J.K. Rowling has shared one of her favourite books with a character she found herself relating to. Rowling said she enjoyed Little Women by author Louisa May Alcott. Rowling remembers feeling like she found a kindred spirit in the infamous ‘Jo’ from Little Women. In a New York Times interview, she said: “My favourite literary heroine is Jo March. It is hard to overstate what she meant to a small, plain girl called Jo, who had a hot temper and a burning ambition to be a writer.”
Little Women is a coming-of-age novel that follows the lives of four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. The sisters grow up in Massachusetts during the American Civil War and are raised by their mother, Marmee, while their father serves as a chaplain.
They navigate the challenges of poverty, personal growth, and relationships. The novel explores their personal growth, relationships, and the challenges they face, including love, loss, and societal expectations.
The novel has been adapted into numerous films, television series, and stage productions, and continues to resonate with readers for its timeless portrayal of sisterhood and personal development.
One reader said: “Some classics come with a shelf life and feel like a relic of the past if read beyond their era.
“Some classics are dated but still enjoyable as the values they espouse are timeless.
“This one is firmly in category two. Many of the ideas might not be as relevant today, almost 155 years after its first publication. But the characters are still appealing, the writing still attractive, and the themes, still satisfying.”
The novel was initially published in two parts, in 1868 and 1869.
Another reader added: “Little Woman is a book that I have read again and again, since I was a child and every time it seems a little new.
“The story is about four sisters with human faults. They try to do what is right, fail, and keep at it as they are all strong and independent.
“The pages of this book are full of honesty, love, kindness, and tolerance pervade. I can only give one recommendation: just start the book, it will be finished automatically.”