Little Women

Four sisters in wartime

In a New England town during the American Civil War, the four March sisters face a poor Christmas while their father serves as an army chaplain. Meg, the eldest, is pretty and longs for nice things. Jo is a tomboy who writes stories in the attic and hates being expected to act like a lady. Beth is shy and musical and loves her family. Amy, the youngest, is artistic, vain and determined to be elegant. With their mother, Marmee, and their rich, lonely neighbor Laurie, they spend a year trying to be better people, and the second part of the book follows them into adulthood. Louisa May Alcott published the two parts in 1868 and 1869.

Why it works for learners

Little Women is about daily life, so its vocabulary is the vocabulary you need: home, family, chores, money, clothes, food, school, work, letters, illness, holidays. The sisters talk a lot, and their dialogue is natural, affectionate and often funny. Each chapter is an episode with a clear lesson: a ruined dress, a burned manuscript, a picnic, a party. The characters are distinct from the first page, so you always know who is speaking, and Lexo’s narration gives each sister her own voice.

Which level to start at

B1 is ideal; the episodes are easy to follow and the emotions are clear. A2 works for the story, especially the first part. At B2 and above you’ll enjoy Alcott’s humor and the sharp edges of Jo’s character. Every level covers both parts of the story, girlhood and adulthood.

Read next

• Anne of Green Gables, another girl who wants to write
• Pride and Prejudice, sisters, money and marriage, half a century earlier
• The Railway Children, a family managing without their father