This was a fun remix of the original Little Women story! I really appreciated that the story was told from the point of view of the March family as newly freed slaves living in Roanoke, North Carolina, making a life for themselves and pursuing their goals.
The little women were community focused, and very like the original counterparts, Meg teaching in a local school while navigating the politics of getting supplies needed for her students and educating newly freed people.
Jo starts out building homes, but her writing in a local newsletter begins to spread beyond her small town and she moves her perspective to Boston.
Beth does encounter illness, but doesn't let it stop her in her dreams of designing and producing beautiful clothing as she gets back to her roots.
And Amy goes from little sister with too much energy to a trained dancer with the opportunities set before her, all while all 4 sisters fall in love and find companionship in life and causes to celebrate and fight for.
This book was very clever playing to the original text with nods to "Jo's boys" and Beth's "heaven" while the story did play out a bit differently than expected. The girls navigate the effects of slavery, the fight for freedom and continuing the knowledge of what had happened to them, while focusing on freedom. There is some great education about race that is very modern in its teachings, though this book is historical fiction. Truly great nuggets of wisdom written into the text.
While I am a little 'Little Women remixed out" after reading Jo and Laurie last year, and reading the original text, I respect this installation as an update to the story and taking this private women's story into an updated tale of the time after slavery and the political context surrounding it. I applaud the intention of this retelling and hope it finds its way into the hands of the right readers who will love this.
The little women were community focused, and very like the original counterparts, Meg teaching in a local school while navigating the politics of getting supplies needed for her students and educating newly freed people.
Jo starts out building homes, but her writing in a local newsletter begins to spread beyond her small town and she moves her perspective to Boston.
Beth does encounter illness, but doesn't let it stop her in her dreams of designing and producing beautiful clothing as she gets back to her roots.
And Amy goes from little sister with too much energy to a trained dancer with the opportunities set before her, all while all 4 sisters fall in love and find companionship in life and causes to celebrate and fight for.
This book was very clever playing to the original text with nods to "Jo's boys" and Beth's "heaven" while the story did play out a bit differently than expected. The girls navigate the effects of slavery, the fight for freedom and continuing the knowledge of what had happened to them, while focusing on freedom. There is some great education about race that is very modern in its teachings, though this book is historical fiction. Truly great nuggets of wisdom written into the text.
While I am a little 'Little Women remixed out" after reading Jo and Laurie last year, and reading the original text, I respect this installation as an update to the story and taking this private women's story into an updated tale of the time after slavery and the political context surrounding it. I applaud the intention of this retelling and hope it finds its way into the hands of the right readers who will love this.