Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott.

It took me sooooo long to read this, but it was worth it. I read it for the YA challenge, and I must confess, I thought it was boring as hell when I WAS a YA. But I enjoyed this time around.

A tangent: I think Beverly Cleary spoiled me for more complex literature when I first started devouring books. Don't get me wrong, Beverly Cleary is wonderful. Her books are clever, relatable, and devoid of too much description. I read everything she wrote over and over again. When I was around 8 years old, my aunt, seeing my book obsession, gifted me with the Anne of Green Gables series, sure that I would adore it just as much. I'm sure they are very good, but even as an adult I can't get through the first chapter because the writing is lousy with description. My busy brain is disinterested - who cares what every nook of the house looks like, just get to the point of the story.

Little Women is a nice balance of story and description, but it is terribly long. And I didn't cry when Beth died.