Turley, Alexandra
December 13, 2016
English, Period 4
Book Review #2

Little Women

by

Louisa May Alcott

Realistic Fiction

187

Newberry Award

　

Little Women is a book about four sisters Meg, Beth, Amy, and Jo. Meg, the oldest of the four was sixteen. Jo was fifteen and Beth was thirteen. The youngest of the four was Amy. These girls lived with their mother while father was serving in the Civil War. After her father left their mother had a hard time with money. But their neighbor Laurie and his grandfather were wealthy. As the girls grew up they all faced their own challenges and hardships. Jo must tame her tomboyish ways and learn to be more ladylike. Meg, must hide her love of wealth in order to follow her heart. Beth, the shy one, must get over her bashfulness, while Amy has to sacrifice her pride. The girls are helped by their mother, "Marmee," and by their religious faith to find themselves. The family's tight relationship are forever changed when Meg falls in love with John Brooke, Laurie's tutor. Meg and John get married and begin a home of their own, they then have twins, Daisy and Demi. Another marriage seems soon when Laurie reveals to Jo that he has fallen in love with her, but she declares that she does not feel the same way. Jo goes to New York as the governess for a family friend, Mrs. Kirke, experiencing the big city and trying a job as a professional writer. Meanwhile, Amy travels through Europe with her wealthy aunt and cousin, improving her talent. Separately, Laurie goes to Europe accompanied by his grandfather. He pursues his passion for music and tries to forget about Jo. While in New York, Jo meets a German Professor Bhaer, whose smarts and looks make her interested. In Europe, Laurie and Amy discover that they lack the brains to be great artists, but that they make an excellent couple. When Beth, who has never been strong, dies young of Scarlet Fever aftermath the sadness of their loss strengthens Amy's bond to Laurie. Back in America, Jo returns home to care for her heartbroken parents and learns to embrace her soft side. The story ends with Jo and Professor Bhaer get married and start a boarding school for boys, while Amy and Laurie get married and use the Laurie's family money to support struggling young artists. Bhaer, and Laurie's households flourish, and the novel ends with a birthday party for Marmee, celebrating the family connections and the progress of Jo's boarding school. 
                     One of the things I liked in this book was that the whole family was so close and always had each others best interest. I also liked how even though Jo did not feel the same way about Laurie as he did for her, he still found love and a future with someonr else. I did not like how young Beth was when she died. I think that was so sad because she would be around my age and I couldnt imagine leaving my loved ones so soon. I also would have liked more information from the first book, about how their lives went on. I am a curious person and would have liked more detail. The end os the book was good. Again I would have liked more detail but everone, except for Beth lived happy with their families. I would recommend this book because it really shows you what it was like to live during the Civil War. It also shows how you can come out of hard times and be even greater than before.