In some ways, I find this book rather progressive for its time. Encouraging a father's involvement in the household and an equal partnership in marriage, urging women to develop goals and ambitions for themselves, Amy's calling out of Laurie's behavior after Jo turns him down? All things I find astounding for a book written in the mid 19th century. I was enthralled to see such strong, devoted female characters, and how awesome is Marmee? It was so refreshing to see such a loving and committed family dynamic.

Each March sister was a delight to read about, even Amy, who doesn't deserve nearly as much hate as she gets. If anything I thought Beth to be the weakest, but only because her growth basically starts and ends in the first volume, which doesn't make her much of a lasting presence. She's just the kind, shy one that fades into the background a little too well.

If anything I think the one thing I have a gripe about is the domestication of Jo, but that may be because I relate so heavily to her earlier years. A tomboyish spitfire eager to tell a story and fully content to spend her life single and to her own devices? Yeah, that's a vibe I can get behind. Though I have to admit, at least her development was done believably due to

Beth's death and the trauma she faced afterwards. It put her life into perspective for her and it was a natural outcome. But yeah, I'm still salty and can't help it.

While incredibly slow at times, this isn't a book that's meant to be a binge read. I read it off and on for about a month and I think that really helped me get an appreciation for the story and the characters. I was able to settle in for a nice, contained chapter and then set it aside for a while, since a lot of the chapters seem very episodic. Overall, I think it's a classic worth reading if you're interested in the story and looking for captivating female characters and engaging character dynamics.