A review by lekhoury
Great or Nothing by Jessica Spotswood, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Joy McCullough
4.0
The premise of setting Little Women against the backdrop of WWII immediately drew me in. These characters have been re-imagined countless times, but having four different authors voice each of the March sisters was an inspired decision that gave each character their own distinct rhythm and tone. I’ve read several versions of Little Women, and this was probably the first time that I connected with Beth and Meg’s characters and by far my favorite adaptation (shockingly upsetting the 2019 film adaptation’s deathgrip on my soul.) I’ll likely be going back to other adaptations with a new appreciation, which is the highest praise I can give to any retelling.
**SPOILERS**
BETH:
The story starts several months after Beth has passed and the chapters alternate between the lives of Meg, Jo, and Amy. However, in a stroke of BRILLIANCE, we get Beth’s omniscient perspective on her sister’s actions and feelings at the end of every chapter. Beth’s narrative is delivered in beautiful and haunting VERSE that had me in tears. The fact that her narrative is both physically and rhythmically displaced from the rest of her sisters gives it such a poignant quality. In death Beth is even more out of sync with her sisters than in life and this is the first adaptation/retelling that I have read that really confronts how much of a burden that must have been for her. Beth has always served as a sweet but flat plot motivator in my mind, but Joy MCCullough breathed life into a character that I’m sad to say I had never really given a second thought to.
MEG:
Meg’s chapters brought greater depth to her story than I expected. I’ve never particularly connected with or cared for Meg’s story before. Maybe this new found appreciation stems from finding myself in a place in life that has me finally relating to Meg’s themes but Jessica Spotswood’s Meg felt distinct. In this story Beth has died before Meg marries John, who has been drafted and is sent away to basic training before he can propose. Meg is instead left to battle Sallie’s offers and snipes without the support of her husband and with a new understanding of how brief and cruel life can be. If anything, I think this makes the decision to choose a life of love over a life of means even more difficult for her.
JO:
Lesbian Jo is an absolute revelation, and Tess Sharpe did an incredible job with this beloved spunky character. I do wish that her story had been a bit longer and Jo had the chance to progress a bit more. Compared to the other characters, Jo’s storyline didn’t seem as complete, even if it was just as fun.
AMY:
As always, I loved Amy’s stubbornness and bravery, and Caroline Tung Richmond marvelously showcases Amy’s tireless resolve to be “great or nothing” in the face of a world that wants to make her small. The one change in this adaptation that I took issue with was how Laurie’s motivation in proposing to Jo was changed. It was reframed in a way that would be easier for Laurie and Amy to work through but I thought it belittled the real feelings and relationship that had developed between Laurie and Jo. People fall in love, fall out of love, then they do it again. Just because Laurie was rejected the first time doesn’t mean he wasn't in love at all. It’s okay if Laurie is learning about himself and the different types of love he feels for the March girls. It’s not okay to take the easy way out and erase something that I think made Laurie and Amy’s relationship stronger. He had to earn her trust in a real way that finally made him grow up. Conversely, this Laurie is already more mature than the Laurie that Amy first encounters in other adaptations and isn't quite as in need of the intervention that his relationship with Amy provides. This story is more about Amy's growth than Laurie's.
**LAURIE:
Caroline admits that she pictured Timothee Chalamet as her Laurie, and I have to admit that I did as well. So if anyone needs some more Theodore Laurence of the Timothee variety in their life, Caroline DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.
Finally, thank you to Random House Childrens, Tess Sharpe, Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Jessica Spotswood, and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
**SPOILERS**
BETH:
The story starts several months after Beth has passed and the chapters alternate between the lives of Meg, Jo, and Amy. However, in a stroke of BRILLIANCE, we get Beth’s omniscient perspective on her sister’s actions and feelings at the end of every chapter. Beth’s narrative is delivered in beautiful and haunting VERSE that had me in tears. The fact that her narrative is both physically and rhythmically displaced from the rest of her sisters gives it such a poignant quality. In death Beth is even more out of sync with her sisters than in life and this is the first adaptation/retelling that I have read that really confronts how much of a burden that must have been for her. Beth has always served as a sweet but flat plot motivator in my mind, but Joy MCCullough breathed life into a character that I’m sad to say I had never really given a second thought to.
MEG:
Meg’s chapters brought greater depth to her story than I expected. I’ve never particularly connected with or cared for Meg’s story before. Maybe this new found appreciation stems from finding myself in a place in life that has me finally relating to Meg’s themes but Jessica Spotswood’s Meg felt distinct. In this story Beth has died before Meg marries John, who has been drafted and is sent away to basic training before he can propose. Meg is instead left to battle Sallie’s offers and snipes without the support of her husband and with a new understanding of how brief and cruel life can be. If anything, I think this makes the decision to choose a life of love over a life of means even more difficult for her.
JO:
Lesbian Jo is an absolute revelation, and Tess Sharpe did an incredible job with this beloved spunky character. I do wish that her story had been a bit longer and Jo had the chance to progress a bit more. Compared to the other characters, Jo’s storyline didn’t seem as complete, even if it was just as fun.
AMY:
As always, I loved Amy’s stubbornness and bravery, and Caroline Tung Richmond marvelously showcases Amy’s tireless resolve to be “great or nothing” in the face of a world that wants to make her small. The one change in this adaptation that I took issue with was how Laurie’s motivation in proposing to Jo was changed. It was reframed in a way that would be easier for Laurie and Amy to work through but I thought it belittled the real feelings and relationship that had developed between Laurie and Jo. People fall in love, fall out of love, then they do it again. Just because Laurie was rejected the first time doesn’t mean he wasn't in love at all. It’s okay if Laurie is learning about himself and the different types of love he feels for the March girls. It’s not okay to take the easy way out and erase something that I think made Laurie and Amy’s relationship stronger. He had to earn her trust in a real way that finally made him grow up. Conversely, this Laurie is already more mature than the Laurie that Amy first encounters in other adaptations and isn't quite as in need of the intervention that his relationship with Amy provides. This story is more about Amy's growth than Laurie's.
**LAURIE:
Caroline admits that she pictured Timothee Chalamet as her Laurie, and I have to admit that I did as well. So if anyone needs some more Theodore Laurence of the Timothee variety in their life, Caroline DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.
Finally, thank you to Random House Childrens, Tess Sharpe, Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Jessica Spotswood, and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.