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A review by laurenjpegler
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3.0
Little Women is comprised of two volumes which are occasionally published separately. It consists of Little Women and Good Wives, but my book is a bound-up of both volumes (which is pretty standard, I think). I'm telling you this seemingly obvious fact because I LOVED Little Women and would rate it a 4 star read without hesitation, but I unfortunately did not like Good Wives all that much. It was tedious and lacking any substance. I would rate it a 3, maybe even lower. Just thought I should point this out because I really loved the first volume, much more than I could have expected, but the second dragged the rating down.
This was such an endearing read. The familial narrative, the setting and the different situations described made me fall in love with this story. The family was made up of a host of characters, and I found something unique in all of them. The first volume, Little Women was a sweet coming of age story, detailing the hardships, battles and victories of teenage girls. However, the final volume was a little tedious. Although I enjoyed seeing these characters I grew to love settle and find security, I just felt a little disappointed by it, especially Amy's story. Jo was the winning character for me, and I very glad with how her story ended (even though a lot would disagree with me).
My main issue, besides the whole second volume, was the amount of unnecessary chapters shoved into here. Many chapters didn't add anything to the bigger narrative. I think, for the bound-up, an editor could have gone back and chopped some of this out, but, then again, it would have taken away from the authenticity of the story. Either way, I loved following all the family around through the trails and tribulations of their lives. I might go on to read the two sequels, but I probably won't be reaching for them soon. The only enticing thing about them is that they're centred on Jo!
This was such an endearing read. The familial narrative, the setting and the different situations described made me fall in love with this story. The family was made up of a host of characters, and I found something unique in all of them. The first volume, Little Women was a sweet coming of age story, detailing the hardships, battles and victories of teenage girls. However, the final volume was a little tedious. Although I enjoyed seeing these characters I grew to love settle and find security, I just felt a little disappointed by it, especially Amy's story. Jo was the winning character for me, and I very glad with how her story ended (even though a lot would disagree with me).
My main issue, besides the whole second volume, was the amount of unnecessary chapters shoved into here. Many chapters didn't add anything to the bigger narrative. I think, for the bound-up, an editor could have gone back and chopped some of this out, but, then again, it would have taken away from the authenticity of the story. Either way, I loved following all the family around through the trails and tribulations of their lives. I might go on to read the two sequels, but I probably won't be reaching for them soon. The only enticing thing about them is that they're centred on Jo!