Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This was one of my very favorite books when I was growing up, and I still have a deep and abiding love for it. I read it so many times growing up, but I haven't read it since before I started this blog (seems like that's a recurring theme for many of the classics I've been re-reading lately!). It was a total pleasure to revisit this and enjoy the stories about Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and their sweet family. I love the four distinct personalities that the sisters have, and the scrapes and disagreements that they get into. Like most people, I love and identify with the impulsive and tempestuous Jo best. But I especially love the strong, solid family that they are, and the good advice and love that comes from Marmee to each of the girls. Some of it is very old-fashioned (like Marmee saying that a husband is the best thing that can happen to a girl, etc.), but I think a lot of it holds up--the virtues of self-denial and the goals of self-improvement, recognizing our faults and the things we need to work on, are strong in the March family, and I think are a good example of good qualities that we could all work on. They try to focus on their best qualities and work hard to conquer their weaknesses, and these are things we can all work on.

No matter how I try, though, I can never be totally okay with Jo and Laurie not ending up together. I believe Marmee's argument that they would not suit, and would fight and not get along together, but I kind of hate that she ends up with old Professor Bhaer--if only he weren't old! Couldn't he be kind and good and young? And I feel like Alcott could have left Jo a little of her old spunk and fiestiness at the end, instead of calling her "Mother Bhaer" and making her seem like she's an old lady at 30 years old and the leader of her school. But all in all, just such a beautiful walk down memory lane, and I want to buy all the rest of Alcott's books that I loved when I was young too.