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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

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