Little Men - Louisa May Alcott
First published in 1871.
The sequel to 'Little Women/Good Wives.'
Two random points of information to note regarding this particular entry on the list:
1) This is the first book that Elise and I have finished together this year! I think this is the longest we've taken to finish something since we've been married, and that reflects mostly on the busy-ness (and resulting lack of energy) of life with a baby.
2) When we finished this book, I read out 'The End' and Elise queried my pronunciation of the word 'the.' This led us down a rabbit hole in which we suddenly realised that we all pronounce 'the' differently depending on whether it is followed by a vowel or a consonant! How have I reached this age and not realised that before!!
Anyway...
Little Men is the sequel to Little Women (and Good Wives, if you count Good Wives as a separate entry to Little Women and not as part two of the book as many editions do). Jo is now grown up and married to Frederich Bhaer, and together the two of them run a home/school for various boys - the Little Men of the title. The book's title is an accurate sign that the focus of the book has shifted; Jo is now a supporting character as the boys take centre stage - sometimes literally.
As with Little Women, this book is quite episodic. On the whole, the chapters contain slice-of-life happenings at the school, giving moral lessons (and occasional Christian values) throughout. Once again, Elise and I were impressed by just how Christian the book was in patches - and also how much the morality within is shown to help the boys grow in character.
It is harder to decide who the main character is. We are introduced to the school through the eyes of Nat, a new boy and orphan with a musical gift. The first few chapters are through his eyes, but as time goes on he fades a little into the background as he becomes 'one of the boys.' Another character, Dan, is introduced later, as a boy with a much more troubled outlook on life. The consequences of his actions - particularly the way that the adults are forced to stick to their word - is one of the more powerful moments in the book, and raises the stakes a bit further than similar style books may do.
Little Men is another well-written and quite sweet book by Alcott. It is easy to see why this book, like its predecessor, has remained popular for so long. With its episodic nature and lack of narrative drive, it is also easy to see why Little Women is more popular than it is.
Very enjoyable.
In fact, out of all the books Elise and I have finished this year, it's our favourite.
Completed, with Elise, 27 April 2024.
(Elise Books)
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