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Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

1868

Novel

The story of four sisters, during and after the Civil War, this well-loved novel drew heavily on the author's own family history and personal experiences.

The March family, although suffering financially while the father, a minister, acted as chaplain in the war, was bound together by a deep love that transcended poverty. The four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—had their disagreements but always helped one another in times of crisis. Their father and mother had taught them, through example as well as word, to be unselfish and caring.

The girls become friends with young Theodore (Laurie) Lawrence and his old grandfather. This wealthy family helps the Marches in times of trouble. John Brooke, Laurie's tutor, falls in love with Meg, and eventually they marry. Jo, always a “scribbler,” turns seriously to writing. Young Beth, stricken with scarlet fever after tending the ill children of a poor widow, dies. Pretty Amy, the favorite of the sisters' well-to-do aunt, is invited on a European trip. The once close family breaks apart as the girls grow up and leave home.

Jo escapes her depression at the breakup of her family by moving to New York to pursue her writing career and work as a governess. There, she meets a German tutor, Professor Bhaer. Laurie marries Amy when she returns from Europe. Jo returns from New York uncertain what her life now holds. To her surprise, Professor Bhaer shows up and asks her to marry him.

Far from being a sentimental children's novel, Little Women is a realistic portrayal of strong and resilient people and their efforts to survive in an often bleak world. In large part, it is concerned with ideals, but these are integrated into the lives of the characters. Themes woven into the book include women's rights, the place of the woman in mid-nineteenth century America, war, and the importance of the family as a force to help individuals survive against all odds.

The importance of the family unit gives the book much of its power. Individuals suffer, struggle, and die, but the family endures. This extraordinary and vigorous novel presents a picture of human endurance that is both touching and inspiring.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Alcott, Louisa May. "Little Women." Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed, edited by Editors of Salem Press, Salem Press, 2015. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=6CR_0299.
APA 7th
Alcott, L. M. (2015). Little Women. In E. Salem Press (Ed.), Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Alcott, Louisa May. "Little Women." Edited by Editors of Salem Press. Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2015. Accessed September 15, 2025. online.salempress.com.