

"Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she won't wish us to give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and have a little fun; I'm sure we grub hard enough to earn it,"cried Jo, examining the heels of her
boots in a gentlemanly manner.

"I know I do, teaching those dreadful children nearly all day, when I'm longing to enjoy myself at home," began Meg, in the complaining tone again.

"You don't have half such a hard time as I do," said Jo. "How would you like to be shut up for hours with a nervous, fussy old lady, who keeps you trotting, is never satisfied, and worries you till you''e ready to fly out of the window or box her ears?"

"It's naughty to fret, but I do think washing dishes and keeping things tidy is the worst work in the world. It makes me cross; and my hands get so stiff, I can't practise good a bit." And Beth looked at her rough hands with a sigh that any one could hear that time.

"I don't believe any of you suffer as I do," cried Amy; "for you don't have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don't know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn't rich, and insult you when your nose isn't nice."

"If you mean libel I'd say so, and not talk about labels, as if pa was a pickle-bottle," advised Jo, laughing.

This American classic is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when it was first written in the 19th century. Largely based on the author's own childhood, "Little Women" is a timeless tale of the four young March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy who grow to maturity in their mother's tender but strong care. As different in their personalities as they are alike in their devotion to each other, the girls vow to support their beloved mother, Marmee, by behaving their best while Father is away, serving as an army chaplain in the Civil War.
Literary-minded tomboy Jo develops a fast friendship with the boy next door, and pretty Meg, the eldest, finds romance; frail and affectionate Beth fills the house with music, and little Amy, the youngest, seeks beauty with all the longing of an artist's soul. Although poor in material wealth, the family possesses an abundance of love, friendship, and imaginative gifts that captivate readers time and again.
This inexpensive, complete and unabridged edition of this beloved novel is sure to delight a generation of new readers, as well as those reacquainting themselves with its warmth and charm.
A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative."

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Louisa May Alcott: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text
List of Abbreviations
Little Women, or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy
Appendix A: The Composition and Publication of Little Women

1. Entries from Louisa May Alcott’s Journals about Little Women
2. A Manuscript Page of Little Women
3. Correspondence concerning Little Women
4. Nineteenth-Century comments/reviews of Little Women

Appendix B: The Sources for Little Women

1. Louisa May Alcott’s Journal entries
2. Early versions of Little Women stories:
   1. “The Sister’s Trial”
   2. “Merry’s Monthly Chat”
   3. “My Polish Boy”

Appendix C: The March Girls’ Writings

1. “Norna; or, The Witches’ Curse"
2. “Aunt Sue’s Scrap Bag” from Merry’s Museum
3. “The Masked Marriage”
4. “The Greek Slave”
5. “The Rival Painters”

Appendix D: Literary Influences

1. Bronson Alcott’s Influence
2. Louisa May Alcott’s comments about books & reading
3. Jean de La Fontaine, “The Jay in Peacock’s Feathers”
4. Hans Christian Andersen, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier”
5. “The King & the Beggarmaid” tales
6. Selections from John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress

Appendix E: Feminist Issues

1. Excerpts from the Proceedings of the Women’s Rights Convention
2. Selections from Louisa May Alcott’s journals & letters
3. “Louisa M. Alcott’s Defence of Woman Suffrage”
4. Selections from Louisa May Alcott’s other writings

Works Cited & Recommended Reading