Little Women | Louisa May Alcott
"I like good strong words that mean something..."
I was looking forward to reading this book immensely. Lauded as a classic, especially at Christmastime, I expected this to sweep me off my feet. I've seen the Greta Gerwig adaptation and really liked it, even crying at certain scenes. I found the whole thing really touching and my desire to read it mounted exponentially. I decided to keep the suspense going, though, and leave it as close to Christmas as I could 9with time to write up a post, of course). All that anticipation and excitement dwindled, though, as I kept on reading.
I suppose that the premise of this book is a commonly known one, but I'll still drop a few lines. The March sisters, Meg (16), Josephine/Jo (15), Elizabeth/Beth (13) and Amy (12) live with their mother, known as Marmee, in a small house, while their father off in the war - the American Civil War, I presume and don't care enough to check. They are not a well-off family because of their father's blunder with money. And still, they have a servant, Hannah, who cooks for them. Their mother is an altruistic soul, helping anyone who needs it. Their neighbors are Mr Laurence, a gruff old man, and his grandson Theodore, known as Laurie. The families s trike up a friendship and much of the book is about their adventures.
Meg is a pretty, soft, whiny young woman, wanting to live beyond her means and constantly worrying about her dresses and balls. I can understand that, but I don't see why it'd be one's chief worry. She works as a governess to the kids of a rich family in town. Jo is tall and thin, very coltish and wants to be a boy, dressing and behaving as one. She is constantly reading and writing, and her job is to be their Aunt March's companion. Beth is a meek doormat who quit school and slaves around the house, wanting for nothing and never complaining. She is the saintly one, the shy and tranquil girl, the woman Alcott wants us all too be. Amy is the spoiled youngest child, the blonde and blue eyed "snow maiden" who thinks herself the most important person, who also does badly in school, constantly uses wrong words and can't spell correctly. Each of the girls has a talent: Meg is an actress, Jo a writer, Beth a pianist and Amy a painter. Their characters are very distinct - so much so that it's hard to imagine that they are sisters at all, save for the mother they have in common.
"I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen."
Their adventures seem very episodic, with chapters reading as short stories about the same characters but not being completely consistent as a book. The novel is also very, very preachy. Like, it's so on the nose Christian it made me want to barf. Full disclosure, I am not religious, and therefore the whole thing was just nonsensical babble to me, with Marmee trying to teach her daughters that expressing any feeling but love and compassion is unbecoming of a woman and that they are to control themselves if any other feelings arise. The war comes up too and there's mention of a ma who is content to sacrifice his four sons for his country. I'm sorry, but that's just crazy talk to me.
I suppose this is a nice enough children's book. Well, if you're religious. I'd personally never read this to any potential daughter of mine. I was so disappointed in this book, I can't even explain it with words. I'd expected a pleasant read but only got frustration. But at least now I know. I've added it to the pile of books I'm done with and I never have to think about it again, it's no longer staring at me from the shelf, making me feel guilty for not getting to it yet.
I should also point out that this is just part one of the story - with "Good Wives" being the continuation with the adult March sisters. The movie adaptations put it all together and I expected to read the whole story in this book, but I suppose not. This particular novel ends with Meg's engagement to John, which seemed rather manipulative. I felt like he coerced her into agreeing to be with him since she was so unsure (albeit flattered to have caught someone's interest). A letdown all around, but at least a quick read.
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents."
Well, Merry Christmas! I am going to read some cheesy holiday books for the rest of the year. Those won't be reviewed as they truly are pure fluff and have no real literary merit. But I love them and I need some cute, festive fun this year - after all the shit we've been through we deserve comfort. And I love some cheesy romance, to be honest, as the books I've been reading recently have all been lacking in that department. (I'm hoping breezing through these will get me to my reading goal for this year.)
I'll take the opportunity to say farewell to a truly horrible year all around. I've had no job at all in 2020 due to covid, I've been feeling down a lot, and the imposed idleness has been awful. It's also been a bad year of reading as well, despite the twelve months of free time I've had. My motivation has left me sometime around March and returned only when I made myself TBR lists and scheduled posts in autumn - I basically forced myself to read. Hopefully, 2021 will usher in some better times.
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