I'm Not A Fan of Little Women, and Here's Why

Hello, friends! It's Em, and it's time for your long-awaited favorite talk show episode (because yes, I know you've been waiting 😉)—In Which Em Hates On Your Favorite Classics!

Totally kidding there. 😂But really, it's been forever. The last time I posted my unpopular book opinions was ... when I first started this blog, almost a year ago. On Anne of Green Gables.

Anyway! In this blog post, I'll be going over my main reasons why I'm not a fan of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Which will be interesting, but also fun! So let's jump in.

First off, I want to clarify a few things.

Firstly, growing up, the original, two-part version of Little Women was a book I read over and over again. I got my first thick copy at a used book sale and pretty much read that thing to death. It's been a lot of things to me—a comfort read when I wanted to escape into an old-timey world with firesides and sisters (aka humans I've never had in my life, even though I do write about them).

Over time, I formed my opinions on pretty much everything—I loved Jo, hated Amy, thought Jo and Laurie were never meant to be (sorry, not sorry!). But overall, Little Women was always a comfort read for me. I admire the author and the opinions she portrayed in her works, even while I don't necessarily agree with her on everything (I mean, people rarely do, am I right?).

So when I'm talking about Little Women in this blog post, I don't mean to attack the author directly. I grew up on Little Women, and it always will hold a special place in my heart. But I don't necessarily love it anymore. And here's why.

It's just not realistic.

While this may be intentional, growing up, I often got frustrated at the fact that the Marches' world isn't like ours at all. Sure, the sisters have occasional arguments, miscommunications, and general conflict, there isn't a ton of it, and in my opinion, not enough to make it realistic.

I simply can't find myself relating to any of the characters or their perfect, "godly" parents. The bond between Marmee, Mr. March, and their daughters could have been dug into and portrayed better, in my opinion. Healthy parent relationships—which I'm sure Marmee and Mr. March had—should be comprised of more than occasional sage advice.

While such unrealisticness is good for those looking to escape in a cozy read, I personally don't read fiction for entertainment alone—I try to examine each book I read for themes that apply to my life.

And while Little Women does contain certain themes, I didn't feel like the emotional connection was there with the main characters because of how perfect their lives seemed, which really just made all the little themes the author shoved in there stand out starkly and ... preachily. If that's even a word. 😜

Another thing! Most of the main characters are pretty much Mary Sues, or perfect except for one or two flaws. Take Beth, for example. She was so quiet and perfect and her relationships with everyone around her were perfect, aside from her shyness (which really didn't play a big part, if you ask me!).

The characters are told of God, but they

don't really know God.

Throughout the story, the March sisters are taught of God. How they should bring their troubles to Him, how He is good, etc. But never once is it mentioned that one must have a relationship with God.

A relationship with God isn't about constantly asking Him to fix your problems. Not like the Marches did, anyhow—throughout the book, we see them turning toward logic and making decisions based on their emotions.

A relationship with God is recognizing that He is the center of the story of life, and He should therefore be the center of your life. And I especially felt like that thread was lacking throughout the whole book.

God isn't a magical person who steps into your life and waves a wand and suddenly luck smiles on your path, pulling you into a happily-ever-after.

Did I see any of the March sisters even trying to live for Christ? Quite frankly, no, I didn't.

Materials + awesome people ≠ equal happiness.

The Marches were constantly in pursuit of happiness—a nice house (Meg), becoming a bestselling author (Jo), a man to marry (Amy)—all for themselves (and occasionally, their family).

And in the end, yes, they get their happily-ever-afters (yes, even Beth) because of all the amazing things and people they have in their life. Not because of God, in fact, He completely falls out of the picture! While there are mentions of Him blessing people and directing their lives, there's no mention of a two-sided relationship with Him.

A life well-lived is a life lived for Christ, and I didn't see that message anywhere in this story. All the characters are focused on material things and people, and how those things get them happiness in the end.

This message this book seems to preach instead is the fact that "amazing people in your life will bring you happiness."

While I certainly believe that people are in our lives for a reason, it's God who does that. And He should be the one that's worshipped when we get our wonderful moments in life.

And while yes, the Marches do get their happily-ever-afters, the things they've "overcome" through the course of the story aren't enough to be satisfying, in my opinion. Which of course ties into my last point; it's not realistic.

I want to see stories with characters overcoming challenges with God's help. The Marches don't, which is why I'd hesitate to make them "role models" for anyone.

It's too preachy.

I totally get that it was written a long time ago, and therefore not for the same audience as most readers today. But at the same time, the preachy-ness of the little vignettes into the Marches' lives made me slightly cringe. A lot of the chapters ended with the characters talking about whatever they had gone through and sometimes outrightly stating the moral of the story.

And while that may have worked back when the book was published, personally, I would have liked to see more sympathetic characters with real-life problems and an overall theme that is intertwined through the pages rather than a few sporadic ones stuffed in at every chapter.

However ... it's not all bad.

So. Since I just got all that out, I do want to acknowledge that there are some amazing aspects of this story.

Alcott does a superb job at her male characters. While I'm not a fan of Laurie (I know we wouldn't get along in real life), the way she crafted such a unique and memorable character remains unknown to me. But there's a reason he's one of the most memorable and timeless characters in fiction, even today.

And Mr. Bhaer is like, amazing. So three-dimensional and memorable and all the great things. *grins* Even though the way his accent was written was kind of annoying.

(Side note: And am I the only person who thinks that there should have been more animals in Little Women? Like, okay, Beth had a bunch of kittens, but other than that, there isn't much mention of animals. Which is just sad. I thought people in those days had lots of pets.)

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Do you like Little Women? If so, why (and maybe try to convince me while you're at it 😂)? And if not, give me ALL the reasons.

This is one of the blog posts where I really want to hear your thoughts on my thoughts, and also just your general opinion of the book I'm hating on, whether you agree or disagree. 😂 So please go ahead and drop and comment below and stay tuned for more posts next time!

Also! Should I do more of these? Do you like hearing my controversial opinions of books everyone knows about? Maybe I'll do something on Harry Potter or The Hunger Games next ... eventhoughihaven'tofficiallyreadallofeitherofthem. 😬🤫

Until next time!