Dear Reader,
I finally read Little Women and these are my thoughts. I’ve been wanting to read this classic for a while now but must admit that I finally pushed myself to do so just to see the new movie. No I cannot miss anything that Timothée Chalamet or Emma Watson are in. In all honesty, I wish I had read this book years ago as I am certain I would have enjoyed it more then. I feel like the stories and lessons would have resonated with me more – and maybe I would have loved the girls more.
Little Women took me 24 days to read… that’s 17 days beyond what I had been hoping for. With my edition only being 495 pages, I can best explain that with two comments:
Firstly, I found it to be exhaustingly (how dramatic) mundane. Yes that essentially is the whole point of the book (not the exhausting bit of course) and what makes it such a classic for that time period, but as someone who easily loses interest in a book and is a big-time mood reader, I was bored. I loved Jo, Meg was meh, Amy annoyed me, and Beth stole my heart. Don’t even get me started on Laurie!
Reading it often felt like a chore. I didn’t go to bed eager to pick it up every night, nor did I fly through it while flying for hours to London for a Jonas Brothers concert. I have had this problem before with classics so I wasn’t surprised, but I did feel disppointed that I wasn’t enjoying a book that is so well-loved. I was hoping that the story would better resonate with me in Greta Gerwig’s latest adaptation but that’s a rant for another blog post…
Secondly, I got really sick while reading Little Women. People always talk about how great reading is on your sick days but sadly I’m one of the unlucky few who rarely gets to experience that. I struggled to hold my concentration, my eyes hurt, and binging the entire first season of You on Netflix was just far more appealing than reading about the daily lives of Jo and her sisters.
That being said, I understand why its a classic. It’s sweet and full of life lessons, a great portrayal of coming-of-age, with beautiful characters and representation of that time period. It was wonderful watching the sisters grow up with their outlooks and priorities changing (bless Amy for being the only exception really), their mother being completely honest when they screwed up, and oh the adventures they got up to. Who doesn’t want to play a grand piano in a gorgeous house? Or move to New York and write? Or move to Paris and paint?
I cried, I laughed, I smiled. And my goodness does Jo have spunk! It makes me so happy to think that Louisa May Alcott wrote this book in 1868 – she was bold and wrote a female character who was different and yet still loved, who pushed boundaries and achieved things very few women did back then, and who’s life goals weren’t structured around getting married and having children. Starting in 1868, thanks to Louisa, girls like Jo were recognized and captured in a book that would touch lives for generations. There’s something truly magical about that.
Now I mustn’t forget the love connections. Yes I am one of those readers who yelled every time Jo rejected Laurie and yes I did actually yell out “boo” in the cinema during that heartbreaking scene. I loved Jo and Laurie. Yes her mother had a good point about them basically being doomed by their clashing rebellious personalities and good on Jo for not forcing herself to fall for him, but at the same time – how can you not love Laurie?
I’m glad she found Friedrich Bhaer in the end, though I did feel a bit tense over the whole age difference dilemma that was never really addressed, same for Laurie being with Amy, but oh well. Who am I to judge?
I felt like Meg’s relationship with John Brooke was a nice addition to show the struggles of marriage while raising children and growing as a couple. That being said, I felt like it was a bit rushed just for the sake of showing “their childhood being over”.
As for Laurie and Amy… don’t even get me started. Having my favourite character, after Jo, marry Amy – the most annoying character I possibly have ever read – was painful. I was mad. Why couldn’t Amy have just married Fred Vaughn?
It wouldn’t be fair to leave out Beth and Mr. Laurence. Their love wasn’t romantic (thank goodness) but it was beautiful. Beth being like a daughter to him was so heartwarming and gosh I sobbed when he found out about her death. Those two were the only ones who made me cry.
Overall, I’m glad I finally read Little Women. I have a goal of reading a least six classics this year so yay for this one being checked off! I am excited to share my thoughts with you regarding the movie – I know that post is one long-awaited among my bookstagram friends – so be sure to check your inbox for it in the next week or so! Until then, keep reading book lover!
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