Skip to main content

Louisa May Alcott: Little Women

I've made a goal to read every book in my classroom library and write reviews for my students (partially why I resurrected this previously-dead blog). Alphabetically, Alcott was the first one in my library. This book took me F   O   R   E   V   E   R to read because I really struggled to get into it.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott follows the four March sisters from early adolescence (for the older girls) through adulthood, until all of them are married. Set right around the American Civil War, these four girls grow up and gradually leave the nest. Their mother takes special care to teach them important lessons at each stage of their lives, carefully instructing them on how to be good wives, daughters, and women.

Generally, this book was OK. Here are some things I enjoyed:
  • I loved the girls' stories once they reached adulthood. I loved their distinct personalities and how they all ended up with the right person in the end.
  • I loved the way Alcott was able to show us the growth of the girls throughout their lives, and how they matured.
As I said before, I did really struggle to get through this book. Here are somethings that I didn't like:
  • This book is incredibly preachy. I feel like I've read other things by Alcott that weren't nearly this in-your-face-going-to-preach. Some of her short stories are much more subtle.
  • This book is a picture of 19th-century morality and very definitive of women's stereotyped roles in the home. Society has definitely changed. I wouldn't consider myself a feminist, but I also am not a stay-at-home mom who has dinner and the house perfect for my husband when he comes home from work. This book is incredibly dated.
  • This book dragged! I had a hard time getting into it from the start, and their stories as teenagers were boring and overly dramatic. I had to listen to this on Audible because it made it go faster. I couldn't stand reading the paper copy, even though I have at least one copy of this book.
  • I didn't like Joe's conclusion. 
  • Laurie at the end drove me berserk! I hated the gushy garbage of how he interacted with Amy.
Overall, I rated this book:
  • 3/5 Stars
  • G

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Markus Zusak: The Book Thief

 This is a book that I read for the first time around four years ago when I first started teaching. This novel is one that I have loved ever since then. The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak takes place in World War II in Nazi Germany. Liesel Meminger is not quite an orphan, but she is placed in foster care because her mother can't provide for her. Liesel goes to live with Rosa and Hans Hubermann, and they completely change Liesel's life. On her way to the Hubermann's, Liesel's younger brother dies on the train. In the graveyard where he was buried is where Liesel steals her first book: The Grave Digger's Handbook. Hans teaches her to read it, and inspires her love of the written word. The Hubermann's will then hide a Jew in their basement for a time. What will become of that hidden Jew? What will become of Liesel? What will become of Himmel Street, her friends, and her family in the wake of a violent and terrible war? This book is probably one of my all-time favorite...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brene Brown: Daring Greatly

Brene Brown is one of my favorite TED speakers of all time. I have listened to her TED talks numerous times and used them in my classroom each year. I love her message: that we can't have success, innovation, change, and creativity without first having vulnerability. I love that she is seeking to demystify vulnerability and teach what shame is and how it destroys our ability to accept ourselves and others. I am not normally into the self-help kind of books, but of the books I've read this year, this is one of my favorites! Daring Greatly  by Brene Brown discusses the concepts of shame and vulnerability and how we need vulnerability, but not shame. She gives strategies for combating shame and becoming "shame resilient." She gives strategies to use as parents, teachers, friends, and spouses. For one thing, I love Dr. Brown's Texan accent (she narrates the audiobook herself! 💗). Her voice and personality are all throughout this book. She is not afraid to use persona...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brandon Sanderson: Mitosis - The Reckoners Book 1.5

 I read Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson years ago, and it's a series that I'd love to finish at some point. It's also one that I find students enjoy. Mitosis  takes place soon after the end of Steelheart . The Reckoners have set up a government in Newcago and are welcoming people into the steel city. David and Abraham go to greet some of these newcomers, only to be faced by an Epic: Mitosis. Mitosis can make copies of himself, and begins to do so, spreading them throughout the city. His target? David, nicknamed Steelslayer. Will David be able to outwit this Epic as well? This short novella (only five chapters) was well-written, and for some reason, I feel that it has Brandon all over it. I can practically hear his voice coming through David's character, which I found interesting. I thought that this was a clever interlude in between Steelheart and Firefight , and I'm wondering if it leads into Firefight ? Since I have finished the original trilogy, I'm excited t...
Post a Comment
Read more