Little Women By Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is the most famous novel by Alcott, based on her own family life. It is a coming of age story about 4 sisters and begins during the Civil War. Louisa's family were poor because her father, Bronson Alcott was very bad at making a living. He had high ideals but was not practical at all and the family had to depend on occasional help from outside and the girls and Mrs Alcott working. Louisa wrote wild improbable stories, and made a little money with them, but her simple moral tale of the Marches was her big success. The story of the March family starts with their father being in the army as a chaplain and away from home. He was a well to do man but lost his money, when the children were small and now, the 2 older daughters Meg and Josephine or Jo, have had to get jobs. Upper and middle class women did not work as a rule but Meg has become a governess to some rich children and Jo acts as companion to her rich but cranky Aunt March. Amy, the youngest is rather spoiled and has some talent for art, and goes to school while Beth is very shy and studies at home as she hates to go to school. It is Christmas, when the book starts and Mrs March, who does a lot of work for soldiers' charities, tells them that she has found a family starving and cold and asks them to give up their Christmas breakfasts to the children. They agree, as they are very good hearted and they form a relationship with the poor immigrant family. Nearby, there is a rich old man, Mr Lawrence, who lives with his grandson, Laurie. He is an India merchant and wants his grandson to go into the business but Laurie is not keen and wants to be a musician. The March girls have few male relations so they are a little wary of Laurie, but Jo who is boyish, feels sorry for him being lonely, seeing only his tutor and grandfather, and she ventures to visit him. A friendship begins and Laurie visits the Marches and since Jo encourages him, he tries to apply himself to his studies and agrees to go to college when he is older. Meg gets occasional invitations to mix in local society, but she finds it difficult as she is poor and can't afford dresses and her mother also disapproves of flirting or dressing too fashionably so she does not fit in well. Jo has her trials, she loves to write and to take an interest in boyish sports, and her family disapprove of the boyishness. She has a quick temper and is often sharp with people. . The girls all have burdens to deal with. Beth has to overcome her shyness a little to visit Mr Lawrence and play his piano, she is rewarded when he gives her a small piano of her own. Amy gets into trouble at school for disobedience and is punished, but she leaves school and studies at home. She and Jo have a terrible row when Jo refuses to take her young sister to a play - she burns one of Jo's stories and in anger, Jo fails to tell her that the ice on the pond is not safe for skating when she goes with Laurie. Amy falls in and Laurie rescues her and Jo realises that she has to control her temper better and not bear grudges.