Little Women (Thing 1)

We read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The March family--primarily focused on the four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--struggle to work together and stay responsible while their father is away in the military. Throughout the story, obstacles and other complications make this goal difficult, but ultimately bring them closer as a family.

I really enjoyed this book. I'd read it a long time ago, but didn't remember much, so it was like reading it for the first time all over again. Jo was my favorite character hands down, just because of how much I could relate to her. She liked to read, write, and get a little messy even if it meant straying from social norms. She said what she thought and stuck to her principles. Really all of the characters were great in different ways, especially because they were so ahead of their time for when the story was written.

The story was simple, but enjoyable. It didn't feel outdated like some books from that long ago did. I really like the Jo and Laurie friendship, Beth and Mr. Laurence's relationship, and all of the girls constantly trying to stay sane when dealing with their crotchety old Aunt March. Each chapter was almost like a short story that connected with all the others, so if we took a break and went back to it, it wasn't hard to remember everything that had happened in the past thanks to it being serialized. The only thing that bugged me was how obvious some of the chapter endings were with the, "What was the moral of the story here, girls?" kind of attitude. I was fine with the overall message, but it could've been woven into the plot better.

I would rate it

. It's a good book for all ages as it's not difficult to read, but doesn't sacrifice any of the beautiful writing to make it like that.