Little Women

About the book

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March share a home, limited money, and very different ideas of the lives they hope to lead. With their father away during the Civil War, their mother helps them manage work, disappointment, neighbourly duties, and the small conflicts that can fill a family day. Alcott gives domestic events the scale of adventures: a party, a manuscript, an act of generosity, or a quarrel can alter a sister's understanding of herself. The narrative follows individual talents and desires alongside the obligations of care. Its warmth does not remove questions about money, women's work, and the compromises involved in adulthood. Much of its pleasure comes from watching affection survive differences that no simple moral lesson can entirely resolve.

• Sisterhood
• Work and ambition
• Growing up

Why read it

For the distinct personalities within a closely observed family and the seriousness given to ordinary aspirations.

English text