beccabarpel's review against another edition
4.0
So good! I'd give it five stars except Smiley's essay about Amy is thoughtful and persuasive except for when she says "if I was Amy's mother I'd..." That doesn't matter. Stop. Amy March Laurence isn't going to fuck you. Get a job.
Anyway Carmen Maria Machado's essay about Beth is kick-ass and at one point she says she carried around Little Women at age 7 which both impressed and confused adults, which was her primary aim. Honestly same.
Anyway Carmen Maria Machado's essay about Beth is kick-ass and at one point she says she carried around Little Women at age 7 which both impressed and confused adults, which was her primary aim. Honestly same.
c100's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
pearlagcalo's review against another edition
3.0
I love nonfiction such as this, relatable to literary characters. I enjoyed KateBolick's essay on Meg and Jane Smiley's take on Amy. I definitely identified to each March sister at some point in the story.
aliencat7's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
It's insightful view of Little Women abd the modern age. Who we identify with and how we are all the March sisters.
lediamond4's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
2.5
Second miss in a row when it comes to reading about Little Women. And maybe that’s because they were critical of one of my favorite books but sheesh, it’s hard to tell if they even liked it.
sarabeckman617's review against another edition
3.0
I started this book thinking it would read as a celebration of the March sisters, but it ended up feeling more like a critique of Little Women and Louise Alcott.
I felt like the writers tore down their chosen character more than lifted them up - except the Amy essay who took aim at Marmee for not mothering Amy enough? (Which was a knife to the gut for me because the dynamic between Jo & Amy was reflective of my relationships with my sisters.)
Maybe a good book if you need something for a lit review of Little Women critiques but not really the best for someone looking for a celebration of the book and it’s impact on readers.
I felt like the writers tore down their chosen character more than lifted them up - except the Amy essay who took aim at Marmee for not mothering Amy enough? (Which was a knife to the gut for me because the dynamic between Jo & Amy was reflective of my relationships with my sisters.)
Maybe a good book if you need something for a lit review of Little Women critiques but not really the best for someone looking for a celebration of the book and it’s impact on readers.
linneahedvig's review against another edition
4.0
I checked this book out of the library a few weeks before the Little Women movie came out. I needed more Alcott content, but I didn’t want to reread the book (I wanted to reread Eight Cousins, which I also still have checked out, but haven’t gotten to yet). Anyway, finally read this one and it was really fun. I loved learning more about Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, and Carmen Maria Machado. Especially CMM! I didn’t learn much more about Jane Smiley because she didn’t really talk about herself, but she did such a good job telling Amy’s story! I probably wouldn’t have made it through these essays if I was reading them online, but I’m glad I read them and I really want to rewatch the new movie now!
bethgiven's review against another edition
4.0
I am a little bit obsessed with Little Women. The book is good, but I particularly love any adaptations and commentary I can get my hands on. This book is a short collection of four essays, each by a different author and each devoted to one of the four March sisters.
It got me thinking of which March sister I was most like. I lamented to my husband (who has to hear all my inner thoughts on the books I read, bless him) that I’m likely the most a boring mix of Beth (appropriately enough) and Meg. I know Jo is everyone’s favorite, and I’d love to be such a confident and dedicated writer, but I’m really not. Nobody really wants to be Amy (though I always liked her fine?) (Makes sense, since I’m a Beth/Meg. Beth likes everybody and Amy was always Meg’s pet.)
Clean readers: I think there were two or three profanities in this one, if I remember right.
It got me thinking of which March sister I was most like. I lamented to my husband (who has to hear all my inner thoughts on the books I read, bless him) that I’m likely the most a boring mix of Beth (appropriately enough) and Meg. I know Jo is everyone’s favorite, and I’d love to be such a confident and dedicated writer, but I’m really not. Nobody really wants to be Amy (though I always liked her fine?) (Makes sense, since I’m a Beth/Meg. Beth likes everybody and Amy was always Meg’s pet.)
Clean readers: I think there were two or three profanities in this one, if I remember right.