Now that I've finished part one of Little Women, I finally get it. I know, I'm late, I always seem to be behind the curve. For so many years I have heard people rave about Little Women but I never understood what the attraction was. On the surface, Little Women appears simplistic, way too sentimental, …
Beth’s influence is revealed; Jo and Laurie’s friendship grows; Amy shows some mettle
Just finished chapters 18 and 19, describing Beth's bout with scarlet fever, and Amy's 'exile' with Aunt March. Scarlet fever sounds like a pretty frightening illness, and we all know it inevitably led to Beth's death later on in the book. It's interesting how she really came to the forefront as a result of the …
Giving Beth her due – chapter 17 “Little Faithful”
I never seem to gravitate towards the mainstream. True to form, my favorite character in Little Women is not Jo (though she's my second favorite character). It is, instead, Beth. When I attempted to read Little Women as a young girl, Beth was always the one who caught my imagination. The attraction back then was …
Continue reading "Giving Beth her due – chapter 17 “Little Faithful”"
My favorite chapter so far in Little Women – “Secrets”
Just a quick post today because I'm on the run but I had to comment on Chapter 14, "Secrets." What a fabulous read chapter 14 was! I had an inkling that Jo was taking her stories to be reviewed by an editor but I was still on the edge of my seat, waiting for the …
Continue reading "My favorite chapter so far in Little Women – “Secrets”"
Meg March and John Brooke – The Dance of Romance Begins
I just finished chapter 12, Camp Laurence and am in the middle of chapter 13. Louisa's introduction of John Brooke as Meg's love interest is subtle and sweet. She offers up a little tease and begins the dance of courtship. I can tell this will take a while to bloom into the lifelong love that …
Continue reading "Meg March and John Brooke – The Dance of Romance Begins"
Little Women and Harry Potter
I wish I could have read Little Women when it first came out in 1868-69 and known what little girls experienced when reading this apparently revolutionary book. I've heard it said that Louisa May Alcott is the first J.K. Rowling because of the wild success of Little Women and its sequels. I have two grown …
The plot thickens
It's become obvious to me that I need to better explore the back story of Little Women in order to fully appreciate it (and to be able to comment on it intelligently!). Plus, your comments keep me on my toes as you know so much more than I do! I found this article yesterday on …
Jo Meets Apollyon – what does that mean?
The other day I was trying to find the chapter in Little Women where Jo shares with Marmee her fears about her quick temper and couldn't find it. No wonder! Yesterday I listened to chapters 7 and 8 from the audio book and found out that "Jo Meets Apollyon" was what I was looking for. …
Beth finds the palace beautiful
I had been reading Little Women in bits and pieces over the summer but now I am fully immersing myself in it. Although I read some of it for school many years ago, I never finished it nor appreciated it. I actually decided to start it again when I began reading Kelly O'Connor McNees' book, …
Reading “Little Women” on the fly
Ever wanted to read Little Women but you're short on time? Here's a free audio book you can download, found at http://librivox.org/little-women-by-louisa-may-alcott/ You can also subscribe to it on iTunes to play on your iPod. Just search for "Little Women" and you'll find it under Podcasts. I'm definitely a better listener than reader, wish all …
