Little Women Read Along :: Discussion Post :: Chapters 18-33

Finally getting to part two! With my computer acting up this past week and my time on the internet limited, I am severely behind on this post. *sigh* If only life always went perfectly, right? But alas.... Here I am anyway!

I must say this story is quite a lot of fun. I may have mentioned that on the last discussion post, but it's true! These "little women" are so enjoyable to spend time with. :)

{Click over to Kami's post for further discussion and all the details!}

What would be your dream cast for the March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy), Marmee, Laurie, and whoever else you'd like to cast?

Oh goodness, I have absolutely no idea! I'm never any good at these sorts of questions. Truthfully, as I've only seen the '94 movie version, I'm okay with the actors/actresses from that.

How do you feel about Meg and Mr. Brooke's relationship?

Oh, Meg. Such a confused state she's in at the beginning of it! I giggled at her indecisiveness, even as I felt for Mr. Brook. But once she comes to understand her feelings, I thought they were very sweet. Granted, they have a bit of a time of it, but I can imagine all newly married folks have some adjusting to do, some learning of how to work together and communicate and all that. So, I like them! They do fit each other very well, I believe. :)

How do you feel about Jo's reaction to Meg getting married?

Poor Jo! She just doesn't handle change very well. I don't think falling in love and getting married have really even entered her mind. It's not something that she's even considering as a possibility in her life at this point, or her sisters lives. Plus I can imagine the sadness she feels at the prospect that Meg will no longer be around on a daily basis. All of which is to say I think her reaction is understandable. We know she's impulsive and opinionated (and possibly a bit scared of growing up?), so it seems just like her. It made me laugh actually.

The girls are growing up and changing, do you feel differently towards them now than you did at the beginning?

I do, slightly. They are all as endearing as ever, but as their lives are changing, so are my opinions of them. Not in a bad way! It's more of a realization that they're all grown up and so I can no longer think of them as girls.

Two important men were introduced in these chapters. What are your impressions of Mr. March and Professor Bhaer?

We don't get a lot of time with either, but I do like them. They both have a kindness about them. It's nice to see Mr. March home and able to dispense wisdom along with Marmee. :) As for Professor Bhaer, he's growing on me. I know what happens, so I'm anxious to see how the book portrays the events. I do like how he seems to understand Jo, at least the writer-side of her.

Do you think it was fair that Amy got to go to Europe instead of Jo?

Yes, because Amy had spent the most time with Aunt March. Plus I'm not really sure that Jo would have loved the adventure as much as Amy. Jo is much more practical and a trip to Europe isn't really the epitome of practicality. :) It fits with Amy's personality more, I think.

What are your thoughts on the time period and setting of the book? Do you like it? Why do you think a very important historical event like the Civil War is hardly mentioned in the story?

I do like it! When this was mentioned in the twitter chat, this thought occurred to me. (I believe Courtney mentioned it first?) The fact that Alcott wrote this during the Civil War (or just after it or on the tail end of it, one of those) and that she was writing it to young women probably had some bearing on why the war itself barely gets a mention. I can only imagine how difficult living through that war must have been for those back then and most likely the younger generation (young ladies specifically) were in need of reminding of happy things. That life could go on beyond a war, and marriage, family, and happiness could come. Even in the midst of hard times! What better way to remind them than by creating a family that they could relate to, as well as adventures they may even want to try themselves (like starting their own Pickwick Club for instance).

Louisa May Alcott supposedly patterned the March sisters after herself and her own sisters. How accurate do you think she portrayed her family? Do you think a lot of the book is an idealized version of her and her sisters?

Possibly pretty accurately. They say that writers should write what they know, so clearly Alcott did. :) I think it probably is idealized. Most fictional stories are, plus if her goal was what I talked about above, she may have wanted it to be very idealized!

Why do you think Louisa May Alcott later added Part 2 to the book?

My guess is money. I think I read somewhere that she wrote part one as a way to help her family's finances. And since it was such a success, it makes sense she'd write more. (Although I will say I'd've been fine if she'd stopped with part one. I'm enjoying part two, just not quite as much as part one. This may partly be because they're all going their separate ways now. Which is only natural since they're adults! But I think I like them better when they're all together at home. :)

What is your favorite adaptation of Little Women and why?

As I've only watched the '94 movie version, I'll have to choose that one. But it's a really good one! It's been a bit since I've watched it, but so far I think the screenwriters stayed pretty faithful to the book. Which is always a plus! :D