BOOK REVIEW: Little Women & Me, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

  Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. 

After all the dark dystopia and other things I've read, it was SOOOOO nice to grab something that is definitely lighter fare to read.

First...you'll either love or hate both the premise and the story. There really is no middle ground. If you've never read the original Little Women, a lot of things won't make much sense to you. Die-hard fans may find it hard to reconcile the altering of the story with Alcott's original. But it's worth the read, regardless.

After being assigned an essay in which she has to explain what she would change about a favorite book, Emily is transported into the world of the March sisters in Little Women. (This was the only bit that bothered me---it's just "whoosh" and she's there....really?) It's a fun idea for a story. And since she's here now, why not "fix" those things she didn't like in the original story? 

Emily is a rather typical self-absorbed modern teenage girl. Plopping her into the middle of a Civil War era story line isn't going to change that. It's subtle, but you do see that she changes as  she learns more about the sisters and the others. And she changes for the better.

I could get up in arms over the changes in the story (changes that change the arc and would've ruined the original for me), but this book isn't about the March sisters. It's about Emily, learning a little something about herself and her place in the world.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review (it just so happens that I did!). The opinions I have expressed are my own.