Louisa May Alcott Puns

It wasn't narrated or anything, it was one of those radio shows in which voice actors and sound affects act out the story.

My favorite book!!

I love Little Women and want to read or watch a good biography about the actual family behind the thinly veiled fictional one. I can barley even find enough to fill a wiki about her and her family! Any help is appreciated ☺️

Hi Everyone,

The November book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Learn More About Louisa May Alcott

>Louisa May Alcott; November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Time Period of Little Women

At the start of the novel, Mr. March is away with the Northern Army during the Civil War. Here are some links to help provide additional context regarding this time period for those unfamiliar:

• 1861 (US)
• 1861 (global)
• 1862 (US)
• 1862 (global)

Online Versions

• Text Version #1
• Text Version #2
• Text Version #3
• Spanish Text Version #1
• Audio Book Version #1
• Audio Book Version #2
• Audio Book Version #3: Part 1 and Part 2
• Spanish Audio Book Version #1
• [Spanish Audio Book Version #2](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTBVRykNA6xI

I read this book about two months ago at the recommendation of a friend and it blew me away. I’m a 24-year-old man and I was not expecting to be this strongly impacted by a children’s novel. But every chapter provided a deep, rich example of how very different people might live together in harmony.

As the book went on, I found myself ashamed when the characters responded more virtuously to a situation than I would have or did something wrong in a way that rang true for me. For example, >!when Jo lets Amy fall through the ice because Amy destroyed Jo’s manuscript,!< I was horrified not only at Jo’s action, but at the fact that in some way, it made sense. Alcott is a master of presenting human emotions and behavior in a real, tactile manner that the reader can truly enter into.

Obviously, the thing everyone talks about in this book is the fact that >!Beth Dies.!< I cried over this moment more than I have for any other in my years of reading. And the wild thing is that it’s not presented as something evil or unfair- instead, she views >!her death!< as something altogether natural and expected. She >!dies peacefully!< and satisfied in the knowledge that >!her small acts of kindness and those of others towards her throughout her life made it worth living!<.

Much like the characters, I don’t think >!I fully appreciated Beth’s presence until she was gone.!< I’d had this part spoiled for me before reading the book, but it didn’t take away from the gut-punching nature of the event.

None of this is to say, of course, that the book is perfect. The depiction of Hannah is...dated to say the least. Amy seemed to be rewarded for playing artificial society games while Jo was punished for trying to be her own woman. The ending also felt a bit too perfect; I would have been okay if one of the >!surviving!< sisters had remained >!unmarried!<.

But overall, I fell in love with the characters and their simple, beautiful lives in a way I could never have expected.

I'm curious about why an American novel written by a woman in Pennsylvania about her everyday life became popular in England? It just seems strange to me because - at the time - it wasn't very historically significant, or seemed very relatable to the people of England with it's mentions of Civil War and the like.