Giving all the “Little Women” the stories they deserve at last, this imaginative historical novel and companion to the much-loved classic draws Meg, Beth, and Amy March from behind the shadow of Jo – Louisa May Alcott’s alter-ego and the “author” of Little Women – as vibrant and unforgettable characters grappling with societal strictures, queer love, motherhood, chronic illness, artistic ambition, and more.
A riveting reimagining for readers of March by Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Miller’s Caroline and Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet.
There are at least two sides to every story – and this one has four. Here are the three you haven’t heard...
Four sisters, each as different as can be. Through the eyes and words of Jo, they became known to millions. Meg, pretty and conventional. Jo, stubborn, tomboyish, and ambitious. Beth, shy and good-natured, a mortal angel accepting her fate. And Amy, elegant, frivolous, and shallow. But Jo, for all her insight, could not always know what was in her sisters’ thoughts, or in their hearts. Now, with Jo away in New York, pursuing her dreams of being a writer, they follow their own paths.
Meg, newly married with young twins, struggles to find the contentment that Marmee assured her would come with domesticity. Unfulfilled, she turns to her garden, finding a calling that will allow her to help other women. . . . Beth knows her time is limited. Still, she longs to break out of her cocoon at home, however briefly. A new acquaintance becomes something more, offering unexpected joy. . . . Amy, in Europe while she pursues her goal of becoming an artist, is keenly aware of the expectation that she will save the family by marrying well. Through the course of her journey, she discovers how she can remain true to herself, to her art, and to the love that was always meant to be.
By purposefully leaving Jo off the page, the authors give the other March sisters room to reveal themselves—coming alive in ways that might surprise even daring, unconventional Jo.
