this many years ago, and it was delightful to reconnect with this wonderful classic once again, The two books that I have read the most in my life: Little Women and Walden,
Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women in, It centers on theyoung March sisters: Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, Each of the sisters
has a distinct personality, Meg is the oldest, Jo is the writer and tomboy, Amy is the vain one, and Beth is a saint.
The sisters are guided by their mother, Marmee, and they strike up a friendship with the nextdoorneighbor boy, Laurie,
Little Women follows the March sisters as they grow up, Each chapter is relatively short and usually features a moral lesson without being preachy much like parables in the Bible.
Transcendentalism
Now, I mentioned Walden, What is the world does that have to do with Little Women Why I am so glad you asked or if you didnt I will tell you anyways.
Walden is authored by a man named Henry David Thoreau, He also lived in Concord, Massachusetts, the same as Louisa May Alcott, Additionally, Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott were friends, They were both transcendentalists. Transcendentalism is centered around the philosophy of simple, plain living with high thinking,
When was the last time you received an advertisement that said, “Buy less!” or “Stop buying things, You are enough!” If you are like me, that has never happened, Yet every day, we are inundated to buy more concealer, a new pair of skinny jeans, a lavish vacation, or a gigantic mansion that will surely make us happy.
Transcendentalism is anticonsumerism. It is a reminder that there is another way to live,
Little Women is the more digestible version of Walden, but if you loved Little Women and enjoyed the morals therein, I highly, highly, highly suggest Walden alright I suggest Walden to practically anybody.
Jane Austen
The last time I read Little Women was before the internet existed.
When I picked this book up again for this reread, I am a completely different reader, and I have even more respect for Louisa May Alcott than before.
One of the things that I simply hate about Jane Austen is that her characters just seem to sit around and do nothing but complain about men and their highest desire is to be married the female characters also do a bunch of silly things.
Louisa May Alcott is the opposite of Jane Austen, and I like her more for it, Her female characters are strong, At the beginning of the novel, both Meg and Jo are working jobs to support their family, Jo dreams more of being a writer than getting married, Marmee is more focused on raising wonderful people versus marrying off her daughters,
One of the characters in Little Women refuses a marriage proposal, When she says no, she says that she really means no, In Jane Austens novels, her heroine receives multiple marriage proposals, and she says no and then yes, This is very confusing to young readers, Are you supposed to say no when you really mean yes I think Louisa May Alcott has the better idea of just saying no when you mean no.
As an introvert if I get even an inkling that the other person isnt interested, I will never try again so if you mean yes, you should probably say yes and leave mind games to Jane Austen novels.
Overall, Little Women is a timeless classic, one that should be read over and over again,
Reading Schedule
Jan Animal Farm
Feb Lord of the Flies
Mar The Da Vinci Code
Apr Of Mice and Men
May Memoirs of a Geisha
Jun Little Women
Jul The Lovely Bones
Aug Charlotte's Web
Sep Life of Pi
Oct Dracula
Nov Gone with the Wind
Dec The Secret Garden
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sitelinkBlog sitelinkTwitter sitelinkBookTube sitelinkFacebook that feeling when you spend the majority of the book desperately longing to be a jo, but then end up realising youre actually just a beth :/
also, the fact that i still like laurie, even after he messes around in france trying to “find himself,” says a lot more about me than it does about him, to be fair.
and dont even get me started on the new film coming out, the casting definitely has me feeling some kind of way, im still not over the precision of timothée chalamet as laurie, the literary character who embodies so many young peoples first experience with fboi heartbreak.
i mean, will you just sitelinkLOOK at my son!
jo laurieever, amirite ladies!
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stars
“Love is a great beautifier, ”
The March Sisters,
Marmee.
Laurie.
Hannah.
Mr. Laurence.
What a beautiful journey, What a beautiful family. What a beautiful story.
The book is so simple that every time after i complete it, i wonder whether i missed something, It leaves me wanting to know what led Alcott to write this simple masterpiece,
We have Jo a tomboy and an author who has a temper and a quick tongue, although she works hard to control both.
We have Meg responsible and kind, has a small weakness for luxury and leisure, but the greater part of her is gentle, loving, and morally vigorous.
We have Beth quiet and very virtuous, and she does nothing but try to please others.
We have Amy an artist who adores visual beauty and has a weakness for pretty possessions.
We have Laurie charming, clever, and has a good heart,
This book is absolutely stunning in its simplicity, Alcott's writing is simple yet beautiful,
“I want to do something splendid, . . something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead, I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday, ”
That being said i do have a ahem problem with this book, Yep. You guessed it. Actually, I have two problems with this book:
.
I stan this, I love this book. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH,
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship, ”
See Even Lou Lou Alcott is telling to to sail your own ship,
P, S: Random person who is reading this : Please watch themovie adaptation, Never liked this one. I read Alcott back around the time I was first reading the Brontes and Dickens, and her books always struck me as incredibly dull in comparison.
I was probably about, though, so I suppose I should try it again someday, .