Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Little Women (Mermaids Classics)
    Unavailable
    Little Women (Mermaids Classics)
    Unavailable
    Little Women (Mermaids Classics)
    Ebook726 pages13 hours

    Little Women (Mermaids Classics)

    By Louise May Alcott

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) is a classic novel based on the four sisters named Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. The scene is set in New England during the civil war and the story follows the lives of these sisters growing up to become woman. Little Women was first published in two volumes in the years 1868 and 1869 and later as a single volume in 1880. It was a novel initially intended for girls and it steered away from the usual novels written for girls at the time but it was also considered a romance novel. Although the three major themes include domesticity, work and true love, the novel also contains issues of poverty, fear and pride. The novel became an instant success once it was first published and is considered today as one of the world's best classics!

    Mermaids Classics, an imprint of Mermaids Publishing brings the very best of old classic literature to a modern era of digital reading by producing high quality books in ebook format. All of the Mermaids Classics epublications are reproductions of classic antique books that were originally published in print format, mostly over a century ago and are now republished in digital format as ebooks. Begin to build your collection of digital books by looking for more literary gems from Mermaids Classics.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublishereBookIt.com
    Release dateApr 26, 2016
    ISBN9781456616991
    Unavailable
    Little Women (Mermaids Classics)

    Related to Little Women (Mermaids Classics)

    Related ebooks

    Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Lord Of Secrets

      Aug 14, 2019

      Lord Of Secrets
      1 min read

    • Article

      Terms Of Endearment

      Feb 22, 2024

      Terms Of Endearment
      2 min read

    • Article

      Terms Of Endearment

      Feb 22, 2024

      Terms Of Endearment
      2 min read

    • Article

      The plot THICKENS

      Aug 3, 2022

      The plot THICKENS
      8 min read

    • Article

      The WITCH GIRL

      Oct 20, 2021

      The WITCH GIRL
      6 min read

    • Article

      Hauntings

      Jul 5, 2023

      Hauntings
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Witch GIRL

      Oct 24, 2023

      The Witch GIRL
      6 min read

    • Article

      Class Act

      Oct 27, 2020

      Class Act
      6 min read

    • Article

      Letters to The Editor

      Jul 1, 2021

      Dear Editor, What a fun article by Kris Manty going down memory lane with the article about the history of Jell-O Molds! (“Jell-O-Mold Madness,” Antique Trader, May 1, 2021). In the late ’70s, I started a local catering company. Entertaining at home

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Library Of Gromma

      Feb 10, 2021

      Zac was sweating and panting as he reached the top of the hill. The crooked beams of the library loomed over him. He dropped the buckets of water, swore at the few drops that spilt, and escaped the piercing morning sun in the shade of the library. He

      22 min read

    • Article

      Could Do Better

      Jan 17, 2020

      Could Do Better
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Library of Gromma

      Jul 10, 2023

      Zac was sweating and panting as he reached the top of the hill. The crooked beams of the library loomed over him. He dropped the buckets of water, swore at the few drops that spilled, and escaped the piercing morning sun in the shade of the library.

      22 min read

    • Article

      A Continental CHRISTMAS

      Nov 21, 2023

      A Continental CHRISTMAS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Winds Of Change

      Dec 10, 2019

      “Till the end of the pitted and dusty lane, she was a dry, brown leaf swiftly floating down a clear stream. Part of it was easy, the part about being brown. ‘Brown as mud and common as mud,’ Aaji would scream every morning waking her up. The rest of

      9 min read

    • Article

      A Continental Christmas

      Dec 14, 2021

      A Continental Christmas
      6 min read

    • Article

      Yuletide Reading

      Sep 24, 2020

      Many classic novels and short stories contains Christmas scenes-merry or otherwise. Can you indentify the works from which these holiday passages are excerpted? 1 “Merry Christmas, little daughters! I’m glad you began at once, and hope you will keep

      3 min read

    • Article

      Nuclear

      Oct 7, 2021

      Nuclear
      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters From a Mill Girl

      Feb 1, 2024

      Letters From a Mill Girl
      4 min read

    • Article

      Mother Tongue

      Feb 24, 2021

      Mother Tongue
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Writing On THE WALL

      Apr 6, 2021

      The Writing On THE WALL
      6 min read

    • Article

      All for Love

      Mar 5, 2021

      All for Love
      5 min read

    • Article

      Shoes for MY LADY

      Nov 8, 2023

      Shoes for MY LADY
      9 min read

    • Article

      Meet Me In The FUTURE

      Mar 16, 2021

      Meet Me In The FUTURE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Aligogoro

      Jun 22, 2020

      Aligogoro
      4 min read

    • Article

      First Steps

      Sep 14, 2021

      First Steps
      6 min read

    • Article

      Six Sonnets

      Jan 1, 2021

      Goldenrod, I could say, you know, everybody wants somethingfrom me, but, well, everybody wants something and nobody wantsnothing from me, goldenrod, towhead, beast. Goldenrod, you packthe meadows like gold-plated sardines. I have heart palpitationsbu

      3 min read

    Reviews for Little Women (Mermaids Classics)

    4/5

    2,885 ratings251 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Goes without saying.
    • 4/5
      This is a classic for a reason, even if it is at times overly sentimental and "lesson-of-the-week" in its delivery. The themes of love, respect, kindness, and duty to your family, even of they make you angry or you'd rather be doing something else, are admirable. As someone with 2 younger sisters, the March sisters and their relationship struck a chord with me. I was pleasantly surprised to note a good deal of humor, and even some progressive (for late 1800s) thoughts on women and marriage. I'm sure I would have loved this book even more had I first read it when I was younger.
    • 2/5
      A book so sweet it made my stomach churn. So few authors have made me respond physically (though never churning before) that I have given it an extra star. An interesting document of what people did before the invention of television (ie, not a lot) and I'm sure generations of students will be able to churn out papers on whether or not Jo is a lesbian. Unfortunately the narrative is so very boring that I am abandoning it a few chapters into part two.Alcott is determined to avoid any incident of interest. Take the episode where one of the characters puts on a fashionable dress. Anything could of happened, I don't know, she could have been showered in the spunk of her admirers, but no, she changes back into her normal clothes, and repenting, promises never to do it again.I thought at first that Alcott was being boring by mistake. Take Chapter 10, which consists of some documents produced by the girls during one of their games. The chapter is shorter than usual and I thought at first that Alcott had bored even herself, but she emits a similar performance in Chapter 16, a collection of letters none of which contain information of any interest or consequence.I would recommend this book to little girls who were rude to me.
    • 5/5
      Delightful
    • 5/5
      Having seen two of the three versions of the movie, it was definitely an experiment for me to read the book now. I try not to do that but in this case in worked and I put the movie characters out of my mind (I'll discuss how well the movie did in a minute). While long, this book is excellent and a must read, for at least every girl out there. Alcott makes each one of the girls relatable and each girl has one thing or another that I wouldn't mind having myself. Alcott also makes the men in this story easy to fall in love with and makes great cases for why each man is which each girl.

      My favorite version of the book is the 1994 version with Kirsten Dunst and Winona Ryder. Now, having read the book, I can see it is an excellent adaptation, which I rarely say about a movie based on a book. They always get something wrong. They did not in this movie, with the exception of changing the order of some of the events and the way that Beth dies.
    • 5/5
      A classic tale read so many times growing up I lost count. My favorite little woman? Jo, of course. These young women inspired me to be a better person.
    • 5/5
      Great book with wonderful storytelling. Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy are vibrant, believable characters that are hard to forget.
    • 5/5
      This is the classic children's story, loosely based on Louisa May Alcott's childhood in Massachusetts, of a year in the lives of the four March sisters. Pretty Meg is the eldest at 16, but the heroine is tomboyish Jo. The two younger girls are quiet Beth and 12 year old Amy, who is still something of a child. Though of 'one of our first families', the Marches have fallen on hard times, and in addition, Mr March has joined the army and is away from home. In spite of longing for easier times, the girls and their mother help those less fortunate than themselves, both materially and emotionally. They make friends with Laurie and his grandfather, who are their neighbours, and include them in their adventures.The story of the sisters is enchanting in itself, and draws you in. The girls - Jo especially - get into and out of scrapes, from which their mother usually draws a lesson, to encourage them to be better people. I remember being outraged alongside Jo whenever she got into trouble, when I read this as a child myself. It also offers a glimpse of life in America in what was the Victorian era in Britain.I think this is a well written story for children; as a child, I was passionately involved in Jo's ups and downs in life, although I don't think I fully understood Meg's embarrassment when she didn't have as nice clothes as her friends to wear to a party. The hardships the family had to go through were part of the background to the story, but didn't oppress the atmosphere. Mrs March's lessons probably went straight over my head; re-reading the book as an adult, they seem slightly preachy, though they are incorporated fairly well into the fabric of the story.On the language front, it was amusing to note that a lot of linguistic quirks I normally associate with pre-war British literature made their appearance, such as "there's a good fellow".All in all, still a good 'un to read.
    • 2/5
      My mother used to read this to me when I was little until I told her to stop. There was a lot of sheet sewing and they always seemed on the verge of doing something interesting but never actually got around to it.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved it and can't believe I waited so many years to get around to reading it.
    • 5/5
      I guess I'm giving it 5 stars just on sheer number of rereads. I could practically recite this.
    • 5/5
      I first read Little Women when I was quite young and I fell in love with the March sisters, their friends and family. In this re-read, I could identify and recognize some flaws in the book, but my heart had already been given and I can’t bring myself to take back any of the five stars that I assigned to the book years ago.While my older self found the book slightly dated and could see that it was a little too sweet with more than a few religious overtones, there are still elements that I believe are relevant to today. While the book does seem to imply that most girls should grow up to become wives and homebodies, Jo struggles to be independent, wants to earn her own living by writing. Amy has a desire to paint and when she decides that she isn’t as talented as she hoped, she begins to make plans to give art lessons for a living. The closeness of the family, the quaintness of it’s themes, the life lessons that are gently delivered still resonated with me. I can see that this book is perhaps a difficult sell to today’s young girls, but as with books like Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, there are rewards in the reading. Well-crafted characters, emotional story-lines that touch the heart, a beautiful background that illustrates middle class life in 1860’s America all combine to make Little Woman a classic that holds it’s place of honor on my shelves.
    • 3/5
      “I want to do something splendid…something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead. I don’t know what, but I’m on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.”Can you believe it? The last person on Earth has finally read Little Women! Okay, I’m kidding, I’m sure I wasn’t the last one to read it but sure feels like it. But yes, this was my very first time reading it and I’m glad I did even though it was a bit of a struggle because 18th century works of fictions and I don’t often get along real well. But despite my apprehension View Spoiler » this one really won me over in the end. I learned to appreciate it for what it’s meant to be: an old-fashioned yet authentic tale of a close knit family, and in particular four very different young women, struggling to find their place in a difficult time in history. It’s not a glamorous tale of silk gowns and ball rooms, but rather an accurate interpretation of how life really was for Louisa May Alcott and her three sisters, as well as all the other women coming of age in the 1800s. It makes you appreciate family, life itself, and presents under the Christmas tree. And NOW, I can finally watch the movie.
    • 5/5
      There's a reason this book is so beloved - the March's are that ideal family. Love is not perfect, but it endures. Each of the girls (and their parents, for that matter) have flaws and shortcomings, but there is a continual striving to be better and to look to the ideal. This is not a modern novel, however. There is plenty of philosophizing, particularly in the second part (my copy includes both "Little Women" and "Good Wives") and the Christian faith of the family is very apparent. I loved many of the scenes from the first half - Jo meeting Laurie at a dance - hiding her stained glove and burned dress, the dramas the girls put on, the mailbox between the March home and the Laurence home, the week the girls did no work. All the details made this family come alive for me. By contrast, the second half had fewer of these scenes and more summaries of what had happened to each character, which I thought made it not as strong.
    • 3/5
      I know it's a classic, but the book bored me to tears every time I was forced to read it (in high school and in college). I like action. This has none at all, but I suppose it's not meant to be that kind of book.
    • 2/5
      I know a lot of people who just rave over this book, but it was really a struggle for me to even get through it. The characters had no depth, the book was preachy, and the ideals it was preaching for the proper behavior of women were bile-inducing. I know, I know, it was written a long time ago, in a world with different ideals, etc. And yes, I know Alcott was a social reformer and a feminist. But my respect for her and what she did can't make me like this book any more...sorry.

      I have to kind of agree with Jo's publisher, even though this statement was made as something we were supposed to disagree with in the course of the book...

      "People want to be amused, not preached at, you know..."
    • 2/5
      *contains spoilers*

      This is a "classic," one to which I was sadly introduced in a movie. Sadder still, the movie is not very good, and yet it's better than the book. Perhaps if I'd read it as a youngster, I would have gotten more instruction out of its text, for it is one big lesson in how to behave, an "Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" for the 19th Century.Here's an interesting factoid: Alcott was a lifelong opium addict, and she wrote LIttle Women in an opium haze.
    • 5/5
      A book that both defines and transcends the sentimental literature of the nineteenth century, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is one of those lifelong companions that I have read and re-read, in whole and in part, too many times to count...The story of the four March sisters, their adventures and friends, their joys and sorrows as they come of age during the tumultuous period of the American Civil War, is as relevant today as when it was first written. Here we see both the warmth and strength of family love, and the bitter rivalries that can arise between siblings. As someone who grew up in a house with three girls, I could enter fully into many of the characters' feelings, whether it was Amy's pique at being left out, or Jo's righteous indignation at the burning of her precious papers, and subsequent ecstasy of repentance when her anger almost costs her something far more dear. Who hasn't longed, like Meg at Vanity Fair, to be popular? And who hasn't secretly wished that, like Beth, they had a kindly benefactor?Like the March girls, many children today must cope with the absence of a parent, whether through military service or other causes; and like the March girls, children have always been forced to confront difficult moral choices as they struggle to become adults. I have sometimes seen this book described as very "modern" in its appreciation of the many different kinds of friendship and love possible between men and women. Frankly, I tend to think that every generation overestimates its distinctness, and that what some read as "modern," are simply observations about the human animal that were as true in the 1860s as they are today...There are so many aspects of Alcott's masterpiece that I love, that it would be impossible to list them all. Suffice it to say that this is a beautiful book, both in its overarching themes and structure, and in its particular characters and narratives incidents. Finally, I should note that although this book has been published in a seemingly endless variety of editions, I myself grew up on the Illustrated Junior Library edition, with illustrations by Louis Jambor.
    • 3/5
      It took me three years to read this book, and I mostly only read it because it was a classic. Not my favorite, but well written and a nice illustration of the time.
    • 2/5
      I enjoyed this book up until a point where I knew what was happening. In many books, a similar situation will arise where you can start making guesses to what is going to occur. With this particular book, something else happened. It wasn't guesses, as I soon learned. It was the route of the book and I lost my desire to continue reading it. Even Jo's chapters, which I usually loved, couldn't keep me invovled. And thus, I admit, I skipped around two chapters. To honor that confession, I will also note that they were Amy's chapters.

      By the end of the book, I was waiting for find a secret chapter that ended similarly to the television show, Roseanne. I wanted to find out that this story wasn't the actual story and that the mother character changed things around because she felt that is how things worked. But, that wasn't to happen.

      So, I find it difficult to giving this book a rating. If this was before those chapters in Nice, I would surely give this an 5. Now, I sit debating a 3.

      To give a book whose chapters I have skipped a 5 makes little to no sense and a 4 seems pointless. A two, truthly, seems most exact but I cannot deny that there were things I loved before the last arc.
    • 5/5
      All "little women" should read Little Women. I know it's a time gone by, but there are timeless lessons and "sisterhood" traits here. 
    • 3/5
      I decided to reread this book. It was just as charming as I remembered it. The book introduces us to the Marches, a formerly prosperous family that has fallen on hard times and is now poor. The four girls are teenagers when the story begins and cover a little over a year if I remember correctly. Their father is away at war, the two oldest girls are working to help the family make ends meet. We learn their hopes, dreams, and personality. The book ends with Meg's engagement to John Brooke.Read first time: 1980
    • 5/5
      Why have I just now read this book? I don't know! It was a wonderful and well written story. I couldn't get enough of the entire family. I cried. I laughed. I couldn't put it down, I had to knwo what happen. So glad I finally read it!
    • 4/5
      Reading through Little Women I kept wishing I'd read it as a girl. Now that I'm grown I found myself identifying with different aspects of the girls' natures. I'm definitely a Jo, and I nearly wept when Teddy married Amy because... I want a Teddy, not a Professor...

      Personal preferences aside, the book completely blessed me and it also gave me a lot to think about.
    • 5/5
      I had an earlier version by far than the edition pictured, given to me by my great aunt when I was 10. It was the great book of my childhood, the book we acted out in the dusty streets of a suburban, tract home town all one long summer, fighting over which sister was the best. And of course everyone wanted to be bold Jo, but I always had a soft spot in my heart for vain, ambitious Amy. I could never get my daughter to read it; she balked at the cozy world, the homilies, the pious little girls giving away their Christmas breakfast, the silly...to her mind...love stories.

      But I love this book still. It seduced me to finding out more about the world of the Alcotts, and of New England in the Civil War period. And thus I found Thoreau (whom Louisa apparently was in love with) and Emerson, and a whole world of thought.

      Which was heady stuff for a 10 year old, let me tell you. I reread Little Women every few years. I've read everything else Alcott wrote as well, from the potboiler thrillers to all the tidy romances. Maybe a grandchild of mine will like her, someday.
    • 2/5
      Disclaimer: I have read this book exactly once before. And now for the very unpopular opinion…I didn’t really like it. The first half of the book just bored me to tears, and while Jo’s story definitely picked up in the second half, I still had a hard time getting through the chapters. Alcott puts a lot of emphasis on the morality exhibited by the girls, which by today’s standards seem also comical, and the some of the characters are only one-dimensional and their only purpose is to exhibit goodness. I am curious to pick up Alcott’s other work, though, after giving this a reread.
    • 2/5
      This was okay... but I didn't love it. It started off well enough and made me smile and laugh a few times which is good, however, I got tired of it after a while and it didn't really capture me. The writing was lovely though and I did enjoy the fact that all the girls are such different characters and that they all have their flaws and work on trying to be better people. I wish I had read it when I was younger just to know how I would have reacted to the story as a child; it's hard to tell whether I would have liked it or if I would have been just as apathetic towards it as I am now. Overall it's well written story with well developed characters; it just didn't wow me.
    • 5/5
      I feel like this book is epic is scope and length and content, that I am going to break my review down a bit. This will contain spoilers so if you haven't read this book, then please do not read anything after this paragraph. Also, if you haven't read Little Women yet, I highly recommend it, especially at this time of year. I think it fills you with a lightness of spirit and generosity, and reminds you that what is important in life is not a what, but those that you love.***Beth's Death: I might as well start off with a big one. Sweet, kind, gentle, Beth dying. Do we know what she died from? She had scarlet fever as a young teen, that she got when she helped the Hummel family down the street that had a million kids. It is like she recovered from the scarlet fever, but not really. It was like all of a sudden Jo just knew Beth was dying, years later, and Beth was like yep I am. Yet she didn't want to see a doctor, and everyone in the family accepted that she was dying, and did nothing about it. I remember crying my eyes out when I read this when I was younger; as an adult, I was sad, but really only teared up when something of Beth's was pointed out in the narration, like her sewing that she put down one day and never picked up again. Poor Beth, who never really lived at all.Jo: I have always had a love/hate relationship with Josephine "Jo" March. I could relate to a character that loved to read and write and eat apples, but she also got on my nerves. She was always such a loud character to me, and I don't enjoy being around loud people very much. I also could relate to her temper getting her into hot water. I just wish she was a little quieter.Jo and Laurie: Ok seriously? How do these two not happen? One of the reasons I get annoyed with Jo, I think is Laurie. Best friends from childhood, these two know and understand each other better than anyone else. They are always in each others pockets, getting into scrapes, helping each other through rough times, family in heart. It seems only natural that they would end up together one day. But they don't! Jo turns Laurie down, breaking the heart of Laurie - and the reader. If two character should ever have ended up together, it was these two. But Alcott didn't give us this happy ending. Instead we get...Jo/Mr. Bhaer and Laurie/Amy: Talk about disappointing!! First, lets talk Laurie and Amy. Laurie runs off to Europe to nurse his broken heart, and hangs out with Amy, who is there with her aunt as a companion. Amy is the little sister, vain and selfish, grasping for aristocracy and the good life. And somehow, even though she is a complete opposite to his love Jo, he falls in love with Amy, and she with him. And they get married!!! NOOOOO!!! How could that happen?? But then to make matters worse, Jo falls in love with a German tutor/Professor, who is described as not very attractive and much older, but he does have a generous and giving heart. I did like the man, but not for Jo. Was Jo looking for another father, since her father was an absent father, due to the war? She even thinks to herself how much her father would like to have conversations with "her Professor". It's just not right. Laurie and Jo should be together.The March Family: Oh, how I love this family. The love they have for each other is very clear, as is their willingness to help each other out as much as possible, in any way they can. Fiercely loyal to one another, although they fight amongst themselves as is normal for sisters, they adore their mother, whom they call Marmee.Their goodness shines from the pages, inspiring the reader to their own good works, whether small or large.Amy and Meg: I think these two sisters have similar qualities- both like the finer things in life, and covet them. Meg grows out of this, and marries Laurie's tutor. She enjoys her little home and family, and is content, with only the occasional flash of jealousy. Amy supposedly matures on her European trip, but I don't see it too much. I think it is weird she just marries Laurie without even checking with Jo. I mean, I guess she doesn't have to, since Jo has made her feelings known, but it does feel like she is breaking some sort of sister code.Although the book frustrates me in parts, I genuinely did enjoy it. Everything works out in their little world, for better or for worse. It is so calming and peaceful, and in the end, the family is perfectly happy with their life.
    • 5/5
      Love this book. Sad about the "choice" made in the end but I completely understand, now that I am older. 15 when I first read this book now I am 30.
    • 2/5
      I've never been a fan of this book.

      As a feminist, I'm REALLY not a fan of this book. Teaching little girls that the most important thing is to find a man and keep him! As an atheist, who doesn't mind religion, the religious undertones were too ... irritating in this book.

      I know it's a classic. I know people love this book. It just wasn't for me.

      The second star is solely for it's 'classic' status. I know... I'm a sucker.