Little Women (Children's Classics) (original 1869; edition 1998)

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are home with their mother, Marmee, while their father is serving as a chaplain the Civil War. These episodic chapters tell of their everyday trials and tribulations, fun and joys, as they strive to become better people and grow into young women.

This classic hardly needs an introduction, right? My first foray was actually one of those Illustrated Classics that was much abridged and had a drawing on every other page. I still have a lot of fondness for the story, for all its moralizing, and found that a lot of Marmee's precepts had wormed their way into a lot of my own thinking. As a classic, I think it would still hold appeal to some readers, as while details have changed certainly the challenges of growing up, trying to be good, and dealing with friends and family are still very much the same. ( )

Little Women felt far too outdated and preachy at times, making it annoying to read. The characters were rich and engaging, however, and their everyday interactions were what made me come back to the book. ( )

I don't remember if and when I read this book for the first time. Even though I got it for my eighth birthday, I doubt if I could or would have wanted to tackle it then. In any case it's a charming book and there are some scenes that don't make it to the movies, from my recollection given the time constraints. ( )

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this is a favourite ( )