Book Description

Generations of readers, young and old, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most enduring novel, Little Women. The story is loosely based on Alcott’s own life and follows the March sisters from adolescence to adulthood with all the joys and sorrows in between. The novel is about the sisters’ devotion to one another and their struggles in New England during the Civil War. Little Women successfully explores the themes of war and peace, family responsibility, love, death and ambition. "Little Women is one of the best loved books of all time. Lovely Meg, talented Jo, frail Beth, spoiled Amy: these are hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War. Through their dreams, plays, pranks, letters, illnesses, and courtships, women of all ages have become a part of this remarkable family and have felt the deep sadness when Meg leaves the circle of sisters to be married at the end of Part I. Part II, chronicles Meg's joys and mishaps as a young wife and mother, Jo's struggle to become a writer, Beth's tragedy, and Amy's artistic pursuits and unexpected romance. Based on Louise May Alcott's childhood, this lively portrait of nineteenth-century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. 'Little Women' is an American classic, written in the 19th Century. Largely based on the author's own childhood, it is a timeless tale of the four young March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—who grow to maturity in their mother's tender but strong care. As different in their personalities as they are alike in their devotion to each other, the girls vow to support their beloved mother, Marmee, by behaving their best while Father is away. Literary-minded tomboy, Jo develops a fast friendship with the boy next door, and pretty Meg, the eldest, finds romance; frail and affectionate Beth, fills the house with music, and little Amy, the youngest, seeks beauty with all the longing of an artist's soul. Although poor in material wealth, the family possesses an abundance of love, friendship, and imaginative gifts that captivate readers time and again. This inexpensive, complete and unabridged edition of this beloved novel is sure to delight a generation of new readers, as well as those reacquainting themselves with its warmth and charm. This Novel was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. Alcott wrote the books rapidly over several months at the request of her publisher. 'Little Women' was an immediate commercial and critical success, and readers demanded to know more about the characters. Alcott quickly completed a second volume, entitled Good Wives. It was also successful. The two volumes were issued in 1880 in a single work entitled 'Little Women'.