Just a quick note before I begin - if your copy of Little Women contains two volumes, the
second volume is simply Good Wives so
don’t buy a separate copy of Good Wives if this is the case - the books are normally published together under the one
title of Little Women with two
volumes contained between the covers. I only mention this here because I was
really confused after I read my two volume copy and it took me a while after
trawling websites to find out that I had in fact already read Good Wives. Furthermore I should mention that this review
contains one major spoiler, but it’s part of the plot that is generally well
known about, particularly if you have seen a certain Friends episode featuring both The Shining and Little
Women, but I will forewarn you when I am about to reveal it.
Little
Women and Good Wives,
published in 1868 and 1869 respectively, is a story following the four March
sisters and their friend Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence in Massachusetts in the
1800’s. The four girls each exhibit individual flaws and much of the plot is
concerned with their journey to correct themselves, always supporting each
other in the end despite their numerous squabbles. Margaret “Meg” March is the
eldest sister and at the beginning of the tale is very preoccupied with
materialistic possessions, Josephine “Jo” March is a tomboy with a fiery
temper, Elizabeth “Beth” March is shy and gentle and Amy, being the youngest
March sister, is spoilt and therefore prone to temper tantrums. Little Women follows the sisters for
about a year, but Good Wives skips
forward in time regularly so that by the end they are all of adult age.
I found these two books to be so delightful and charming
that I felt genuinely sad when they came to an end. Each chapter tends to be
about an event a particular sister goes through, and what she learns at the end
of it. Considering the books were originally aimed at a younger audience, I
think this works well, although I know many people have complained that the
books are too preachy - which is possibly true for a modern audience. However I
didn’t find it bothersome and I didn’t think that the moral lessons were so
overt as to ruin my enjoyment of the book. In fact if anything this aspect of
the novel did me some good; I can be very impatient and reading these books made
me feel bad for getting annoyed at little things and to generally be nicer and
calmer.
The sisters are well drawn and believable as real people
- except for Beth, but I will discuss her in more detail a little later. The
four girls are so different from one another, with their own unique set of
strengths and weaknesses, and this is one of the aspects of the story that
keeps it interesting and it means that almost any reader will be able to relate
to at least one of them. It would have been very easy for Alcott to have fallen
into the trap of painting them as a single homologous entity, but she avoided
this entirely by making their characters so diverse.
Jo was by far my favourite sister. I loved everything
about her character - her energy and drive, her boyishness, her love of books
and writing. I really did not like
how these characteristics were generally seen as faults by her family, and she
was constantly being urged to act more like a lady. The reason this bothered me
so much because she was such a refreshing female character compared not only to
her prim and proper sisters but most female characters written in the Victorian
era. Jo was portrayed as the sister with the most flaws, when I thought she was
the most honest and wholesome, but I suppose this reflects the notions of how a
young girl should conduct herself in the nineteenth century.
From
the feisty and energetic Jo, I come to her complete antithesis: the quiet and
painfully timid Beth. I am about to reveal that spoiler I warned you about at
the beginning of the review, so if you don’t want to know, skip this part.
SPOILER
In the
latter part of Good Wives Beth
dies. I only bring this spoiler into the review because it is supposed to upset
the reader, but I was not moved by her death at all, in fact I was relieved
when it finally happened after all the plentiful foreshadowing:
“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”
The
reason I didn’t care was because in comparison with her sisters Beth’s
character was plain and she had absolutely no personality. She was the only one
of the quartet who failed to grow or develop in any way throughout the entire
plot; she was just as perfect when she died as she was at the beginning:
‘“You’re a dear, and nothing else,’ answered Meg warmly, and no one contradicted her, for the ‘Mouse’ was the pet of the family.”
Beth
was therefore not very believable as a person. No-one is perfect, and in a
novel a realistic character should develop in some way to reflect how real people
learn from their lives. I would have been upset if any of the other girls had
died, and I can’t help but feel that her existence in the book was merely to
act as a model for her sisters - nothing more. She is very sickly sweet as
well, and is often surrounded by little fluffy kittens; her image is very much
one of girlish perfection.
END
SPOILER
Out of the two books, Little
Women is superior to Good Wives.
In the former work, the events are constant and it is thoroughly enchanting and
a delight to read. Good Wives drags
a little towards the end and in some ways feels more rushed since so many years
pass. If you’re looking for a really exciting thriller then you won’t find it
here; this is a novel about growing up, learning, and the importance of relationships
in both family and love. Having said this, I enjoy horror novels more than any
other genre yet I adore these books. I think it is important to bear in mind
that they were originally intended for younger girls when reading them in order
to fully appreciate their messages and their overall charm.
Rating: 9/10
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