The Little Women Letters

The Little Women Letters
Gabrielle Donnelly
355 pages


The Little Women Letters is a work of fiction that gets its inspiration from Louisa May Alcott's famous novel Little Women.  In The Little Women Letters, Emma, Lulu, and Sophie Atwater are descendants of Jo March, the feisty middle sister of the March clan that Little Women focuses on.  Emma is the dependable older sister (like Meg), Lulu is the outcast bohemian middle sister (like Jo), and Sophie is the pretty, charming youngest sister (like Amy).

The book is written mostly from the point of view of Lulu, the middle sister.  Lulu is 24 and has no clue what she wants to do with her life (I know how that feels).  While up in her mother's attic, she finds letters from Jo March written to her sisters.  From these letters, Lulu finds solace and clarity to finally make big decisions about her life.

I read this book because I grew up reading Little Women and am a huge fan.  The Little Women Letters, however, was a bit disappointing.  The writing was a little cheesy and everything worked out a little too perfectly.  I'm sad to say, but I don't think I would recommend it. You're better off just reading (or rereading) Little Women.