120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Nicky Hager announces new book - shipping today with overnight delivery 🚀

Little Women

By Louisa May Alcott
Series: Virago Modern Classics
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.05 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 48,728 ratings, 5,449 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Little Women follows the lives and adventures of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they grow up during the American Civil War. The narrative details their personal growth, challenges, and triumphs as they pursue their dreams and navigate family life. This timeless coming-of-age story explores themes of love, sisterhood, and the quest for independence.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Little Women. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you enjoy heartwarming tales of family, friendship, and personal growth, this delightful story about four sisters navigating the challenges and joys of life in 19th-century America may capture your heart. With its rich character development, timeless themes, and charming narrative, it offers both an engaging and inspiring read for young and older readers alike.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Little Women is one of the most beloved novels in children's literature and considered a perennial classic with fans all over the world.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.

The four March sisters couldn't be more different: Meg, the eldest, is dutiful and patient; Jo is adventurous, with dreams of being a great writer; shy, musical Beth is the peacemaker; and headstrong Amy likes the finer things in life. They may not always get along, but with their father away in the Civil War and their mother struggling to make ends meet, the sisters have never needed each other more.

Together, the girls navigate growing up—from first love to sibling rivalry, loss, and marriage. Whatever comes their way, they know they can rely on each other.

Also available in Virago Children's Classics: Good Wives, Little Men, and Jo's Boys.

Series: Virago Modern Classics

View all
  • An Angel At My Table
    An Angel at My Table by Janet Frame is a poignant and compelling autobiography that traces the extraordinary journey of one of New Zealand's most acclaimed authors. The narrative begins with her enchanting childhood, unfolding the wonders and curiosities of her early years. As Frame grows, she faces the dark and harrowing experiences of being misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, resulting in...
    By Janet Frame
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Valley Of The Dolls
    Before Jackie Collins, Candace Bushnell and Lena Dunham, Jacqueline Susann held the world rapt with her tales of the private passions of Hollywood starlets, high-powered industrialists and the jet-set. Valley of the Dolls took the world by storm when it was first published, fifty years ago. Never had a book been so frank about sex, drugs and show business. It...
    By Jacqueline Susann
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Heartburn
    A BESTSELLING NOVEL AND MAJOR FILM STARRING MERYL STREEP AND JACK NICHOLSON 'I have bought more copies of this book to give to people, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, than any other . . . Heartburn is the perfect, bittersweet, sobbingly funny, all-too-true confessional novel' - NIGELLA LAWSON 'A perfect example of Ephron's gift for turning tragedy into comedy' -...
    By Nora Ephron
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    Backorder
    Ships mid October
  • An Episode of Sparrows
    Someone has dug up the private garden in the Square and taken buckets of dirt, and Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is sure that a gang of boys from Catford Street must be to blame. Angela's sister, Olivia, isn't so sure. She wonders why the neighbourhood children—the 'sparrows' she sometimes watches from her window—have to be locked out...
    By Rumer Godden
    Paperback
    $2399
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Jane of Lantern Hill
    For as long as she could remember, Jane Stuart and her mother lived with her grandmother in a dreary mansion in Toronto. Jane always believed her father was dead—until she accidentally learned he was alive and well and living on Prince Edward Island. When Jane spends the summer at his cottage on Lantern Hill, doing all the wonderful things Grandmother...
    By L. M. Montgomery
    Paperback
    $8300
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont
    Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is, for me, her masterpiece - Robert McCrum, Guardian, 'The Best 100 Novels' An author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth - SARAH WATERS Jane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Bowen - soul-sisters all - ANNE TYLER On a rainy Sunday in January, the recently widowed Mrs Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel where...
    By Elizabeth Taylor
    Paperback
    $4300
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Fran Lebowitz Reader
    Contrary to what many of you might imagine, a career in letters is not without its drawbacks - chief among them the unpleasant fact that one is frequently called upon to actually sit down and write. Acerbic, wisecracking and hilarious, this is the definitive essay collection from the New York legend and satirist. Lebowitz turns her trademark caustic wit to...
    By Fran Lebowitz
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Emily's Quest
    Emily's Quest follows the journey of Emily, who knows she's destined to be a great writer. She also believes that she and her childhood sweetheart, Teddy Kent, are meant to conquer the world together. However, when Teddy leaves home to study at the School of Design in Montreal to pursue his dream of becoming an artist, Emily's world falls apart....
    By L. M. Montgomery
    Paperback
    $3800
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister: Vol. 1
    ANNE LISTER IS THE INSPIRATION FOR GENTLEMAN JACK, A NEW BBC/HBO SERIES BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT, STARRING SURANNE JONES. 'Engaging, revealing, at times simply astonishing: Anne Lister's diaries are an indispensable read for anyone interested in the history of gender, sexuality, and the intimate lives of women' — SARAH WATERS 'The Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history;...
    By Anne Lister
    Paperback
    $4700
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Charioteer
    Injured at Dunkirk, Laurie Odell, a young corporal, is recovering at a rural veterans' hospital. There he meets Andrew, a conscientious objector serving as an orderly. The men find solace in each other's friendship, which slowly develops into a covert, chaste romance. Then Ralph Lanyon appears, a mentor from Laurie's school days and now a naval officer. Through him, Laurie...
    By Mary Renault
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Yellow Wallpaper
    INTRODUCED BY MAGGIE O'FARRELL 'A great work of literature, the product of a questing, burning intellect' — MAGGIE O'FARRELL 'Even if the themes being explored might seem irrelevant . . . this is not the case' — GUARDIAN 'I loved the unnerving, sarcastic tone, the creepy ending' — PARIS REVIEW Based on the author's own experiences, The Yellow Wallpaper is...
    By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
    Paperback
    $6100
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Phoenix and the Carpet
    'I love her books - particularly the FIVE CHILDREN AND IT sequence' - Neil GaimanTHIS IS THE SECOND BOOK IN THE PSAMMEAD TRILOGY, FOLLOWING FIVE CHILDREN AND IT'For the egg was now red-hot, and inside it something was moving. Next moment there was a soft cracking sound; the egg burst in two, and out of it came a flame-coloured bird...'When...
    By E. Nesbit
    Paperback
    $9200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is cherished as a classic, evoking nostalgia and treasured memories. It receives praise for its inspirational and realistic treatment of life's profound themes, including love, ambition, and familial obligations. The characterisation, particularly of the beloved character Jo, and Alcott's poignant writing style, make the book an enduring favourite. It's seen as an extraordinary novel that transcends generations with its timeless appeal and emotional depth.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349011820

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 October 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Virago Press Ltd

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 209.0mm

Height: 135.0mm

Weight: 288g

Pages: 368

Collections

Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Classic Fiction Louisa May Alcott Series: Virago Modern Classics

About the Author

Louisa May Alcott was born in Pennsylvania in 1832. Like the character of Jo March in Little Women, young Louisa didn't conform to the restrictions placed on girls of the period: 'No boy could be my friend till I had beaten him in a race,' she claimed, 'and no girl if she refused to climb trees, leap fences.' And, also like Jo, she was highly imaginative and writing was an early passion.

As her family was often in financial difficulty, Louisa worked from a young age to support her family, taking any position available: a governess, domestic servant, seamstress and teacher were among her jobs. She also wrote poetry and short stories for popular magazines, and melodramatic novels under a pseudonym. When the American Civil War began, Louisa, who fervently opposed slavery, lamented that women weren't able to fight, and volunteered as a nurse at the Union Hospital in Georgetown, Washington. Her nursing career was brief as she contracted typhoid, but she wrote Hospital Sketches, a truthful and poignant account based on letters she wrote home to her family in Concord, and it was published to great acclaim.

In 1868 Louisa was asked by her publisher to write 'a girls' story'. This resulted in Little Women, which is largely based on the experiences of the author and her three sisters. It was a phenomenal success. In a time when children's books were morality tales featuring idealised, two-dimensional protagonists, Little Women was revolutionary, peopled as it was by relatable, flawed, fully realised characters. Its success guaranteed financial stability for Louisa, who continued the March family's story in Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys. Louisa never married, concluding that 'liberty is a better husband than love.' She died in 1888 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.

Also by Louisa May Alcott

View all
  • Little Women (Painted Edition)
    Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is now available in an affordable softcover edition, featuring striking hand-painted cover art from Laci Fowler and distinctive interior design elements, making it ideal for classic fiction lovers, readers in high-school or college literature courses, and fans of annual reading challenges and "Required Reading" lists. The Harper Muse Classics--Painted Softcover Edition of Little Women is...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    Beautifully designed, clothbound edition Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth — four little women enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England. The charming story of the...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    This Penguin Classics edition of Louisa May Alcott's inspiring tale of sisterhood, Little Women, is edited with an introduction by Elaine Showalter. One of the best-loved books of all time. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. Lovely Meg, talented Jo, frail Beth, and spoiled Amy face the hard lessons of poverty and growing...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $2300
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    HarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics. Wouldn't it be fun if all the castles in the air which we make could come true, and we could live in them? An endearing tale of hardship, love, and sisterhood during the American Civil War, Little Women tells the story of the March family. Newly impoverished, Meg, Jo,...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. Wouldn't it be fun if all the castles in the air which we make could come true and we could live in them? A heart-warming tale of love, sisterhood and hardship during the New England Civil War, Little Women tells the story of the lovable March family. Meg,...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $1099
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    A beautiful deluxe gift edition of the beloved classic with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and finished with a silk ribbon. The four March girls live together, as different as sisters as can be. There is sensible, romantic Meg and sweet, sunshiny Beth. There is Jo who burns with the ambition to be a writer and there...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Hardback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    How can you forge your own path in times of war, uncertainty and hardship? Meg longs for marriage; Amy wants to be a painter; Beth is content to stay at home; while Jo wants adventure and a life without limits. Four decidedly different sisters, growing up during the American Civil War, each facing their own unique challenge. Little Women tells...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $1099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Little Women
    A stunning new edition with deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. The lives of four teenage sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — unfold in this treasured classic. Living in Massachusetts, the March sisters are struggling through...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Hardback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    Louisa May Alcott's timeless text, illustrated with movie stills from Greta Gerwig's star-studded film adaptation, is perfect for a holiday gift. Readers have been falling for the March family for over 150 years, and Greta Gerwig's film adaptation is bringing the childhood classic to the big screen for a new generation of fans in 2019. Illustrated throughout with movie stills...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Hardback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Classic Christmas
    This beautiful, giftable Christmas collection features 15 old-fashioned works from classic authors who invite you to a feast of holiday nostalgia. A Classic Christmas includes stories from Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, Hans Christian Andersen, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol, the world-renowned holiday favourite). The volume also includes poems from Clement Clarke Moore, Elizabeth Barrett...
    By Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen and Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3400
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Women
    Puffin in Bloom - an all-new line of classics, gorgeously illustrated by renowned stationery brand Rifle Paper Co.'s lead artist, Anna Bond. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a classic tale of four sisters presented in a deluxe hardcover edition with beautiful cover illustrations by Anna Bond, the artist behind the world-renowned stationery brand, Rifle Paper Co. Meet the...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Hardback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3200
    Backorder
    Ships mid October
  • Little Women
    Twenty new titles in the much-loved and hugely successful Penguin English Library series. 'I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship.' Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth—four "little women" enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England. The charming story of the March sisters, Little Women has been adored by generations. Readers have rooted...
    By Louisa May Alcott
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

More from Children's Books

View all
  • The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    New Release
    The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    But disaster strikes when guitarist Jack breaks his wrist and can no longer play. On top of that, all their hard work fundraising has fallen short! When help comes from unexpected channels, the Velvets make it to the Big Apple just in time to compete against the best kid bands in the whole world, including their new rivals the Blazer...
    By Rachael King
    Paperback
    $1600
    Elsewhere:
    $1899
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    By Julia Donaldson
    Hardback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    Backorder
    Ships early October
  • New Release
    The Comeback Kid
    Charlie Boy might be just an ordinary kid, but he's about to get into some EXTRA-ordinary trouble... Get ready for this funny, fast-paced, friendship adventure with lots of kick. Meet Charlie Boy: skinny, small, looks like a strand of spaghetti. He and his best friend, Rocky the Lower Hutt Chief, are good at getting into trouble together. But when Charlie...
    By Airana Ngarewa
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Neverfear
    A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...
    By Katherine Rundell
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Pocket Observology
    New Release
    Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...
    By Giselle Clarkson
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Minecraft Annual 2027
    New Release
    Minecraft Annual 2027
    The official Minecraft Annual 2027, full of updates, builds, activities, and more! Discover all there is to know about the past year of Minecraft in this exciting annual. Stuffed to the brim with updates, activities, step-by-step builds, and tips and tricks for the game, this book is a must-have for any minecrafter. This year’s annual includes: Mob guides on happy...
    By Mojang AB
    Hardback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Giant Heart
    Meet Jonah Lomu, one of the greatest All Blacks of all time. His speed and strength on the rugby field made him famous around the world, and his fun and generous personality made him beloved, but all the while he faced a big battle with his health. “[David Hill’s] stories are wonderful, full of action and are always teaching the...
    By David Hill
    Hardback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Ms Rachel: My First Little Library
    New Release
    Ms Rachel: My First Little Library
    Learn about colours, animals, words and numbers with Ms Rachel in this early learning boxset. This little set contains four board books that help introduce children to early concepts. Perfect for younger readers, each chunky book will keep little hands occupied at home, or on the move. And, once you’re done reading (and re-reading), the four books come together to...
    By Ms Rachel
    Board book
    $1599
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Protector of Beyond 1
    New Release
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Protector of Beyond 1
    Experience fierce magical creatures, perilous trials, and a heroine to root for in this 1st instalment in a new blockbuster fantasy series. The moment you enter the Arbiter, your fate is sealed. If you spark, you fight! And 12-year-old Elder Triss produces a spark like no other. Transported to the mysterious Beyond, Elder has no choice but to train for...
    By Shara Curlett
    Paperback
    $2199
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Animalia 40th Anniversary Edition
    A beautiful, foiled collector's edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graeme Base's classic and bestselling Australian picture book, Animalia. Embark on a fantastical alphabetic adventure where each turn of the page unveils a rich tapestry of intricate illustrations tied to a unique letter of the alphabet. More than 5 million copies sold worldwide Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)...
    By Graeme Base
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Little Kiwi Builder
    New Release
    The Little Kiwi Builder
    Oh no, the little kiwi builder's house is falling down! His screws have all come loose - what can he do? When the brickie, the plumber, the roofer, the sparky and the painter all come to help, it's looking good! Until, that night ... uh-oh! Perfect for: Anyone who likes fun and silly rhyming stories Reading aloud with little ones...
    By Tim Saunders
    Paperback
    $1899
    Elsewhere:
    $2199
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • You Choose Party Time You Choose Party Time
    New Release
    You Choose Party Time
    It's time to celebrate - Party Time is a brand new You Choose adventure! It's Party Time and you choose what happens! What kind of party will it be? Who will you invite? Which cake would you like to eat? Will you dance to a steel pan band or bagpipes? The possibilities are endless in this magical storytelling toolkit which...
    By Pippa Goodhart
    Hardback
    $2599
    Elsewhere:
    $3400
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Children's Books lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all