It was a bit of a blow when reading the afterword to find that Louisa Alcott did not like the book. She had been pressured into writing it by her publisher and regarded it as "moral pap for the young", calling the first part "The Pathetic Family" and writing an alternative second part she called "Happy Women" in which the sisters flourished in professional careers in a community of spinsters. "Good Wives" obviously won out and I can't say that I am not happy about that.
One thing the book and the afterword did do is awaken an interest in Louisa May Alcott herself. This might be a wonderful place to start on a women's study given the disparity between the work produced and the authors ideals.
Whether you are interested in reading it for sheer enjoyment or as a "jumping off point" for broader studies, you will enjoy the book. It is almost impossible not to.
Right from the start you see the four main characters, who are sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy along with Mrs. March (Marmee) working together to get through the hardship of being without their father, Mr. March, who is off to war. The way the family cares about each other and people who are even less fortunate than they are is really a great lesson. There are funny parts, sad parts and really unexpected turns to this story.
I really enjoyed getting know all the characters and REALLY loved Jo! Everyone who has read this book says that I'm a lot like her. I think anyone who reads this book will have fun seeing which girl they most are like. I thought all of them had really great personalities, most of the time...just like me.
I really enjoyed the book more than the movie (the Katherine Hepburn one) because the book is loaded with details and I was able to picture the people and the scenes in my mind better (in my opinion) than the movie did. So DON'T skip the book and just watch the movie!!
This book is really long, so make sure you're up for the challenge. But if you want a way to pass a rainy day (or even a snowy one), this is one of the greatest books to curl up with.