the fourth sister

Beth & Amy by Virginia Kantra
Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: In the world of Little Women adaptations, many authors/screenwriters get caught in what I'm going to start calling the "Beth trap".  In the original, Beth is the "good" sister, which often means she's seen as the "boring" sister, so adapters try to make her more "interesting" (usually while still having her die).  Kantra does not avoid the Beth trap, but in her sure hands, Beth is able to be a full character, and a full member of the sisterly quartet (and she doesn't die, either).  I shouldn't have doubted Kantra, whose first book, Meg & Jo, was was far and away the best written adaptation I've come across.

Once again, Kantra has embodied the spirit of the original, while bringing the March sisters into the modern era.  In this book, Beth and Amy share the spotlight, and we even get some insight into the question of how Jo, Amy, and Laurie (in this book, Trey) all manage to reconcile their erstwhile love triangle.  Once again, Kantra handles this deftly and elegantly; everyone's feelings are respected and the reader gets a satisfying resolution too.

Once again, Kantra has given us a good book and a good adaptation, although this one perhaps stands less on its own without Little Women than did Meg & Jo.  Certainly, one should read Meg & Jo first.  But Little Women fans will enjoy this book alongside readers who have no familiarity with the original.  It's sweet, and light without being too light, and generally wonderful.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

the spirit of the original

Meg & Jo by Virigina Kantra
Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
Genre: fiction
Review: I suspect many Louisa May Alcott aficionados get nervous every time they hear about a remake of Little Women, or a "contemporary retelling," like Virginia Kantra's Meg & Jo.  I know I do, and I almost didn't pick up this book because I was concerned about the damage it would do to my favorite book.  I need not have worried.  On the contrary, Kantra got it just right.  I can easily imagine that this is the book Louisa May Alcott would have written if she lived in the 21st century.

Which means, of course, that it's a really good book, in addition to preserving the spirit of Little Women.  The characters, their struggles and triumphs, and their family bond (since this is still the March family) spring off the page.  I felt so connected to the characters that I was a little bereft when the book ended, and I was thrilled to see that Kantra has a sequel, Beth & Amy, coming soon.

I would recommend Meg & Jo to anyone who was looking for a good story, whether or not they've read Little Women.  Many kudos to Kantra for this wonderful book.  Jo March (the original) would be proud.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

a little trite, but cute

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Challenge: A-Z (title)
Review: A fondness for Little Women is a definite requirement for enjoying this book. It takes place in Concord, Massachusetts and is replete with colonial and Transcendental history, as well as the more personal history of Louisa May Alcott and her family.

These historical factoids are sprinkled throughout the story of 4 sixth-graders whose mothers decide to form a mother-daughter book group. They read Little Women over the course of the school year, and as they progress through the book they draw parallels to their own lives. Unfortunately, these parallels sometimes feel forced, as though the author had said "Oh, this is a lovely quote, now let's write a scene to demonstrate it."

The four girls themselves are well-drawn characters. Unfortunately, other characters come across as flat, if not as caricatures of a type.

For all that, the device of rotating the perspective among the four girls works well to keep the story moving along, and one might get some nostalgic enjoyment from it, especially if you remember reading Little Women with your own mother...