Little Men / Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott's beloved stories of the fictional March family were inspired by both her own experiences growing up in nineteenth century Concord, Massachusetts, and her contact with noted literary figures like Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Little Women is the coming of age story of the four March sisters--Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--who experience great joy and tragic loss while becoming the true little women of the title. The March sisters return in Little Men, in which Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer's school at Plumfield is home to a bevy of rambunctious boys who manage what they never thought growing up to be real little men.

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Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Childrens

812 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1886

About the author

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May Alcott and Amos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Alcott's family suffered from financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used pen names such as A.M. Barnard, under which she wrote lurid short stories and sensation novels for adults that focused on passion and revenge.
Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, and Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt. The novel was well-received at the time and is still popular today among both children and adults. It has been adapted for stage plays, films, and television many times.
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She also spent her life active in reform movements such as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke in Boston on March 6, 1888, just two days after her father's death.

Reviews

[Clare Snow]

I read this years ago and own a copy. I know it was a gift from my parents. It was published 1995, so they gave it to me that year or after. I was 18 in 1995. I had no intention of becoming a childrens librarian back then, that happened in 2002. So why did my parents give it to me? Was I a very juvenile 18 year old? I know I was immature, but I wouldn't have been seen dead reading a "kids" book back then.

I just worked it out - I loved the 1994 movie version. And the only presents my dad ever gave me were books - he knew me well.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are just so earnest and sweet. Not particularly innocent or naive, I don’t think, but optimistic in a way I find hard to grasp. I find myself being cynical of Marmee and Mrs. Jo’s child-rearing methods, but somewhere deep down I really feel they might work. I just don’t know if I have the wherewithal or ability to attempt it with my own kids. It’s awfully hard not to love these characters and stories.

[Chloe Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going on the all time favorites shelf. In love with the March sisters and the boys Jo raises in the second book. :)

[Danielle Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite. I would love to be Jo.

[Esperance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great classic, A must Have, A must read....but only once :)

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in grade school and junior high, I was reading the Hardy Boys books, and when I got to high school, I discovered the Banned Books list and started reading those (Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, etc.). Except for what we were required to read in English class, I missed out on so many American classics, in my quest to be cool. So, this fall I decided to read "Little Women". My problem is that I had consented to be the music director for three shows in a row (The Rocky Horror Show, a Christmas Cabaret, and La Cage aux Folles), which together cover the period from September to February. With my days full of school and my evenings full of rehearsals or performances, I could not find much time to read...until Christmas and New Year's vacation!

I enjoyed the book very much. We sas the 2019 movie when it first came out. It may have been the last movie we saw in a theater before Covid. This was the version with Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen as Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March (also Laura Dern, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Cooper, and Meryl Streep). It was a good movie. Since then, I have been strongly encouraged to watch the 1994 version with Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Kirsten Dunst/Samantha Mathis, and Claire Danes as the four daughters (also Susan Sarandon and Christian Bale). I will try to do that soon.

I liked Louisa May Alcott's writing style. She makes it clear that she is telling the story, and throws in a lot of commentary, reflecting good virtues and moral sense, but all without being preachy about it. I could say it was a long book (about 450 pages in paperback), yet I finished the last 100 pages in two days, so it wasn't really long. I just need large chunks of unencumbered time to get into the frame of mind to read.

I love my vacations. I'll find something else to read soon.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Women:
Having always watched the movie and not read the book, it was refreshing to learn how the story goes. Although Jo is the main character in the book and movies, I appreciated how the book focused far more on the lives of the sisters too. Much more detail was shared regarding Amy and Laurie's relationship and how they came to be together during their time abroad. I ultimately loved the lessons learned and the love shown between mother and daughters and sisters. It was a lovely read, if not a little long.
Little Men:
I think going into this I expected more. It was a sweet book but followed no plotline. It was more a description of various events that went on at Plumfield throughout a year or multiple years. Although it seemed pieced together, the stories of the boys were well written and held numerous lessons within.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading Little Women, and honestly, it is so sweet. It was such a pleasure to follow the sisters' journey (Laurie's too) and watch them growing up, falling in love, building their own families, crying, laughing, struggling, and looking for answers. Excellent read! Also watched the 2019 version of Little Women right after 🙂

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved and read all the Alcott books when I was a kid--Rose in Bloom, Jo's Boys, etc. etc. Hearing a new Little Women movie was coming out, I decide to re-visit the novel, and I'm happy I did. I could only find a reasonable reader in this double set, so I got Little Men, too. A little heavy on the "women as the holder of virtue" stance in spots, but there's a touchingly strong message of kindness, the importance of hard work, the importance of family, and the acceptance of poverty. There are also a lot of adventures, scrapes, mishaps, and such. It was a pleasure!

[Chris]

Love all of them