Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 4

March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women by Kate Bolick

Four contemporary writers reflect on how Little Women shaped their lives and what it means to them.

Kate Bolick, initially a Jo, grew to appreciate Meg more upon an adult reread of the book. Like Meg, Kate wanted fine things and to please others. She relates the story of a sleazy man she dated and a party at which he shamed her for dressing up in a fancy, designer gown. She understood the same lesson Meg learned in the chapter "Meg Goes to Vanity Fair." Like Meg, Kate learned to accept her own individuality and not someone else's idea of what she should be.

At first I really liked Kate and wished she could have been my babysitter. I had fancy, frilly "Laura Ingalls" and "Anne of Green Gables" dresses. I relate very strongly to Jo, and even more to Louisa. I wish I had known Kate and in spite of her being older, I could have taught her to appreciate her own individuality much sooner and to embrace her inner Jo!

Jenny Zhang writes about Jo. Growing up Jenny dreamed of being a writer like Jo, however, Jo was not her favorite character. Jenny's identity is shaped by her Chinese heritage and the cultural identity she left behind in Shanghai as a precocious (Amy) four-year-old. Finally becoming a writer, Jenny Zhnag felt unfulfilled somehow because she is unmarried. She identified with Jo in the third act of Little Women. Again, I feel bad for her because once again, this woman does not have a supportive mother. In this case, it's complicated by cultural beliefs.

In "A Dear and Nothing Else," Carmen Maria Machado compares the character of Beth to the real life Lizzie Alcott and talks about her own health battles and teenage obsession with sick lit. (I read all those Lurlene McDaniel books in the 90s too.) The parts about Lizzie are really interesting. She was much more human than Beth who is so angelic and perfectly good all the time. Scholar Nina Auerbach claims Beth HAS to die because she doesn't have ambition or dreams beyond the happy home. She'll always be a child to her family. Carmen writes of her own health battles and how they've made her stronger as an adult, yet her mother defines Carmen by her childhood ailments.

I feel this was the strongest essay in the book. I liked learning more about Lizzie (thank you Susan Bailey) and could relate to some of Carmen's own anxieties.

Finally, Jane Smiley looks at Amy from a parent's perspective. Instead of seeing Amy as an annoying, selfish, brat, Jane Smiley sees Amy as the quintessential youngest child having to learn by doing and observing to make her way into the world.

Whew. Can we say helicopter parent? Jane Smiley does not seem to have any regard for Marmee March's unique way of raising her daughters. This modern mother has interfered in her kids' lives, hovered, and would have raised Amy very differently. She sympathizes with Amy in regards to the pickled limes and would have taken the teacher to task for not dealing with the jealous girl and for punishing Amy. (Dear helicopter parent: Amy broke the rules and every time a kid complains to Mommy about bullying and Mommy complains to the school, it makes bullying SO SO much worse). This modern mother would have intervened in Amy and Jo's fights and focused on AMY after Amy falls through the ice and held off lecturing Jo, hovering to monitor for signs of PTSD. Jane Smiley doesn't see to take into account the unorthodox beliefs of the Alcotts/Marches and how typical 19th-century parenting usually meant beating a child for doing something wrong. Marmee offers wise counsel instead which is why we love her.

Jane Smiley goes through Amy's whole character growth to the end of the novel. I can see how she came to form her opinions of Amy but I think she's missing the mark here. Amy is an exaggerated version of Louisa's own sister, the baby of the family, petted spoiled and sometimes made fun of for her art. However, Smiley doesn't consider the fact that Amy can do whatever she wants because of the sacrifices of her older sisters, mainly Jo. Yes Jo is writing trashy stories to support the family so who do you think pays for Amy's art lessons? It was always Louisa who supported May financially. I applaud Jo for NOT being gracious while paying calls. She doesn't like false social interactions and is always true to herself. While I bet this essay will make some people see Amy in a new light, I still don't like her very much.

This collection of essays isn't bad but it's not what I'd call literary criticism or literary analysis. The writers had to rerread the novel as adults for the first time to even write the essays in the first place. The younger writers like to make themselves sound modern and edgy with some very modern language.

Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 1

Little Witches: Magic in Concord by Leigh Dragoon--Graphic novel for tweens/Middle Grades Historical Fantasy


Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are little witches living in Concord, Massachusetts with their mother. Father is far away healing people wounded in the Civil War. The girls push on with their household chores as Marmee wishes them to, while Aunt Josephine March complains about everything they do. When Mr. Laurence, a former enslaved man and witchfinder moves in next door, the girls are nervous but Jo soon befriends his grandson Laurie and old Mr. Laurence assures the Marches he's more interested in Confederate mages than hedge witches. When things, and later people, start disappearing in Concord, the Marches are to blame. With Marmee away, it's up to Meg to decide what to do. She thinks the problem is too big for the girls to solve on their own and they should wait for Mr. Laurence but when the situation becomes more fraught with difficulties, headstrong Jo takes the lead. Can they figure out what is going on and save the day on their own?

My 12-year-old niece just got this book and recognized it as an adaptation of Little Women. She knows I'm a Louisa May Alcott fangirl and Little Women is very near and dear to my heart. She was eager for me to read this book RIGHT NOW. At 12, I know she won't be interested in talking to me for much longer so I agreed to borrow the book and read it. I did not expect to like it, the original novel is an old friend I can quote from by heart and I've seen and disliked all the adaptations. To humor my niece I kept an open mind and I'm glad I did! The author is as much a devoted fan of the original novel and LMA as I am! I feel like she is a kindred spirit. I could easily tell how well she knew the novel AND the time period. I appreciated that a lot.

The first half of the book was more enjoyable for me. I really liked the nods to the original novel and the incorporation of Alcott family history. I smiled when I saw the apple tree, knowing, as the author does, the Alcotts had an apple orchard behind Orchard House, hence the name, as Bronson believed apples were the most perfect food. Having the Marches in this novel have a magically enhanced apple tree was a charming nod to the Alcott family. This half of the book includes a letter from Father, Jo writing and the introduction of the Laurences. Old Mr. Laurence is clearly based on Frederick Douglass who did indeed make quite a bit of money lecturing and writing Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and My Bondage and My Freedom. I don't believe the Alcotts and Douglass knew each other but they did sort of run in the same antislavery and women's rights circles. Father March was forced to close his parlor school because he allowed in a Black student, just like Mr. Alcott. I also picked up on the fact this author has given Father the name Robin, which it very well COULD be because we know Jo's son is Rob after his grandfather! Mrs. March visits the Hummels but nothing about the baby being sick. I love the little nods that show the writer knows her stuff! Because I know the Alcotts and Transcendentalism, I understood the references in this book but I think for younger readers or those who haven't read the novel in some time, a bit of explanation is needed.

The witchcraft world building isn't as strong as I would like it. Why does Marmee only want the girls to learn hedgewitch magic like knitting, gardening, household chores and women's work? That is absolutely NOT what Abigail Alcott wanted for her children and I don't think Marmee does either. Being a Transcendentalist doesn't mean NOT changing the world! Mrs. Alcott was eager to vote and hoped she would be able to in her lifetime. Louisa was for reforms of all kinds.

In the world of this novel, Meg keeps knitting and for some reason knitting is magical and she isn't very good at it. What does what mean, exactly and why? Meg worries a lot. She stays home and doesn't work as a governess for the Kings. There's no John Brooke in sight to flirt with and she doesn't envy the girls in her old social circle. She's lost the essence of who she is in this translation.
Jo isn't so much of a writer but she's strong-willed, a leader and DETERMINED. Jo wants to be DOING something to help her family and in this case, that means witchcraft. Aunt March (ah the author missed a detail-she's Father's AUNT, not sister), is more likable here. She tells it like it is and sometimes she's a little harsh. She disapproves of what Marmee teaches the girls for good reason because surprise! Aunt March is like a magical epidemiologist trying to research and figure out how to save the world from things like the Black Plague. That's super awesome and totally badass of Aunt March! In this version of the story, Jo doesn't go read to Aunt March. The timeline is sped up and Amy becomes Aunt March's beneficiary very early in the story. The reason is, Jo is set in her habits and too old to train. Amy is young and still teachable.

Beth is super sweet and has an affinity for animals but she isn't all that shy. She says Mr. Laurence will let her play his piano but she doesn't ever go and play. Her illness comes from a surprising source having to do with the magical plot. I was surprised and not too thrilled. Yes we all cried when Beth was sick and later when Beth died but she kind of has to die because Lizzie Alcott died. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Amy to try to figure out what was wrong and try to cure Beth? Instead, there's a wild plot that seems disconnected from the rest of the story. It involves magic and the disappearances in Concord. Apparently Beth can not DO magic but she can repel it? This needs some clarification.

Amy is a little more likable here too. She's young and silly sometimes. I LOVE the inclusion of her malapropisms, it's my favorite part of her character in the novel and usually gets cut out of adaptations. She's not as bratty or as snooty. Mr. Davies was totally wrong to punish Amy and not the Snow girl. The other girl was bullying Amy first! OK so Amy wasn't supposed to be hiding pickled limes in her desk but she wasn't abusing her powers, she was a young girl trying to keep from getting into trouble at school. She didn't really know what was going to happen and what did happen was harmless. The OTHER girl should have been punished for being mean to Amy. Mr. Davies turns out to be a real surprise. I wasn't expecting him to be a fleshed out character. In trying to correct other people's behavior, he does the one thing he truly hates. I feel almost bad for him.

The startling magical conclusion needs a LOT more explanation. I don't understand what happened and why, except they all combined their talents to work together. The magical element needs more fleshing out-what, why, how? It kept me up late reading though.

Another casualty of this type of storytelling is Jo and Laurie's friendship. I don't get the closeness that's in the original and how Jo wants to be a boy, free of the restrictions placed on girls. While this avoids the problem of his proposal, that's part of the charm of the original novel. Who doesn't love Laurie?

Also included is a bonus short story. It's simple and cute. Like Beth, I love animals and don't regard common garden pests as bad. However, if I had to rely on a garden for food, I'm sure I would feel differently.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are dreadful. If it's set during the Civil War, why are the girls wearing turtleneck sweaters and long skirts? Where are the iconic wide skirts and sleeves? Bonnets? Gloves? Some of the men are shown wearing old-fashioned queues (ponytails or braids). That's not correct for the 1860s either. The shopkeeper and some of the people in the background look more accurate. The neutral color palette doesn't do anything for me. I did like seeing Orchard House even though the Alcotts didn't live there at the time the story takes place. I also liked the train station which is still there. None of the shops looked familiar. I know the town so well so I would have included the familiar buildings as they looked in the 1860s.

With a little more fleshing out, this novel could be truly a great adaptation for tween/young teen girls who just can't slog through all 600 pages of the original and prefer a little more excitement in their plots.

Louisa May Alcott in June Reading Challenge

          

It's that time of year again! Thank you Tarissa for hosting this fun challenge. My reading didn't go as planned and I only managed two books.

1. Little Witches: Magic in Concord by Leigh Dragoon
2. March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women by 

   Kate Bolick,

    

   Jenny Zhang,

    

   Carmen Maria Machado, 

   Jane Smiley