Review of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Alcott’s Classic Novel of Childhood is Still Relevant Today
Little Women is recommended for children of all ages. However, it is not a ‘children’s book’ that excludes adult readers. In fact, adults who have not read the book should take the opportunity to do so.
Louisa May Alcott: A Noteworthy American Author
Louisa May Alcott was an unusual woman during her lifetime She was outspoken, a spinster, believed in women’s rights, was an abolitionist, and she single-handedly supported her family. She wrote many books, especially in the adult genre, that are hailed today (by noted critics such as Madeleine B. Stern) as books that reveal Alcott as a complex, experimental writer whose work is worth study and exploration by both literary critics and psychoanalysts. However, she is most well-known for her books for children, her most popular book being Little Women.
Little Women was Alcott’s fourth book, the third that she published after the Civil War. It was her second piece of children’s literature, her first children’s novel being Flower Fables, which was written before the war.
Little Women: An Instant Success
When Alcott wrote Little Women, she did not revise or edit the material for the book as she did when writing adult material. She wrote it and sent it in for publication. The book was so well received and the demand from fans so resounding that she wrote Part 2, which was originally published as Good Wives. Today, Good Wives is now published as part of Little Women.
While Alcott was disappointed to find that her popularity as a writer was born out of her children’s work, she nonetheless appreciated the fact that it increased the readership of her non-children’s literature as well.
Easy to Relate To Story
While some critics attack the book as being too moralistic and the March girls as being too good to be true. The popularity of the books suggests that most readers do not agree with this assessment. One reason that readers love the book is that the girls are uniquely American and represent a uniquely American household. Nearly everyone can relate to at least one of the four March girls. Most people find themselves easily attracted to Meg, Joe, Beth or Amy. Perhaps part of the appeal is the fact that Alcott based the events and characters on her own life.
In addition, to the approachable characters in the book, readers find themselves easily transported to a world different than the world we live in today. Alcott’s clear descriptions of the details of family life from education to work, from clothing to household, and from society to language makes it easy for the reader to slip out of the present into a different and often charming world.
A Reader’s Delight
Louisa May Alcott’s novel may have been a disappointing success to the author. However, to millions of people around the world it is a delightful novel of simplicity and family. It is a superb novel for adults to share with their children and a delightful retreat for adults who want to leave the 21st century for a few minutes or hours. Little Women is also an excellent first introduction to the world of Alcott’s writing.
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