Languages:English (Unknown), English (Original Language), English (Published) Media:Paperback Reading Level:Young Adult Pages:472 Number Of Items:1 Shipping Weight (lbs):1 Dimensions (in):8 x 5.2 x 1.4
Publication Date:February 11, 2004 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Condition:Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!
Customer Reviews:
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Lovely edition of the classicJuly 31, 2008 L.M. 8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I love the novel and have been given several copies over the years, but I actually bought this edition. I love the Barnes and Noble classics series! The text is highly readable and easy on the eyes (while maintaining elegance), and the covers are well bound and lovely for a paperback. Highly recommended!
A classicJanuary 27, 2009 Amber A. Taggard(Arkansas, USA) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The book is a classic and the price was unbeatable. If you're looking for a fairly easy read with elements of wholesomeness, love, and fun then this would be a great book for you. I'd especailly recommend it to young women in the "tween" age group...but it's great for all ages.
From "Little Women" to "Good Wives"November 26, 2004 E. A Solinas(MD USA) 6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Louisa May Alcott wrote many books, but "Little Women" retains a special place in the heart of American literature. Her warmly realistic stories, sense of comedy and tragedy, and insights into human nature make the romance, humor and sweet stories of "Little Women" come alive.
The four March girls -- practical Meg, rambunctious Jo, sweet Beth and childish artist Amy -- live in genteel poverty with their mother Marmee; their father is away in the Civil War. Despite having little money, the girls keep their spirits up with writing, gardening, homemade plays, and the occasional romp with wealthier pals. Their pal, "poor little rich boy" Laurie, joins in and becomes their adoptive brother, as the girls deal with Meg's first romance, Beth's life-threatening illness, and fears for their father's safety.
The second half of the book opens with Meg's wedding (if not to the man of her dreams, then to the man she loves). Things rapidly go awry after the wedding, when Laurie admits his true feelings to Jo -- only to be rejected. Distraught, he leaves; Amy also leaves on a trip to Europe with a picky old relative. Despite the deterioration of Beth's health, Jo makes her way into a job as a governess, seeking to put her treasured writing into print -- and finds her destiny as well.
There's a clearly autobiographical tone to "Little Women." Not surprising -- the March girls really are like the girls next door. Alcott wrote them with flaws and strengths, and their misadventures -- like Amy's embarrassing problem with her huge lobster -- have the feeling of authenticity. How much of it is real? A passage late in the book portrays Alcott -- in the form of Jo -- "scribbling" down the book itself, and getting it published because it feels so real and true.
Sure, usually classics are hard to read. But "Little Women" is mainly daunting because of its length; the actual stories flow nicely and smoothly. Don't think it's just a book for teenage girls, either -- adults and boys can appreciate it as well. There's something for everyone: drama, romance, humor, sad and happy endings alike.
Alcott's writing itself is nicely detailed. While certain items are no longer in common use (what IS a charabanc anyway?), Alcott's stories themselves seem very fresh and could easily be seen in a modern home. And as nauseating as "heartwarming" stories sometimes are, these definitely qualify. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, Alcott is a bit too preachy and hamhanded. But her touch becomes defter as she writes on.
Jo is the quintessential tomboy, and the best character in the book: rough, gawky, fun-loving, impulsive, with a love of literature and a mouth that is slightly too big. Meg's love of luxury adds a flaw to the "perfect little homemaker" image, and Beth just avoids being shown as too saintly. Amy is an annoying little brat throughout much of the first half of the book, but by her teens she's almost as good as Jo.
"Little Women" is one of those rare classic novels that is still relevant, funny, fresh and heartbreaking today. Louisa May Alcott's best-known novel is a magnificent achievement.
a really really great bookJuly 2, 2010 it is a really nice novel. it is so good that i wish i could read it more. it was like i was witnessing the whole story myself . it was a really nice experiance. we can learn so much from it.
Favorite Book of All TimeJuly 11, 2010 Patricia Leppla(Tucosn, AZ) this is my favorite book of all time, one I re-read every year around Christmas time - nothing will ever be able to compare, even Pride and Prejudice (which is also one of my favorites).Little Women was originally written in two volumes: Little Women and then Good Wives; today these two books are combined, so will be my review... ((this may be a bit long of a review so bare with me - there is just soo much to cover in this book))
Loosely based off of her own life, Alcott presents a story about four women who grow both individually and together as a family during times of trouble, turbulence, and peace. Each sister has their own hopes and dreams, and each sister finds their place in the world only after discovering heartache, pain, love, and loss. Jo, who is loud, rambunctious, hard headed and impatient, finds solace through her writing. She struggles greatly to find peace within her self and accept herself as she is. Meg, the oldest remembers a time when the March family was revered and was not in financial hardships, making it hard for her to accept life as is, all the while being kind and understanding to her young sisters. Beth, the quite and timid sister, who is always kind and sees the good in everyone and everything, desires nothing more than to remain at home with her family and dolls. Amy, the youngest of the sisters, is constantly concerned with how prime and proper she should look, act, and speak, but remains true to her character.
Laurie, the boy next door, finds himself a home he never expected in the March household as he finds it hard to live up to his grandfather's expectations of him. He is seen as an older brother to all the sisters, never faulting in his devotion to them, that is until his feelings for Jo grow into something more. However, Jo is unable to see Laurie and he wishes and her desire to find her place in the world is never greater.
You really see the divide between childhood and adulthood when each of the sisters go their own way: Meg gets married, Beth remains at home, Amy travels abroad to Europe, and Jo goes to New York (Laurie is also left to his own devices, first going off to college and then working for his grandfather in Europe). It is only when tragedy hits the sisters, are they all able to come back together, as new adult women.
While this novel is filled with girls knitting, needlepoint, and darning (which were expected of women of the time), it goes much deeper than that. Alcott presents the constant struggle that many women had, and even many women of today, between their loyalties to their family as well as to theirselves, and trying to find a balance between the two. This is a wonderful novel that can teach anyone many different lessons about life and love and family.
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