Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy : A Modern Graphic Retelling of Little Women / Review

Today is Louisa May Alcott's birthday, so I wanted to share my review of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Little Women. Coincidentally, I read this book in November of last year. I loved it, so I want to share it with you here.

Image by Chrys Fey

MY REVIEW:

Utterly DELIGHTFUL.

Fans of Little Women who love remakes and modern takes on this classic story (and who won’t mind creative liberties) and who also want to see more diversity will enjoy this graphic novel.

Now, if you don’t like those things, you won’t like this book.

For me, there’s no such thing as "too diverse." I suppose when you’re used to an all-white cast, first for the book and then for every adaptation after that, it could be viewed as too much, but this is a modern retelling, and it has to look and feel modern, which means it can’t be an all-white or all-straight cast. None of the changes surprised me in the least.

The illustrations are so colorful and brought the characters to life. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking about how this version (with this title, obviously) should be made into a movie. Especially an animated one. Looking at you, Pixar!

My favorite character in this retelling (and for the first time ever) is Amy. She’s a ball of obnoxious fun. I love her. (Although she’s certainly not for everyone. I believe she’s supposed to be in sixth grade here, but she did seem a lot younger. I will say that.)

I loved this interracial, blended family in many ways more than the original family. There, I said it, and I am a HUGE fan of Little Women. You get the backstory for how their family formed when Jo’s white mom and Meg’s Black dad fall in love, and I was all for it.

There’s a lot of modern twists, including how their dad is over in the Middle East, but my favorite is  how Jo is a fierce feminist (which could be too much for some readers when several important, relevant topics are mentioned).

***SPOILERS START***

Modern Takes:

• Jo is gay in this modern retelling. I guessed it from the start and right away was nodding, saying, “yes, that feels right.” Even in Louisa May Alcott’s book and after all the remakes of the film that I’ve seen it still made perfect sense to me. 

• Meg breaks up with Brooke (I think he had a different name but I can’t remember what it was) at the end after realizing he wasn’t right for her. I applauded this, and I honestly think Louisa May Alcott would, too, because Little Women was first published in two parts. Part One ended after Brooke proposed to Meg. Readers wanted to see Jo and Laurie together and to see the little women marry. Her publisher wanted to accommodate readers (one word: money), so Alcott was forced to write an ending she didn’t feel in her heart and give Jo a romantic interest. She had absolutely refused to marry Jo to Laurie to please her readers and wanted Jo to stay unmarried, much like herself. Knowing that, this modern take with Meg dumping Brooke and Jo being gay and not having a romantic interest really makes sense to me.

• Beth’s scarlet fever is now leukemia, which also makes sense given the times.

• Jo shaving her head when Beth starts to lose her hair and Meg and Amy also shaving their heads is another change that works very well. It gave me tears.

***SPOILERS END***

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Little Women

by Rey Terciero (Author)  Bre Indigo (Illustrator)

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Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are having a really tough year: with their father serving in the military overseas, they must work overtime to make ends meet...and each girl is struggling in her own way. Whether it's school woes, health issues, boy troubles, or simply feeling lost, the March sisters all need the same thing: support from each other. Only by coming together--and sharing lots of laughs and tears--will these four young women find the courage to discover who they truly are as individuals...and as a family.

Meg is the eldest March, and she has a taste for the finer things in life. She dreams of marrying rich, enjoying fabulous clothes and parties, and leaving her five-floor walk-up apartment behind.

Jo pushes her siblings to be true to themselves, yet feels like no one will accept her for who she truly is. Her passion for writing gives her an outlet to feel worthy in the eyes of her friends and family.

Beth is the shy sister with a voice begging to be heard. But with a guitar in hand, she finds a courage that inspires her siblings to seize the day and not take life for granted.

Amy may be the baby of the family, but she has the biggest personality. Though she loves to fight with her sisters, her tough exterior protects a vulnerable heart that worries about her family's future.

QUESTIONS: Are you a fan of Little Women? Do you like modern retellings? What is your favorite Little Women adaptation?

I personally adore the 1994 film with Winona Rider and Susan Sarandon.