Meg and Jo must work to support the family: Meg tutors a nearby family of four children; Jo assists her aged great-aunt March, a wealthy widow living in a mansion, Plumfield. Amy will eventually reject Fred, knowing she does not love him and deciding not to marry out of ambition. Though Alcott did not make Laurie as multidimensional as the female characters, she partly based him on Ladislas Wisniewski, a young Polish émigré she had befriended, and Alf Whitman, a friend from Lawrence, Kansas. Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth - four "little women" enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England. Robert March – Formerly wealthy, the father is portrayed as having helped a friend who could not repay a debt, resulting in his family's genteel poverty.

Importantly, depending on the number of pages of the published novel, the depth of the book may be different than pictured. To enable personalised advertising (like interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. After reading Little Women, some women felt the need to "acquire new and more public identities", however dependent on other factors such as financial resources. Rivalry with the much richer Fred for Amy's love inspires the dissipated Laurie to pull himself together and become more worthy of her. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the "girl’s book” her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.Alcott’s novel celebrates the agency of women, the four sisters and their mother, to choose their path in life.

Alcott's novels are brought together here - 'Little Women' and 'Good Wives', the first two of the quartet which tell the story of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, as they move from childhood to families of their own. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. She initially rejects the idea of marriage and romance, feeling that it would break up her family and separate her from the sisters whom she adores.The book was an assignment of Alcott’s editor Thomas Niles, who wanted a novel for young women for the Robert Brothers publishing catalog. Btw It is also practical, I can fit a bunch of my magazines and excessive girlie stuff inside with plenty of space. Her first novel for adults, God on the Rocks (1978), was adapted for television and shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

This edition includes the sequel, Good Wives, which picks up the girls' stories three years on, and features an afterword by publisher Anna South. March is portrayed as a hero of the American Civil War, a gainfully employed chaplain, and, presumably, a source of inspiration to the women of the family. The Broadview Editions series is an effort to represent the ever-changing canon of literature in English by bringing together texts long regarded as classics with valuable, lesser-known literature. Heavy scuffing to cloth, spine cloth is separated from back gutter at bottom to midway, top edge is chipped. Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places.Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth - four “little women” enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England The charming story of the March sisters, Little Women has been adored by generations. This title tells the story of these four little women and their wise and patient mother Marmee enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England.