Chiltern Classics: Little Women

The March family live in a small house next door to the Laurence mansion, where young Theodore Laurence, known as Laurie, and his aged grandfather have only each other for company. Old Mr. Laurence is wealthy, and he indulges every wish of his grandson, but often Laurie is lonely. When the lamps are lit and the shades are up in the March house, he can see the four March sisters, with their mother in the center, seated around a cheerful fire. He learns to know them by name before he meets them, and, in his imagination, he almost feels himself a member of the family. Alcott intricately explores the rich nuances of family and family relationships with each character. Avid Alcott readers often identify in themselves one of the four sisters at various phases in their own lives. It's a perfect story for Christmas, or any time of year; a fine example of Romanticism.