This was an interesting book. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the timeline of WWII. The stories of all the little women were unique. My favorite was Amy's story. ( )

World War II....Check

Giving Beth a strong voice even from beyond the grave.....Check

A book unwilling to shy away from racial tensions of the time (and talk about how bad they are)...Check

All the 40's references...Check

I loved the different authors' takes on Louisa May Alcott's beloved characters (although, clearly, I am one who never had Jo as LGBT). I loved seeing the similar, and yet different, arcs each girl went on. I didn't hate Amy like I do in the original Little Women. I loved Beth being written as novel in verse.....

The only reason this book took me so long to finish was other books were due back first. ;) I think for the right teen reader, this book will be of great enjoyment!
( )

This is a retelling of the later part of Little Women, set during the second world war. The March sisters, grieving for Beth, have gone their separate ways. Jo is working in a factory making planes and questioning her identity. Amy, having lied about her age, is working in England as a Red Cross volunteer. And Meg, left at home with Marmee, is teaching at the local high school.

As a Little Women AU, as a story about the work women did during WWII, and as a book about sisters grappling with grief, I really liked this! It's a satisfying mix of the predictable and the unfamiliar -- I particularly appreciated that the sisters all have jobs I haven't often, or ever, encountered in wartime fiction.

But I have very mixed opinions about the sections from Beth’s perspective, which are told in verse. I quite liked them as poems, and the way they fitted into the story, picking up on ideas or imagery from a preceding chapter. But it was increasingly weird and distracting to have Beth commenting on things from beyond the grave. I would have preferred if her sections had just been purely flashbacks -- poetry that Beth had written (or thought) during her lifetime.

Isn’t it funny
how we spend
so much time

and there’s so little time, my darlings

desperately trying
to be perfect
for the ones who’ll love us
no matter what ( )

A Little Women retelling? Sign me up. This takes Louisa May Alcott’s most famous story about the March sisters and plops them in WWII time - each of the sisters on their own path. Beth has passed away, leaving each of the sisters to come to grips with her void. Amy lies her way to become a Red Cross Clubmobile Donut Dolly, making her way to London where she runs into someone unexpected. Jo is in Connecticut, working as a factory girl while trying to figure out her own life. And Meg, stays with Mamaan, in Concord, teaching middle school. I really enjoyed this - loved how each of the girls navigated the world around them. This was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. ( )

This re-imagined Little Women set during World War II began when Jessica Spotswood posted a story idea she found daunting on Twitter. Her fellow authors joined with her to flesh out this story where Jo is queer and working in a factory, Amy has run away to join the Red Cross in London, Meg is a teacher and living at home with Marmee, and Beth watches over them all.

Each of the four authors assumed the story line of a different March sister. Spotswood wrote Meg’s chapters, Sharpe wrote Jo, Richmond followed Amy, and McCullough gave voice to Beth. I particularly liked how McCullough used poetry to show Beth following her sisters’ exploits.

With four authors, the four sisters had more equal roles than in the original work, which really focused on Jo. Having them each in a separate location helped, as they had fewer shared experiences. This was especially true for Meg and Amy.

And, while the time frame is World War II, this is NOT a soldier’s story, but more a story of how the women left behind dealt with their fears, and rose to the challenge of supporting those fighting overseas.

A favorite quote: A woman with ideas is terrifying to a certain kind of person.

Some libraries, including mine, have shelved this in the Young Adult section, others, as adult fiction. Jo’s relationship is depicted in way that is not at all graphic, but deals more with the feelings of love and connection between the characters. ( )