Little Women (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Alcott, Louisa May

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140390693 ISBN 13: 9780140390698

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1989

Synopsis

One of the best loved books of all time. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

Lovely Meg, talented Jo, frail Beth, spoiled Amy: these are hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War. Through their dreams, plays, pranks, letters, illnesses, and courtships, women of all ages have become a part of this remarkable family and have felt the deep sadness when Meg leaves the circle of sisters to be married at the end of Part I. Part II, chronicles Meg's joys and mishaps as a young wife and mother, Jo's struggle to become a writer, Beth's tragedy, and Amy's artistic pursuits and unexpected romance. Based on Louisa May Alcott's childhood, this lively portrait of nineteenth- century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

About this title

From the Publisher

12 1.5-hour cassettes

From the Back Cover

This American classic is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when it was first written in the 19th century. Largely based on the author's own childhood, Little Women is a timeless tale of the four young March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—who grow to maturity in their mother's tender but strong care. As different in their personalities as they are alike in their devotion to each other, the girls vow to support their beloved mother, Marmee, by behaving their best while Father is away, serving as an army chaplain in the Civil War.
Literary-minded tomboy Jo develops a fast friendship with the boy next door, and pretty Meg, the eldest, finds romance; frail and affectionate Beth fills the house with music, and little Amy, the youngest, seeks beauty with all the longing of an artist's soul. Although poor in material wealth, the family possesses an abundance of love, friendship, and imaginative gifts that captivate readers time and again.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0140390693
• ISBN 13: 9780140390698
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504
• Editor: Showalter Elaine, Kilfeather Siobhán, Showalter Vinca