A review by claireandthebooks
Great or Nothing by Jessica Spotswood, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Joy McCullough
4.0
So I LOVED this book omg. I feel like I have to separate it into sections for each character for me to really have cohesive thoughts, so here it is.
Amy: My favourite March sister, at least partly because of Florence Pugh’s portrayal of her in the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. I’ve always felt that Amy could do a lot if she decided to, and the use of her quote ‘Great or Nothing’ as the title of this book was part of what drew me to this book. Amy’s determination to get into the Red Cross, while slightly inspired by selfish reasons, really was such a brave thing for her to do, especially for a character that is often seen as petty and immature. The revelation that Laurie never really loved Jo was also a great addition, because it never sat well with me that Amy was Laurie’s second choice, and despite her protestation at first, decided to accept it. While she didn’t learn to speak up until the end of the book, it was great to see in Amy’s chapters how race and prejudice played into Amy’s relationships with the people around her, something that isn’t addressed enough in historical fiction books. Amy and Laurie’s relationship was so sweet, and the cliffhangers always had me excited to get back to her chapters, which I looked forward to the most.
Beth: The choice to have Beth’s chapters written in verse was definitely a good one, and I loved the way they humanize her through these. Because Beth died young, the only options were to see her as an angel, resigned and at peace with her death, or a tragedy. The way she speaks of her life and the things she wished for and lived was beautiful, and her encouragement of her sisters and family as she watched over them, still quite helpless, was hauntingly gorgeous.
Jo: Jo March, my beloved. Jo going to work on planes makes so much sense to me, honestly, and even though she couldn’t be fighting alongside others for her country, she found a way to help. I was reading reviews and knew I had to read this book when I heard that Jo was queer, something that makes a lot of sense to me and made me happy honestly. The fact that she found someone to confide in and someone who truly understood her in Charlie is the sweetest thing, and their relationship made me so happy, something that I was a little wary of since it meant introducing a brand new character to a beloved classic. But I was happily surprised to see that she got into Jo’s life and story in a similar way to Professor Bhaer in the original book that made a lot more sense for Jo. Also the little quoting of nobody by Emily Dickinson made me smile.
Meg: Meg, a character that most are quick to overlook. The line from the 2019 adaptation comes quickly to kind: Just because my dreams are different from yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant , and I think the author found a good balance between Meg’s decision to stay home and go the more ‘traditional’ route that Jo and Amy don’t understand from her and her loyalty to her pupils. I loved to see how much Meg cared for her community and the children at the school, becoming a role-model for them even though she felt that she was struggling to hide her grief. Her relationship with John is a lot more realistic, and I liked how it wasn’t her entire plot point but something more steady while everything else was going on. I also really loved the integration of Sallie Moffat and her relationship with Meg and how she played on Meg’s vanity.
All in all, it’s obvious that a lot of thought was put into this book, and it was wonderfully written in a way that felt realistic to the time period and the characters. The sisters’ fight didn’t seem out of place or silly, but rather something that while could be seen as ridiculous looking back, really affected them. I especially loved how while each sister sees fault in her sisters, they all have a preconception of the others that we as readers see to be untrue when are shown the perspective of said sister. The book keeps at its core the relationship between the sisters and how we are viewed by others compared to how we truly are. We see that they can each be considered selfish or in the wrong, but can turn around and see their good sides and strengths. In this, they make the March sisters more human, and therefore characters that, while already beloved, are more relatable to readers.
So at the end of the day, I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering it!
Amy: My favourite March sister, at least partly because of Florence Pugh’s portrayal of her in the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. I’ve always felt that Amy could do a lot if she decided to, and the use of her quote ‘Great or Nothing’ as the title of this book was part of what drew me to this book. Amy’s determination to get into the Red Cross, while slightly inspired by selfish reasons, really was such a brave thing for her to do, especially for a character that is often seen as petty and immature. The revelation that Laurie never really loved Jo was also a great addition, because it never sat well with me that Amy was Laurie’s second choice, and despite her protestation at first, decided to accept it. While she didn’t learn to speak up until the end of the book, it was great to see in Amy’s chapters how race and prejudice played into Amy’s relationships with the people around her, something that isn’t addressed enough in historical fiction books. Amy and Laurie’s relationship was so sweet, and the cliffhangers always had me excited to get back to her chapters, which I looked forward to the most.
Beth: The choice to have Beth’s chapters written in verse was definitely a good one, and I loved the way they humanize her through these. Because Beth died young, the only options were to see her as an angel, resigned and at peace with her death, or a tragedy. The way she speaks of her life and the things she wished for and lived was beautiful, and her encouragement of her sisters and family as she watched over them, still quite helpless, was hauntingly gorgeous.
Jo: Jo March, my beloved. Jo going to work on planes makes so much sense to me, honestly, and even though she couldn’t be fighting alongside others for her country, she found a way to help. I was reading reviews and knew I had to read this book when I heard that Jo was queer, something that makes a lot of sense to me and made me happy honestly. The fact that she found someone to confide in and someone who truly understood her in Charlie is the sweetest thing, and their relationship made me so happy, something that I was a little wary of since it meant introducing a brand new character to a beloved classic. But I was happily surprised to see that she got into Jo’s life and story in a similar way to Professor Bhaer in the original book that made a lot more sense for Jo. Also the little quoting of nobody by Emily Dickinson made me smile.
Meg: Meg, a character that most are quick to overlook. The line from the 2019 adaptation comes quickly to kind: Just because my dreams are different from yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant , and I think the author found a good balance between Meg’s decision to stay home and go the more ‘traditional’ route that Jo and Amy don’t understand from her and her loyalty to her pupils. I loved to see how much Meg cared for her community and the children at the school, becoming a role-model for them even though she felt that she was struggling to hide her grief. Her relationship with John is a lot more realistic, and I liked how it wasn’t her entire plot point but something more steady while everything else was going on. I also really loved the integration of Sallie Moffat and her relationship with Meg and how she played on Meg’s vanity.
All in all, it’s obvious that a lot of thought was put into this book, and it was wonderfully written in a way that felt realistic to the time period and the characters. The sisters’ fight didn’t seem out of place or silly, but rather something that while could be seen as ridiculous looking back, really affected them. I especially loved how while each sister sees fault in her sisters, they all have a preconception of the others that we as readers see to be untrue when are shown the perspective of said sister. The book keeps at its core the relationship between the sisters and how we are viewed by others compared to how we truly are. We see that they can each be considered selfish or in the wrong, but can turn around and see their good sides and strengths. In this, they make the March sisters more human, and therefore characters that, while already beloved, are more relatable to readers.
So at the end of the day, I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering it!