So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
September 9, 2021
I enjoyed this remix of Little Women. Taking place in the Freedpeople's Colony in Roanoke Island, follow Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they navigate their new lives as emancipated people and have the choice to forge their own futures.
Morrow has made it very clear that this is a remix rather than a retelling of Little Women - the storylines are only somewhat matching to the original, but are presented in a refreshing way in this new context. What rings true to the original are the sisters' relationships to each other and their personalities. I also loved Mammy and her staunch support of all of her daughters, even if it means that they'll be separated from her, and the character growth that Mammy has in viewing her daughters leaving home, which she understandably has a lot of trauma around.
The historical context of this novel is present throughout this book, in almost every interaction or even the characters' mental assessment of a situation. The trauma of what the Marches have had to go through while enslaved and how it affects how they behave in response to the repeated aggressions post-slavery from both white people and born-free northern black people are shown throughout the book.
I enjoyed the way that the March sisters' stories diverged from the original - Beth's illness, Jo's writing career, Amy's career path in following her dreams, and the love lives of the various sisters. The love lives of the sisters are completely different from Little Women, but I especially love the way that Jo and Lorie's relationship in this book was handled.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC.
More about So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix here:
Title: So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
Author: Bethany C. Morrow
North Carolina, 1863. As the American Civil War rages on, the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island is blossoming, a haven for the recently emancipated. Black people have begun building a community of their own, a refuge from the shadow of the old life. It is where the March family has finally been able to safely put down roots with four young daughters:
Meg, a teacher who longs to find love and start a family of her own.
Jo, a writer whose words are too powerful to be contained.
Beth, a talented seamstress searching for a higher purpose.
Amy, a dancer eager to explore life outside her family's home.
As the four March sisters come into their own as independent young women, they will face first love, health struggles, heartbreak, and new horizons. But they will face it all together.