Good Wives

Old friends are better than two new ones. With the last page of Little Women, the story of the March family didn’t end. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy blossomed and turned from “little women” into grown young ladies. Now they will flutter out of the family nest and choose their life paths. Some will search for their happiness, and others—for themselves. They will face new worries, joyful moments, romantic encounters, and the bitterness of loss. Airy castles built in childhood begin to crumble. The adult world prepares new trials. Yet the sisters are not ready to lose hope for the better.

Will they become good wives, as the title of the book promises? This bright novel makes you smile, distracts from troubles, and immerses you in an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. The novel can lift the spirits of readers of any age. The story of the March family has been adapted for the big screen many times. The latest adaptation from 2019, starring global-level stars in the lead roles, won over the hearts of viewers and film critics alike, and it was nominated for an Oscar in six categories and received an award for Best Costume Design.

Before becoming a world-famous author of juvenile literature, Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) worked as a nurse during the Civil War, fought slavery, and was one of the first participants in the movement to grant women the right to vote. When she began writing children’s books, she achieved unprecedented fame and wealth. She looked at the world and wrote about it the way she lived—with faith in the future, with love and compassion for people. Fidelity to life’s truth and high ideals, humor and unflagging optimism found in her work will always draw young and adult readers to her books.

Good Wives is a continuation of Little Women—an honest and touching novel about the childhood and youth of four sisters. Margaret, Jo, Beth, and Amy are so different, so unique. Together they cope with hardships, experience sorrows and joys, dream about the future, and go through the difficult path of growing up. And once they become grown young women, they encounter new worries. Vividly and engagingly describing their fates, Alcott fills readers again with belief in people and human feelings.