May 07, 2012 07:33 PM
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(Updated May 07, 2012 08:19 PM)
The caption was a quote written by the author herself, Louisa May Alcott. The novel was written in 1860's and the story is set during the dark civil war times when the men of the families left their homes to fight for the country.
I read this book for the first time in the year 2010 and again got hold of version in which "Little women" and the sequel "Good wives" was combined. The sequel gave a meaningful and happy ending to the lives of the March Sisters.
The story is about March family, consisting of parents and their four daughters. The family is poor but close knit and follow high moral principes. After their father goes to serve in the civil war, the four sisters contribute towards the well being of the family in their own ways. The eldest sister is Margaret(Meg), who being the oldest had to set up some standards and thus is a well mannered and responsible person. She runs the household when her mother is absent. She is depicted as a hard working girl but always have craving for the pretty things and the riches. This makes her forget that there are somethings that are more important in life like the love that the family share and which makes them survive the difficult times. But she still is the ideal mentor for her sisters. Next in line is Josephne(Joe), she is a tomboy and a strong headed person. She is clumsy but at the same time very blunt and opinionated. She gets angry very easily and sometimes end up fighting for wrong reasons. She is close to her sisters and finally follows her heart and pursues her literary career. Next
in line is Elizabeth(Beth), she is a shy girl who loves her family far too much to even think of ever leaving it. Her desire of never leaving the home made her contended with pursuing music or knitting at home but it also held her back from exploring the other worldly things which could have enriched her life. She has a weak health and so the family care a lot about her well being. The youngest in the family is Amy, she is interested in art and is a beautiful girl who knows how to behave like a lady. She is too lazy to pursue her artistic dreams and although she cares a lot about her sisters but she throws tantrums whenever she is unhappy.
The book describes the journey of these four sisters as they grow up together, their differences and fights with each other, their frustration at times when they have to act responsible at such a small age, the lessons that they learnt through their experiences, the romance that remained unfulfilled, the effort that they put to overcome the challenges and their shortcomings and finally the book ends with Meg getting married to Mr. Brooke.
The book also has a character named Theodore Laurence(Laurie), who is the grandson of the rich next door neighbor of the March family. He falls in love with Jo and proposes to marry her but she refuses him on the grounds that they fight with each other so much that they cannot live together. Heartbroken Laurie then moves to Europe where he falls in love with Amy who is pursuing her art there Laurie and Amy gets married and move back to America. Jo goes to New York to follow her career and finally marries a German professor named Friedrich Bhaer. Mr. Brooks is also introduced in the book as being Lurie's tutor. The end is also tragedy stricken with Beth dying after her health is deteriorated by scarlett fever.
The book is a great read especially if you like reading classics and this is one of the best classics ever written. There will always be one character with which you can relate yourself. The problems that the girls faced while they were growing up, all the things that they did wrong before finally finding the right path for their lives, the sacrifices they made for each other, the selfless stand that they took to support each other and finally the love that they shared. The book is written in a very simple language with each chapter providing some valuable lesson of life. The book might seem preachy at times but we should keep in mind that it was written way back in 1868 and times have changed a lot since then. The book still was way ahead of its times with girls been able to pursue their passions and their family supporting them in their cause. Be it the sincere Meg or rowdy Jo or shy Beth or lazy Amy, you will have a wonderful experience while reading their life's journey and gaining your little lessons in the process.
The book is every girl's journey where she has to prove that she has matured so that she can take care of people around her. Sometimes that will happen before your age, when suddenly responsibility falls upon your shoulder or sometimes you learn to take responsibility with time. This is a must read and even if you cannot get hold of all the sequels, read the first part and enrich your life.
Happy Reading:-)
