All The Books I Haven't Read

The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker available February 25, 2025

I didn't read Little Women until I was in my 20's, and when I finally did I didn't have the same rose colored glasses towards the March parents that I might have if I had read it as a child. Some people might find the treatment Marmee and Jo got in this book as harsh, but I appreciated the authors' perspectives on the dynamics of the March family. Told from the points of view of the non-Jo sisters this book gave more insight into the motivations of Amy, Beth, and Meg. I especially enjoyed the chapters about Meg and her garden.

From the publisher:

Four sisters, each as different as can be. Through the eyes and words of Jo, their characters and destinies became known to millions. Meg, pretty and conventional. Jo, stubborn, tomboyish, and ambitious. Beth, shy and good-natured, a mortal angel readily accepting her fate. And Amy, elegant, frivolous, and shallow. But Jo, for all her insight, could not always know what was in her sisters’ thoughts, or in their hearts.

With Jo away in New York to pursue her literary ambitions, Meg, Beth, and Amy follow their own paths. Meg, newly married with young twins, struggles to find the contentment that Marmee assured her would come with domesticity. Unhappy and unfulfilled, she turns to her garden, finding there not just a hobby but a calling that will allow her to help other women in turn.

Beth knows her time is limited. Still, part of her longs to break out of her suffocating cocoon at home, however briefly. A new acquaintance turns into something more, offering unexpected, quiet joy.

Amy, traveling in Europe while she pursues her goal of becoming an artist, is keenly aware of the expectation that she will save the family by marrying well. Through the course of her journey, she discovers how she can remain true to herself, true to her art, and true to the love that was always meant to be.

Purposefully leaving Jo off the page, authors Liz Parker, Ally Malinenko, and Linda Epstein draw inspiration from Alcott’s real-life sisters, giving the other March women room to reveal themselves through conversations, private correspondence, and intimate moments—coming alive in ways that might surprise even daring, unconventional Jo.

A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.