So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix / Bethany C. Morrow / Book Review
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
Blurb
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March are best friends as much as they are sisters. With the Civil War still raging, they lean on each other for support each and every day. Their lives are tough but so much better than they were before they reached the Roanoke Freedpeople Colony--one of the first of its kind. For the first time, the sisters can see a future for themselves where they can be free to pursue their dreams, however different those dreams may be. Beth is a talented seamstress. Amy loves to dance. Jo has a wit that must be shared with the world. And Meg, teacher to the colony, wants to settle down and have a family all her own--once an impossible dream. And these futures may all be possible--if the war goes the right way. But the freedom these girls have found is tenuous as the war fluctuates. Their colony is safe--for now--but any day, things could change. And not even the Union supports the colonies fully. 
Pros
- Little Women Love: Any fan of Alcott's Little Women is sure to love this book. It so perfectly reproduces the flare and feeling of its source material, from the word usage itself to the bonds of sisterhood. The sisters themselves may be in a drastically different situation because of the historical context surrounding the color of their skin, but they still have the spark of the March sisters as we've always known them.
- Reclaimed History: Not only does this book remaster a piece of beloved literature, it reclaims a piece of history as well, featuring the lives of women of color prominently so that these women, too, can have their historical coming-of-age story. They can discover themselves, reach for their dreams, lean on their sisters, and grow up in a world of change and uncertainty to be strong and independent. And that's something more literature should seek to do, especially literature by, about, and for marginalized voices.
- Jo's Passion: Jo is always a favorite, isn't she? She's always passionate and full of wit, no matter what part she plays. But Jo's passion is all the more poignant here. Not only does she speak for women, she speaks for all people of color, as well, and her passionate truth is just as true today as it was in her little slice of history. She is firm, unwilling to compromise to nurture the sensibilities of those who don't want to believe her message or respect her voice, and that's all the more powerful with her new background.
Cons
- Modern Sensibilities: Little Women always reads a little preachy, in my opinion, and this book is no exception. Sometimes it's a bit much, especially because it wasn't written in a piece of history. This book is a contemporary novel, and when its words so clearly connect to the contemporary age, it's sometimes poignant. And sometimes it's a bit too meta-narrative.
- Slow Moving: This book isn't very long, and it adopts a long-winded style to mimic its source material. With the drawn-out style in mind, there ultimately isn't much that can happen in so few pages, and so it moves slowly to produce what it does.
- Long Chapters: The chapters are both long and long-winded here. That is also due to the style, of course, but it nonetheless makes this book hard to digest unless you have a block of time to sit and dedicate to the long chapters. It won't appeal to every reader because of this, even though it isn't the longest piece of literature in the world.
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10
Fans of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women will fall right into the familiar lilt of this Civil War narrative. Those who appreciated the color added to Netflix's Bridgerton should soak up this piece of reclaimed history as well.
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Go Jo
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