Little Women

The March sisters have little money, but a whole world of love, ambition and imagination. Christmas will not be the same for Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Their father is away serving in the American Civil War, and the March family has fallen on hard times. Yet although money is short, life for the four sisters is full of colour. They play games, put on theatricals, make friends, quarrel, learn from mistakes and help one another through sickness and disappointment. Under Marmee's loving guidance, each sister must face her own faults and hopes as childhood begins to give way to adulthood. Little Women is a beloved coming-of-age classic about sisterhood, family, moral growth and kindness. Set in New England during the Civil War, Louisa May Alcott's domestic novel follows the March sisters as they discover who they are and what kind of women they want to become. Warm, funny and enduring, it remains one of the most cherished family novels in literature.

Louisa May Alcott was born on 29 November 1832 in Pennsylvania, and she grew up with plenty of books to read but seldom enough to eat. Louisa went to work when she was very young as a paid companion and teacher, but she loved writing most of all, and like Jo March she started selling sensational stories in order to help provide financial support for her family. She worked as a nurse during the American Civil War but the experience made her extremely ill. Little Women was published in 1868 and was based on her life growing up with her three sisters. She followed it with three sequels, Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886) and she also wrote other books for both children and adults. Louisa was also a campaigner for women's rights and the abolition of the slave trade. She died on 6 March 1888.