Little Women Hardcover – Illustrated, November 15, 2016

This is the story of four girls living near Boston and their years of growing into womanhood. The story of Margaret (Meg), Josephine (Jo), Elizabeth (Beth), and Amy is a beloved book from my childhood and I reread it for a book group. I enjoyed reading this story again and loved reading about the four girls and their lives. A truly wonderful story that I cannot recommend highly enough.

This timeless children's classic is read and enjoyed by many adults as well as children. Unlike most classics considered children's works today, Little Women was intended for an audience of children. It takes place during the Civil War and the years following, and narrates the story of 4 girls as they grow up, including their friends and their family. Louisa May Alcott based this work in large part on her family, although many of the events are born totally of her imagination. Jo is based on Louisa May; Meg is based on her older sister Anna; Beth is based on her younger sister Elizabeth, or Lizzie; and Amy is based on her youngest sister May. Because the character Jo is based on the author herself, she is the most well defined character in the book and the one most children identify with. A tomboy, a writer, and quite determined, Jo is the central figure in the book and most events center around her growing up, but all of the other girls get special attention in stories particularly about them from time to time.There is a great sense of morality in the work, but it is never treated in a 'preachy' manner. Values and morals are taught and absorbed by the reader as the girls learn them through various trials, some funny, some sorrowful, some frustrating. There is likewise a very strong emphasis on God. Much of the first half of the book centers around concepts found in the Puritan work, Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. The girls are often pointed by their mother toward God and placing their trust in Him and seeking His aid in various situations. Louisa May Alcott was also a transcendentalist and her family was close friends with Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne. Because of this, there is a sense of joy found in nature as well as respect. In addition, Louisa May was an avid feminist in her day, although not in the sense of feminist that many think of today. She believed that women should not be barred from admission in the workforce, or limited to work as seamstresses or governesses, nor should marriage be their only avenue of insuring a stable and secure future. She did not get married, but did raise her sister May's daughter after May died. Little Women is definitely not anti-marriage, but some of the characters dream of becoming well-known in their favorite fields; also, some of the characters speak about how the only way they can insure a positive, pleasant future is by marrying well, which is later rejected in a way that asserts that women should be able to choose marriage freely for love, not for position or money and likewise free to choose not to marry.This book is well loved by so many. It spurs many children on to become strong readers for life and the childhood copy of Little Women will become worn from much loved reading. This book will be loved by most girls, but boys will enjoy it as well. Jo's tomboyish behavior and the neighbor boy, Laurie's presence will attract the attention of boys. It makes a great choice for bedtime reading with chapters of perfect length to read one per night and short enough that if begged by the kids, you can read two. In addition to Little Women, it would also be beneficial to read a biography of Louisa May Alcott.I strongly recommend an unabridged version. Don't miss out on the well-known sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys.

I read Little Women as a girl and loved it so I was excited to have the opportunity to review an audio production of the book. However, I was quite surprised when the audio book abruptly ended in the middle of the story. I discovered that Little Women was originally two volumes: Little Women and Good Wives. They were first published together as one book titled Little Women in 1880. Most versions of Little Women published today are both volumes together in one book. This audio recording is just the first volume. Because what most people read as Little Women is actually both volumes, I feel like there should have been some indication on the box somewhere that this audio book does not include the second volume.(I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may not have read it yet so I'll say this - remember the Friends episode when Rachel convinces Joey to read Little Women? And he has to put the book in the freezer because of one particularly sad part? This audiobook ends before that sad part happens.)Even though this book was written more than one-hundred years ago, it still has relevance today. I think that the four March girls and Marmee have some good lessons to teach young girls that are timeless. Reading it now as a mother myself, I marveled at Marmee's patience and wisdom. I could learn a lot from her! I was very impressed at how independent and free-thinking the girls and their mother were given the time period the book was written in and took place. (Of course, Louisa May Alcott was a Unitarian so I shouldn't have been surprised at that.)Lorelei King narrated this audio book. I thought she did a great job for the most part. The two voices I didn't like were Beth and Amy's. I thought Beth's was too breathy and Amy's was too babyish - they didn't sound realistic to me. Overall, I enjoyed this audio production. My biggest complaint is that it left unexpectedly hanging at the end.

I received a kindle as a gift for christmas/birthday because I have always loved to read and because I started traveling more and more. I love the amazon kindle that I have. I had an app on my old smart phone because I always wanted to read. While traveling, having my kindle helps kill time during waiting periods, especially during lay overs. I have had some lay overs lasting over 10 hours. Having a plethora of Amazon kindle books to choice from is fun when I get ready for a trip. I selected this book in the middle of a binge purchase and I am glad I did!I enjoy sinking my teeth into a quick read of all types of genres and being able to just stick my head into a different world allows me to escape from the world and any current stress. I love both fiction and non-fiction, allow the world of fiction reads allow you explore a new place without having to go far. I can read through a 300 page book in two days, I love connecting with a story and a character. There is a great joy from completing a good book. I can read while listening to music or even watching tv. I really do not like when someone interrupts me when I read, I can get so engrossed that I do not want to pull out and entertain conversation. The worse is when people want to talk about the book you are trying to read. If you wanted to have a conversation, you would not be reading. I do not understand why people think it is find to just randomly start conversations that are not needed.I have found that the kindle fad has started to dwindle, but it is a great innovation that I am happy to have because of that access to millions of titles and I look forward to downloading more as I plan more travels and can travel to new worlds in my head before traveling to new lands.

Este libro le encantó a mi hija

映画をみて原作が読みたいと娘が言ったので購入しました。楽しめたようです。

El contenido no se encuentra completo

一通り読み終わって、GoetheのFaustの結語、「永遠に女性的なるもの、われらを引きて往かしむ。」（鴎外訳）を思い出しました。多少道徳臭さを感じますが、魅力的な小説です。英語は読みやすいと思います。表紙の絵がいいですね（Penguin版）。左端が（私の大切な）Bethだと思うのですが、どうでしょう？　作品に深入りしてしまうと、生活環境の変化にもかかわらずこのような姉妹を育てたMrs. Marchや、自分の孫娘の代わりと思っていたBethを失った老Laurenceについてもう少し詳しく書いてほしかったと思いますが、それは高望みですね。日本の淑女の皆様、ぜひこの本を読んで、March姉妹と友達になってください。追加末っ子Amyが学校で体罰を受けた時のエピソードは、非常に考えさせるものがあります。私はMarch夫人は正しく行動したと思います。

I enjoyed the refreshing sweetness and innocence in which the story of the March sisters is told. It reinforces timeless values of love, faith, family and charity while exploring the young lives of four distinctive characters and their points of view.I can't wait to read the sequels to this wholesome tale, which I finished reading and felt satisfied in heart and soul.