Little Women

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are four sisters growing up in America after the Civil War. The novel, 'Little Women', by Louisa May Alcott, is the story of the sisters growing from adolescence into adulthood. Meg is the oldest. She is proper, somewhat vain, a wonderful actress, and dreams of marrying for love and becoming a mother. Jo, the second oldest, is the outspoken tomboy. Jo is unconventional, wild, a dreamer and a writer. Her ambitions are ahead of her time, especially for women. Beth is the third daughter. She is quiet, shy, pensive, and the mediator of the sisters. Everyone she meets feel drawn to her quiet temperament and can't help but love her. She is an animal lover and an exceptional musician. Amy is the youngest. Her dream is to become a famous artist and to travel the world. She has set her sights on marrying for money and leaving her poverty-stricken world behind. Each sister carries with them very different views of the world they live in, but their love for one another is a bond that cannot be broken. 

'Little Women' is a charming, lovely novel. It makes you a part of the story from the beginning and you can't help but feel invested in the lives of these remarkable women. It is beautiful in its simplicity, its morals, and its heart warming tales and adventures of four very different sisters. I started this novel a few years back but never finished it. I am so glad I picked it up again when I had more time to really devout to it. It is an intriguing book and a classic for a reason. 

The Little Paris Bookshop

"The Little Paris Bookshop", by Nina George, was a book of the month from my book club. It is about a Frenchman, Jean, who re-purposed a boat and turned it into a book store. Jean is a "pharmacist" of the literary world. He listens to people's problems and then prescribes a book that he thinks will help them through it. Jean is also a hypocrite of sorts. He is still mourning over a long lost love, the one that got away, and instead of dealing with his pain, he shoves it into the back of his heart and mind and continues on as an empty shell of a human being. For over twenty years he has become an expert at feeling nothing. His life is routine, he does not let anyone get close to him, he doesn't even really have friends. In his mind, that is the only way to keep his heart safe from being pulverized again. One day, an unexpected letter appears and Jean is forced to confront his past and set out on a journey of self discovery.
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I was really excited to read a book about "book love". Connecting with a character through the shared love of the written word is one of  the ultimate "nerding out" euphoric experiences for me. It is why I love Hermione and Belle so much. While I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the book, the plot fell a little flat for me. Maybe I just have not met these kind of men in the novel, but I personally have never experienced a man who cries so much. And it wasn't just the protagonist either. The emotions felt by all the men in this novel were just not realistic to me. I suppose I could have believed one "sobbing" melt down, but the continuous, raging emotions felt by all were over reaching. After so many crying sessions you really just wanted to scream, "suck it up buttercup!". It did have its moments of delight however, and I am glad that I read it at least once. If nothing else, it gave me some wonderful book recommendations and definitely lengthened my "To Read" list.
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"Often it's not we who shape words, but the words we use that shape us"
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"A bookseller never forgets that books are a very recent means of expression in the broad sweep of history, capable of changing the world and toppling tyrants"