Anabel's suggestion: "Little Women", a book that inspires girls of all times

Photo: The movie "Little Women" (2019)

What happens when a book written more than a century ago continues to touch our hearts as if it were written today? When its words seem truer than reality and its characters closer than our friends? "Little Women," Louisa May Alcott's masterpiece, is one of those stories that never gets old.

The novel, which has returned with a new edition from Living Publishing, follows the lives of the four March sisters: the mature Maggie, the courageous Joey, the sweet Betty, and the dreamy Amy, as they grow up in Civil War America. Amid poverty, the absence of their father who is away at war, and the daily challenges, they find strength in their love for each other, in their special dreams, and in their desire to be more than what is expected of girls of their time.

More than just characters, they are internal mirrors for readers who grow with the book. We've all felt like Joey, left out, misunderstood, hungry for more than life has to offer, or like Amy, never enough, always a second chance.

In a society where many girls still grow up under pressure to be modest, to be polite, to not dream too far, “Little Women” becomes an emotional and moral guide. It is a reminder that strength lies in gentleness, that living by ideals is still an act of rebellion, and that writing is a way to save the soul. 

"Little Women" is not just a story, but a gift. A book you will love today and give to someone you love tomorrow. Because some books never go away, but only grow with us. And thanks to this new edition, they find their voice again to touch a new generation of readers, who are looking for more from a book than just a story, but are looking for meaning, love, memory.

Some interesting facts about the book and the author

1. Joe March is a version of the author herself

Louisa May Alcott created the character of Joy as her alter ego. She was an independent girl who loved to write and who hated the idea of marriage. 

2. The book was written in just two months

The publisher asked her to write "something for girls" and the author, initially without much enthusiasm, wrote the first part of the novel in 10 weeks, but she did not expect it to become so successful.

3. The March Sisters were inspired by the author's sisters

4. The novel doesn't end the way Alcott wanted it to.

Louisa was forced by readers and publishers to marry Joe at the end of the book, even though she hated the idea. She chose the professor as the right husband, partly to avoid clichéd romances.

5. It was an instant success

Immediately after its publication in 1868, the book sold exceptionally well and lifted the author out of poverty.

6. Numerous film adaptations

There have been over 7 film adaptations, but Greta Gerwig's version (2019), starring Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet, brought the story to life with a modern sensibility and was nominated for 6 Oscars.

8. The book has been translated into over 50 languages

For more than 150 years, "Little Women" has been an inseparable part of bookstores and libraries, a testament to its eternity.