Illustrated by Bre Indigo
4 stars
A fun modern retelling of Little Women. I am always drawn to Jo as a character and this one was no exception.
Join the Marches, a blended family living in New York, as they take on life’s battles. The sisters deal with missing their father during his deployment, their mother’s intense work schedule, cleaning the house, school pressure, illness, work life, thoughts of marriage, and planning their dream jobs. And through it all they always look out for one another.
The book keeps the feel of the original story while putting the characters in more modern situations and changing some of their outcomes accordingly.
I really enjoyed the flow of the story. The chapters maintain a quick pace as they follow the March sisters through their various adventures and obstacles.
I did find the inclusion of the journal entries and emails a little disruptive to the flow of the visual format. They were often a bit repetitive and not all of them felt necessary. At times they slowed down the pace unnecessarily, though some helped to develop the characters’ inner feelings.
Love the artwork. The visuals capture the emotions of the characters well and really show the connections between the sisters.
Honestly, I found the ending really satisfying. I haven’t read the original but know the general story enough and I really liked the changes made to the characters’ stories. They felt true to the modern time period.
Overall, a really fun adaptation that puts the themes of the original story into a more modern context.