Women on Wednesday - Louisa May Alcott

This weekly event is hosted by Susan at Rocks n' Reads West of Mars : 

She says: " Every Wednesday, write about a book you loved that’s written by a woman. Celebrate a woman author whose books you love. Talk about a book you’re dying to read. "

The book I'm going to talk about this week, is a book that's been sort of like a constant companion in my life.

Louisa May Alcott's unforgettable classic about the March family was one of the first books I  fell in love with. At age 10, I didn't really look at the cliches in the book, the stereotypes, the predictability, the sometimes over-simplification of things. It didn't matter to me then, and it doesn't matter to me now. 

Little Women is a tale every single person ought to read, if you ask me. It isn't just the story of one American family. It is a story that you can grow up with - it's about friendship, love, family, career, choices. You can relate to one character or the other which is why it makes it a book close to your heart. After all, haven't we all known a strict-yet-loving Aunt March? Or a wonderful friend like Laurie? Haven't we all gone through some embarassing moments that come part and parcel of the growing-up package? 

The emotional moments in Little Women are what makes the story a great read. I remember hugging my sister, tears filling my eyes, when I first finished reading Little Women. The emotions are still very raw, even though I've read the book countless number of times. I find the books relevant every single time I read it.

Few books make you want to be a part of the story and Little Women is one of those rare books ( Confession: It was one of my ambitions, when I was very young, to be a part of the March family ) Its sequels Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys, though probably not as spell-binding, are an equally poignant chronicling of the lives of the four March girls, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

Jo March was, is and will always be my favourite amongst the sisters. When I was younger, I'd want to be just like her. I'd want to be the passionate, loving, fearless, strong woman that she was. What a brilliant role-model to have! It is evident that Alcott was much ahead of her generation, when she left us an unforgettable heroine, who stood up against the usual expectations from society, to do what she believed in. Jo March made her choices, even if it meant rejecting a 'perfectly good marriage proposal' or cutting off her long, lovely, lustrous hair in order to get money for the family. The latter incident moved me so much when I was young; it was such an unforgettably powerful moment.

Books that you read as a child, that made an impact on you, stay with you for the rest of your life. That's what Little Women is to me. A souvenir of my early bookworm days. One of the books that I cannot read without tears rolling down my cheeks at one page or the other.

Louisa May Alcott is one of my all-time favourite authors. If you are one of the rare few who haven't read her works, go read them all and enjoy her simple, elegant and timeless tales!