Customer Reviews

Good Wives

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just to be clear, Little Women was originally published in two parts: Little Women, and Good Wives. They've since been sold mostly in one volume. If you remember the death of Beth, Jo's experiences in New York, and Meg as a married woman, you have already read this. I enjoyed reading them as separate volumes (it allows me to pretend that Beth lives and Jo ends up with Laurie), but this isn't how this book is usually sold. But, contrary to what some another review has said, this isn't some gimmicky attempt by publishers to rip off readers, this is how the book was originally sold.

Both halves of this story are lovely, definitely worth reading.

Louisa May Alcott captured the spirit of a loving family in "Little Women," the ultimate coming-of-age story. In "Good Wives," the second half of the "Little Women" story (and the second part of an ongoing family saga), Alcott takes her little women out of teenage hijinks and into a darker, more adult place.

The book opens with Meg March's wedding to John Brooke -- he's not the wealthy man of her dreams, but he is the man she loves. As Meg learns that it's a struggle to be a poor man's wife, her sisters Jo and Amy are stretching their own wings -- Amy is becoming an accomplished young artist, and Jo is letting "genius burn" as a published writer. Beth, who has never recovered from her bout of scarlet fever, is still a fragile homebody.

Things take an unexpected turn when Aunt March invites Amy to go to Europe with her -- a trip Jo has wanted for years. To make things worse, Beth is in love with Laurie... but then Laurie proposes to Jo. When she rejects him, he storms away to Europe. Jo leaves as well, to be a governess and a writer in the city, but returns home to find Beth slowly wilting away. Tragedy, love and new life will bring the family back together in unexpected ways.

It always hurts to grow up, and the events of "Good Wives" are no exception. It's a much more adult book than the first "Little Women," with the girls finding out about love, marriage, careers, artistic attempts and the loss of loved ones. There's plenty of humor -- Jo's disastrous housecalls and Amy's equally disastrous dinner party -- but it's muted.

Alcott's writing, surprisingly, doesn't change much -- it's still funny, weird and highly detailed, but also full of sweetness and pathos. And while the book has some sad endings, the overall feel is that life goes on and things always turn out, if not happily, then for the best -- there are marriages, babies, and new beginnings for everyone. And it ends with a lead-in to the sequel, "Little Men," with Jo and Professor Bhaer adopting a bunch of boys as unruly as Jo was.

Jo is the same old Jo, with her foot in her mouth and her fierce independence. But she does become more mature and less prickly. Beth is almost a nonentity, wasting away until leaving the book altogether; Meg seems rather ditzy as a housewife, but apparently is shown as a Marmee-in-training. Amy does the best of all, becoming a vivid, funny character almost as likable as Jo.

The second part of "Little Women" is "Good Wives" -- a very different kind of story about the March girls. But if anything, it's a more beautiful and sweeter one.

I liked this book a lot although i found amy's letters to be a bit boring. All throughout the book, i found myself wanting Jo and Laurie to end up together. Whether they do or not, you have to read the story. And Meg is finding her married life a lot different then she imagined. Its not all a bed of roses. Read the book. Its a good ending to little women.

In Good Wives, Meg is married to a poor man. she is just trying to get used to married life, especially since she has children later. Amy has grown to be quite like her older sister(Meg), and is off in Europe. since Beth had scarlett fever she seems to become weaker, and in a daze every day. Laurie becomes too fond of Jo, so she goes to New York. Both Jo, and Amy get married later, and have children. the book was written wonderfully, and descriptively. It took on a better understanding of what both, life, and marriage should be based on all different perspectives. It touched my heart deeply. It's a great book, but you should read the first part of Little Women first

The company shipped the book very quickly and I received it in better condition than I was expecting. The book came shrink wrapped and in perfect condition, even though the description noted that there might be some normal wear and tear to it. I ordered the book as a gift and I ordered it a little later than I should have but I still received the book before I needed it, so I was still able to give the gift on time. Also, the prices were VERY reasonable.

The book jacket says "continue their story" but this book is just the second part of the original "Little Women" book excerpted out. It adds nothing new. It ends at exactly the same place in the story. The chapters titles are the same as "Little Women." I bought it because I thought it was a sequel. I feel completely ripped off. I don't understand how the previous reviewers missed this essential point!!!!