It has been a little while since I have posted here, having been a little while since I finished a book. I most recently finished "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. I must confess I put off reading this book for as long as I have in part because of the title. It almost sounded derisory to me, but I suspected, and now know, that it isn't meant that way at all. This is a touching coming of age story about four sisters, each with very different personalities and paths.
I have to say, first of all, that Jo stole the show for me. She is independent, willful, and often depicted as a 'Tom boy.' She is also a writer, and I enjoyed watching her story unfold as she worked her way through young life.
The other sisters each have their own appeal...they're all likeable and a joy to read about. Beth, Amy, and Meg each have powerful and moving stories. I feared, at the beginning of the book, that there may be too many sisters for them to be fully developed without stepping on one another's toes in the book or at least without some overlap of story or personality. On the surface, this was a ridiculous concern. There's billions of people in this world and many more unique stories.
The family is not among the privileged in terms of socio-economic status and, although this impacts the story, as it necessarily would and should, the protagonists maintain a healthy attitude about it throughout much of the story. They, like all of us, try to make the best with what they have.
At the end of the day, the book seemed a little short to me. I must admit, though, that it did take awhile to grow on me. I was nearly halfway through it before I had trouble putting it down. It is a lengthy book, but with all of the characters and content, I found myself wanting a little more. I miss the characters and the setting. The ending was natural and satisfying, but it's understandably difficult to spend this much time with a bunch of likeable characters and feel a little melancholy about it all once they are out of your life.
I was encouraged to watch the 2019 movie adaptation of this book, which I haven't seen and which I'll be watching with my wife soon. We both love period pieces like this; and, it is fun to watch an interpretation of a recently read book.
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