Book
Little Women
The story follows the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they navigate their passage from childhood to womanhood in Civil War-era Massachusetts.
"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott is a coming-of-age novel. The story follows the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they navigate their passage from childhood to womanhood in Civil War-era Massachusetts.
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Read a passage
“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
“It’s so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.
“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.
“We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.
The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, “We haven’t got Father, and shall not have him for a long time.” She didn’t say “perhaps never,” but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.
Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, “You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can’t do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don’t,” and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.
“But I don’t think the little we should spend would do any good. We’ve each got a dollar, and the army wouldn’t be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy Undine and Sintran for myself. I’ve wanted it so long,” said Jo, who was a bookworm.
Contents
- 01Part 1
- 02Chapter One Playing Pilgrims
- 03Chapter Two a Merry Christmas
- 04Chapter Three the Laurence Boy
- 05Chapter Four Burdens
- 06Chapter Five Being Neighborly
- 07Chapter Six Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful
- 08Chapter Seven Amy’s Valley of Humiliation
- 09Chapter Eight Jo Meets Apollyon
- 10Chapter Nine Meg Goes to Vanity Fair
- 11Chapter Ten the P.c. And P.o.
- 12Chapter Eleven Experiments
- 13Chapter Twelve Camp Laurence
- 14Chapter Thirteen Castles in the Air
- 15Chapter Fourteen Secrets
- 16Chapter Fifteen a Telegram
- 17Chapter Sixteen Letters
- 18Chapter Seventeen Little Faithful
- 19Chapter Eighteen Dark Days
- 20Chapter Nineteen Amy’s Will
- 21Chapter Twenty Confidential
- 22Chapter Twenty-One Laurie Makes Mischief, and Jo Makes Peace
- 23Chapter Twenty-Two Pleasant Meadows
- 24Chapter Twenty-Three Aunt March Settles the Question
- 25Part 2
- 26Chapter Twenty-Four Gossip
- 27Chapter Twenty-Five the First Wedding
- 28Chapter Twenty-Six Artistic Attempts
- 29Chapter Twenty-Seven Literary Lessons
- 30Chapter Twenty-Eight Domestic Experiences
- 31Chapter Twenty-Nine Calls
- 32Chapter Thirty Consequences
- 33Chapter Thirty-One Our Foreign Correspondent
- 34Chapter Thirty-Two Tender Troubles
- 35Chapter Thirty-Three Jo’s Journal
- 36Chapter Thirty-Four Friend
- 37Chapter Thirty-Five Heartache
- 38Chapter Thirty-Six Beth’s Secret
- 39Chapter Thirty-Seven New Impressions
- 40Chapter Thirty-Eight on the Shelf
- 41Chapter Thirty-Nine Lazy Laurence
- 42Chapter Forty the Valley of the Shadow
- 43Chapter Forty-One Learning to Forget
- 44Chapter Forty-Two All Alone
- 45Chapter Forty-Three Surprises
- 46Chapter Forty-Four My Lord and Lady
- 47Chapter Forty-Five Daisy and Demi
- 48Chapter Forty-Six Under the Umbrella
- 49Chapter Forty-Seven Harvest Time
About this edition
- Author
- Louisa May Alcott
- Era
- Modern (c. 1800–1945)
- Reading level
- Intermediate: some philosophy helps
- Formats
- EPUB, PDF
- Length
- 526 pages
- This edition
- Modern Philosophers