Description
Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel-the beloved portrait of a nineteenth-century New England family in wartime
The classic story of the March family, Little Women has been adored for generations. Now in a vibrant new deluxe edition with an introduction by Jane Smiley and a cover by Julie Doucet, the novel follows the lives of four sisters-tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy-as they come of age while their father is fighting in the Civil War. Since 1868, readers have rooted for Laurie in his pursuit of Jo's hand, cried over the family's tragedy, and dreamed of traveling through Europe with old Aunt March and Amy. In this simple, enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott has created four of American literature's most beloved women.
About the Author
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents,Abigail May AlcottandAmos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, includingMargaret Fuller,Ralph Waldo Emerson,Nathaniel Hawthorne,Henry David Thoreau, andHenry Wadsworth Longfellow.Alcott's family suffered from financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used pen names such asA.M. Barnard, under which she wrote lurid short stories and sensation novels for adults that focused on passion and revenge.Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters,Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, andAnna Bronson Alcott Pratt. The novel was well-received at the time and is still popular today among both children and adults. It has been adapted for stage plays, films, and television many times.Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She also spent her life active in reform movements such as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke in Boston on March 6, 1888, just two days after her father's death.