This readalong, hosted by Suey, Kami & Jenni, has been all the incentive I needed to pull out my lovely 2007 Folio Society copy of Little Women.
I've been reading (and watching movie versions) of Little Women since I was about ten.
I've lost count of the number of times I have read these four books about the March girls.
However I've only read them once as an adult - sometime in my late twenties - this reread is long overdue.
I say four books because my editions of Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys are all separate books.Most modern editions and movies combine the first two stories into one. Goodreads refers to Good Wives as book 1.5 in the series.
Since I have all four books, I will review them in four separate posts.
My copies of Good Wives and Jo's Boys are my mum's books from the late 50's.
Just seeing these lovely old covers again brings back so many sweet memories of reading these books - in my childhood bedrooms, under trees, on verandahs, sprawled over the various chairs, lounges and trampolines that decorated my youth.
My only problem is that I have discovered that my 1976 childhood edition of Little Men is abridged.
I hope to rectify this matter by the time I get to book three!
I say, my only problem, but I have several this month.
It's my birthday month, which is always a busy time for me catching up with family and friends. I also have an incredible number of family and friends with birthdays this month.
In addition, I seem to have signed up for more than just one reading challenge this month.
I'm joining in Katie @Doing Dewey's Reluctant Romantic challenge. I have selected graphic novels as my genre and plan to read a graphic version of Little Women in an attempt to combine events!
Katie is also hosting a non-fiction readalong of Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed the World and Science which I will attempt to join in if I can source the book in time.
And just this morning I spotted this - Ranty Runt of a Reader is hosting a readalong of Agnes Grey throughout February.
I want to do them all!
But for now, here we go with Little Women,
'Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
Wish me luck.
LUCK! I always have the same issue... I want to do everything! Here's wishing for you time for it all!
ReplyDeleteGood luck :)
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to discover how much my childhood edition of Little Women had been abridged - entire chapters cut! I expect Little Men was as well, but I've never checked.
My first copy of Little Women was abridged too. So this will actually be my first reading of the unabridged Folio edition.
DeleteNo wonder I was able to read them so quickly as a kid - 2 out of 4 were missing a third of the proper story!
I wonder if that's why I think that Susan Sarandon's Marmee was more feminist than in the book? Maybe it was just my abridged edition?
I love Little Women and if I was not dying under too many books, I would have joined! Who knows, I may take it up on the fly! Speaking of abridged editions, i have this lovely colorful LadyBird version of Little Women, with some lovely watercolor panels. But of course it is for younger readers and misses out on the finer detatails of the plot that we love in the book as adults!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck with all your Read-Along.....my advance Birthday wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your posts! I'm hoping to do the read-along as well, though I have still to find my book. Then I have a read-along of Roughing It in the Bush going on and Summerhouse, Later for my February German Lit selection. I want to finish To the Lighthouse and The Custom of the Country (which I didn't get to in time to make it count for your Wharton event). In short, I wish us both luck this month!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see I'm not the only one completely over-committed! I know a crazy reading list is a first world problem, but if you have to have a problem it's a good one to have :-)
DeleteGood luck with your challenges.
Good idea for combining events! I'm going to read paranormal romances for February for my Reluctant Romantic challenge, but also want to do some Black History Month-related reading and posting. Good luck fitting everything in!
ReplyDeleteGraphic novels aren't a genre I read much of either, but I love the idea of reading graphic novel versions of classics. I've seen some really beautiful ones available and I think I'd enjoy having pictures added in the same way I enjoy movie adaptations. Thanks for joining in on the Reluctant Romantic challenge! :)
ReplyDeleteBrona, pace yourself....it's only February and we have a long reading year ahead of us! #XmasInSummer is slowly coming to and end and I think I can squeeze one more read in. I won't hit the target of 17 books....but at least I tried! Have a great birthday and enjoy L.M. Alcott!
ReplyDeleteOoh! I love that you're re-reading Little Women. I've watched a couple of the movie versions, and remember enjoying this one as a "little woman" myself. Who did the graphic novel version you're going to read?
ReplyDeleteThis is the version I have on order here
DeleteDo you know of any others?
That's a lot of reading goals. Mine feel modest in comparison. Though I am reading a couple of really long ones.
ReplyDeleteEvery now and again I go a little blog/book crazy!
DeleteThis February is a great month for reading challenges. I just want to read everything!
ReplyDeleteI suspect my old copy of Little Women was abridged, because I don't remember such a long book. It was tiny, and it included a comic version of the most important scenes, if I'm remembering it right. It was in fact a Spanish copy that belongs to my grandmother. I wonder whether she's kept it.
I hadn't realised how many little scenes and descriptions my old abridged version had left out. But now all the movie versions make sense - all those scenes in the old B&W versions in particular, I thought the Director had taken liberty with, were actually in the unabridged book!
DeleteIt was be fascinating for you to rediscover your Spanish version after all this time :-)