Then and Now
Louisa May Alcott first published her semi-autobiographical novel Little Women in 1868-9 (as two volumes). She wrote it at the request of her publisher who wanted a book about girls. Both she and her publisher found the resulting novel dull, but the publisher's niece and several other young girls loved it. The book has never been out of print.
I first read Little Women when I was 10 or 12. The book belonged to my mom and I remember it having a green cover and brittle pages that were falling out of the spine. It was not love at first sight. The first time I tried to read it, I remember barely getting beyond the first page. An old book about a bunch of girls sitting around complaining? No thanks.
Somehow I picked it up again. (I suspect I'd run out of reading options and felt a bit desperate.) This time I read it straight through. I enjoyed it enough that I not only read the sequels (Little Men and Jo's Boys) but several of the author's other books: An Old-Fashioned Girl, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom.
When the new Little Women movie directed by Greta Gerwig came out in late 2019, I decided to pick up the book again. All the paper copies were checked out at my local library, so I downloaded a copy to read on my tablet. It was 1400+ pages! While this high number was due in part to the small screen format, I realized that this was an unabridged version. It was quickly apparent that I must have only read the abridged version as a child, as there were long passages such as Amy's trip to Europe that I did not remember having so much detail. One of the main things I noticed as an adult reading Little Women was the age of the characters. Jo muses about being too old to marry at 25; the "old" man she eventually marries is an over-the-hill 40.
Favorite Quotes
Before I reread Little Women, I made a list of some of my favorite quotes that I'd found online and engraved them on wood magnets. It gave me a pleasant jolt whenever I came across them in the text and made the reading extra rich for me. Sometimes I was surprised by the speaker or situation. (In my imagination, all the good lines belonged to Jo March, but that turned out not to be true.) Here are the ones I chose:
"I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now."
The setting for this quote is a fancy ball where Amy has been dolled up in the latest fashions. She is talking to her wealthy neighbor Laurie who has brought her a cup of coffee and supper while they sit and rest between dances. If you want your coffee first thing before anything else, this might be the quote for you.
"Let us be elegant or die!"
Who hasn't felt exasperated trying to get ready for a night on the town like Jo? Here's the full sentence with the quote: "Meg's high-heeled slippers were very tight and hurt her, though she would not own it, and Jo's nineteen hairpins all seemed stuck straight into her head, which was not exactly comfortable, but, dear me, let us be elegant or die!"
"Housekeeping ain't no joke."
This is attributed to the housekeeper Hannah. It's something the sisters recall her saying when they try to manage the household themselves. It's a quote that makes me laugh. Everything seems easy and quick ... if you're the one who doesn't have to do it!
"I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship."
Amy says this as a newlywed when bickering with her husband. This one surprised me. I thought for sure it would be in a scene about Jo and her struggles in getting published.
"I hate ordinary people!"
I had guessed that this one might be from Amy, since she seemed to pride herself on always being seen as special. I was wrong. Jo writes this in a letter when she is working as a governess and hears the other lodgers discussing her looks. Right before this remark she writes, "I felt angry at first, and then I didn't care, for a governess is as good as a clerk, and I've got sense, if I haven't style, which is more than some people have, judging from the remarks of the elegant beings who clattered away, smoking like bad chimneys."
"I like good strong words that mean something."
Jo says this when arguing with her older sister Meg who does not like the frank language ("dreadful expressions") her sister uses. If you're a writer, you know that word choice matters.This quote reminded me of the popular writing advice to rely on nouns and verbs (strong words) rather than loading up your sentences with a lot of adjectives and adverbs.
"I'm as happy as a cricket here."
Jo utters this in the rich library at Laurie's house. Here's the description of the room: "It was lined with books, and there were pictures and statues, and distracting little cabinets full of coins and curiosities, and Sleepy Hollow chairs, and queer tables, and bronzes, and best of all, a great open fireplace with quaint tiles all round it."
"Families are the most beautiful things in all the world!"
Jo says this near the end of the book when she is discussing the plans for her school for boys. This one surprised me. I felt sure it would be Marmee or maybe one of the other sisters who said this since Jo wasn't usually so sentimental.
See all the Little Women magnets in my shop. Let me know if I missed a favorite of yours!