Rating: 3/5
Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…
Since the trailer came out, I'm sure there's been an increase in the amount of people picking up Little Women, hoping to read it before the film comes out. Well, I'm no different. Being one of my mum's favourite books, I've always intended to read it and never quite got round to it - I tried once when I was younger but it really wasn't for me. Spoiler Alert...I'm still not sure if it is.
I absolutely love the energy of the trailer, and I think it perfectly encapsulates Jo as a character. She is energetic and chaotic but ultimately loving and kindhearted, even if she struggles to show that at times.
I'd actually say the characters were what drove me to finish the book; Jo and Laurie were a lot of fun, and I enjoyed Meg's journey into womanhood as much as Amy's attempts to be grown up and Beth's to be helpful to all. The sisters are the obvious heart of Little Women, and also the redeeming feature, for the plot leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes.
On the romance front, I'm torn between wishing something more could have happened between Jo and Laurie, and not enjoying the way the trailer seems to play up that side of the story when the book has them remain just friends. Their chemistry was obvious, unlike that of Meg and Mr Brooke's, but I could never fully grasp their ages. This, I'm sure, is a result of 16-18 meaning a very different thing in the nineteenth century to the 21st, but sometimes I felt they were 12 and other times 20. Their playful nature complimented each other beautifully, but I half expected Laurie to grow up the way Meg did and suddenly want something more from Jo. I'm certainly intrigued as to how the film will handle this.
The nature of Little Women is undeniably didactic. Each girl has an explicit flaw which she attempts to correct throughout the book - either with the help of a Bible, praying, their mother, or their sisters. This was vaguely interesting and, I suppose, the plot of the book; learning to be grateful for what they had and to not give in to the vain or unruly parts of their nature. It was a very weak plot though. The events throughout were often fun or sometimes emotive, but there was very little plot to speak of. This book was a year in the lives of the March sisters, and as I dislike books without plots, it really didn't do much to impress me.
Whenever the narrator appeared to comment on the action or explain why we weren't privy to certain information, it felt more invasive than informative. Their - I want to say her, as it felt like a particularly feminine narrator to my mind - need to add observation or praise of the girls frequently took me out of the story, and I preferred the sections where they disappeared for a period and allowed the story to take control.
Also, I'm not afraid to admit that I was very surprised that Little Women was set in America. It had never even occurred to me that it might not be English, but it was interesting to read something from that period which wasn't since most of my degree focused on English literature. It's been a while since I've read an American collection, and sadly I still don't get on with them very well. I think they are so filled with American spirit - a feeling of open space and potential, a spirit of adventure and religious morality - that it clashes with my undeniable English sensibility.
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