Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Intro by Ann Douglas, 1983 Paperback

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Intro by Ann Douglas, 1983 1st Signet Edition Paperback "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and their mother, Marmee, during the Civil War era in Concord, Massachusetts, while their father serves as a chaplain in the Union Army. The story begins with the girls lamenting their family's reduced circumstances, but they resolve to support each other and find joy in simple pleasures, guided by strong moral values and the lessons from "Pilgrim’s Progress". Each sister navigates her own path: Meg marries John Brooke, Laurie’s tutor, and starts a family; Jo pursues her ambition to become a writer, moves to New York City, and eventually falls in love with Professor Friedrich Bhaer, whom she marries after rejecting Laurie’s proposal; Beth, gentle and musical, dies from complications of scarlet fever contracted while caring for a poor family; and Amy, who studies art in Europe, matures and rekindles her relationship with Laurie, marrying him after he returns from abroad. The novel explores themes of family, sisterhood, personal growth, gender roles, and love, portraying the sisters’ journey from adolescence to adulthood with emotional depth and enduring relevance.