Final Classic

I'm squeezing in the final book of my Classics Challenge, and it turned out to be quite a delightful one at that.  When I was in high school I went to go see "Little Women" in the movie theater.  I didn't know much about it, but I was promised that if I loved Jane Austin I would love this.  Well, my teenager heart could never forgive Winona Ryder for actually choosing some old German man over Christian Bale.  How could she do that?!  I was fairly certain no woman on this planet would do that, and it basically ruined the movie for me.  I decided the book was most definitely not for me. 

It's a bit crazy that it's taken me over 25 years to decide that maybe I oughta, sorta give it a try.  You'd think I'd know by now that the movie is almost never as good as the book, and usually gets it all wrong to boot.  I've also always felt that since I've read every Jane Austin book multiple times that maybe it was high time I finally read Little Women.  I'm so very glad I did, because it was absolutely delightful.  I loved all 4 girls instantaneously, and their mother is so wise.  I liked the book even more when I realized Alcott based the book on her family.  It brought more depth to it for me.  

I dearly loved Laurie and confess that the romantic nonsense side of me would have still liked to see him with Jo, but at the same time the more realistic side of me saw how they weren't a good match.  I was happy for him and Amy.  I still didn't love the German tutor as much as "Teddy," but that didn't mean I enjoyed the book any less. 

This book fit under Category #1: A 19th Century Classic.  (It was first published in 1862).