“Little Women” and the Other Classics I Read This Year
In what is quickly becoming an annual tradition, one of the last books I read in 2021 was a literary classic — Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.”
While I read fewer classics than usual, there was only one that fell flat — a truly remarkable achievement in my eyes!
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Dates read: December 12 – 21, 2021
For nearly 40 years I’ve escaped the countless adaptations and somehow made it through all my schooling without the novel making a required reading list. While going in blind to the plot, I did have a basic understanding of the characters thanks to its outsized hold on popular culture.
While I didn’t read or listen to this in the traditional sense — the Audible Original dramatic reading by an assortment of well-known audiobook narrators and actors (Laura Dern is the narrator) was my format — I think it was the perfect way to first experience “Women” even if it was borderline hokey at times.
There’s not much I can add to the discussion about this novel other than it ages relatively well. Some colloquialisms, like calling women “handsome” and exclaiming “Christopher Columbus!” may be out of favor, but a person’s love for family and friends certainly is not, and that’s the lifeblood of the plot.
You cannot help but be charmed by the March family, specifically the strong-willed Jo and supportive mother Marmee. Alcott let every character shine, so you celebrated with them and mourned for them as if they were your own flesh and blood.
Like most novels targeted to younger readers, I didn’t always love the juvenile hijinks of the earlier chapters, but this was more than made up for in the last third of the novel where we see the March sisters face classism, Meg struggle in her marriage, Jo put aside her pride to help the family and, of course, Beth’s death.
Amy and Laurie never quite resonated with me but part of this could be how they were narrated versus how Alcott wrote them. Having them end up together seemed a bit unnatural, but I might be in the minority here.
All-in-all, this was a classic that earns the designation. Now, which adaptation should I watch?
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: 3/5 stars Format: Audiobook (SIL’s library)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Dates read: October 15 – 16, 2021
Hemingway lives up to the hype by presenting an intimate and layered story about re-assessing one’s life. It is heartbreaking, relatable and utterly engrossing. I didn’t expect to care about Santiago’s battle, but as I age it’s hard not to see yourself in him and wonder if, one day, you too will feel like an outcast where once you were wanted and revered. Read the full review.
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Dates read: August 17, 2021
While Meursault reads like a sociopath, it’s hard to not see parts of ourselves in the character today. He was blissfully unaware of how even the mundane aspects of his life were a gift until he could no longer experience them — and by then it was too late. This is one of those novels that each person will experience differently. Read the full review.
Rating: 4/5 stars Narration: 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Dates read: July 5 – August 8, 2021
At more than 600-pages and republished multiple times over 40 years during his lifetime, it’s a behemoth collection of poetry that seemed like a good idea when I started it, but after a few lengthy and repetitive sections I decided to only read the highlights and did not finish the rest. While I’m glad to have read a small portion of this very American collection, I wouldn’t recommend most readers start with the unabridged version of “Leaves” unless you’re prepared to seek out the must-read poems from the often confusing and repetitive filler. Read the full review.
Rating: 3/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (personal library)
On Cats by Charles Bukowski
Dates read: March 20-21, 2021
Going in knowing that Bukowski was a darling of the beatnik era — with themes of over-exaggerated alcohol-induced machismo and overt sexism — would’ve made this (possibly) more enjoyable. When you strip away the references to genitalia, alcoholism and embarrassing depictions of women, you begin to appreciate the ways in which Bukowski captures the feline philosophy and the lessons us lesser beings can glean from how they live. Still, I can’t recommend this one to others. Read the full review.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars Narration: N/A Format: eBook (personal library)
