Classic still charms despite outdated gender roles.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Meg drinks champagne at a party and acts unlike herself. Laurie gives Jo a glass of wine to help calm her. The family does not serve wine at Meg's wedding because Mr. March "thinks wine should be used only in illness." Meg makes Laurie promise not to drink.
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The books offers mostly positive messages. The girls struggle with their desires for material things despite their poverty but come to appreciate what they have. The family helps a less-fortunate family by visiting and sending food, including giving up their Christmas breakfast. Religion plays an important role in the family, with the girls trying to overcome their faults. The family spends time together, including singing at the piano in the evening. During a week where the girls decide not to work, Beth forgets to take care of her pet bird, which dies (and everyone learns a lesson about sloth). There are many outdated (and yet true to the time period) examples of gender roles and attitudes, including that women should be docile, skilled in housekeeping ("the womanly skill that keeps home happy"), and submissive to men.
Positive Role Models
a lot
The girls are loyal sisters and friends. Each works on her faults, especially Jo. Jo forgives her younger sister for burning one of her stories. And she cuts off her hair ("her one beauty") to help her father. Jo and Amy encourage Laurie to live up to his potential. The older girls work rather than attend school. Jo defies convention and gets chided for liking sports and being active by rowing and running. Laurie pulls a prank on Meg but apologizes. Amy is generous with a selfish girl and is rewarded for her principle.
Educational Value
a little
The book offers a realistic look at life in the Civil War and post-Civil War time period.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Louisa May Alcott's semi-autobiographical Little Women, originally published in 1868, is a lengthy, beloved American classic that tells the story of the four March sisters growing up in Boston during and after the Civil War, as they wait for their father to return home. Generations of readers have loved its vivid, relatable characters. However, the writing style is old fashioned and the story features outdated (but time-period-appropriate) gender roles. Religion plays an important role in the family, so there are many religious references.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book Little Women,I think it is a beautiful blend of genres and an excellent representation of what it is like to have sisters (whether it’s one or four) I would recommend it to the ages of 10 -1000 there are some parts that are romantic(on a scale of 1-20 I would say about an 8.) as well as some that are quite sad but it overall has very good morals and I think every girl of any age could see themselves in one character or another some of the words might be difficult to understand but the copy I read had a glossary in the back it didn’t have all of the words but definitely helped me understand some of them
My Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Katherine R.Parent of 8, 10, 14, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
April 21, 2024
age 12+
Good classic book from the 1860s
What's the Story?
LITTLE WOMEN is set in Boston during and just after the Civil War and follows the four March sisters as they struggle to overcome poverty and grow into proper young ladies. Meg, the oldest, is pretty but swayed by material temptations. Jo is a good-hearted tomboy and writer. Beth is a shy, sweet music lover. And Amy, the youngest, is a little selfish but very social and elegant. Even as the girls bicker like all siblings, they keep their loving home together as they wait for their father to return from the war.
The enduring appeal of this novel is its vivid depiction of its 19th-century time period. The Little House books apealr to generation after generation for the same reason. Though the writing style in Little Women can be didactic, even contemporary girls who can't imagine wearing silk dresses or being too ladylike to run will identify with the March sisters' strong bonds and earnest efforts to overcome their faults. Today's reader will especially appreciate Jo, who romps with her best friend (a boy) and cuts her hair short and defies the era's gender conventions.
At nearly 800 pages (for some editions), the book might work better as a read-aloud so parents can skip the occasionally lengthy, boring passages of description, long letters, or the girls' plays. Young readers may struggle with the sometimes archaic language and unfamiliar references.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the emphasis on "housewifely" duties for women shown in Little Women. How are opportunities and expectations different for women today? How are they similar?
What do you think of how the author breaks in with first-person comments. How does it compare with contemporary novels?
Would you have liked living during the 1860s? Why or why not?
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