Love love LOVE this take on Little Women! The resetting in World War II was magical and each character, written by a different author, was just fascinating to read. Cannot recommend enough!

LOVED loved loved this book.

The writing had me captivated from the start to finish, and I found myself reading it almost straight through one sitting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

As a life-long fan of Louisa May Alcott, I was excited to read this re-telling of the classic Little Women. I loved the idea of locating the story in the tumultuous years of World War II, and the setting allows each of Alcott’s characters to exercise their personalities and grow into themselves.

In Great or Nothing, a team of talented writers tells the story of the March Girls in four parallel storylines. While Meg remains in Concord with Marmee, teaching high school and maintaining the home, Jo leaves home to work in a factory and Amy uses false papers to join the Red Cross and serves in London. Separated by distance, the girls are also driven apart by the fierce argument they had before they scattered. As angry as they are, they all know the real problem: the gaping hole left in their lives when Beth died. As the war progresses, Meg must decide whether she wants to be who everyone else wants or whether she wants the gentle things that bring her peace. Jo must wrestle with her refusal to marry Theodore Lawrence and the reasons that made his proposal an impossibility. Amy, indulged and self-absorbed, must step out of her petted position to become the strong woman Beth would have been proud of.

The writing of Great or Nothing is beautiful, especially the stylistic differences between each storyline that create a true sense of character and tone. Beth’s simple, stark poetry acts as a moral and narration combined, giving readers more insight into the sisters she loved.

While this is a gentle story, a quiet story, the plot has stakes enough to keep readers interested. Meg’s questionable choices, Jo’s adventures in the boarding house, and Amy’s madcap escape to Europe under an assumed name all give the plot interest and tension. While the story honors the original storyline in most ways, I was disappointed, however, that the authors chose to change Alcott’s story in a significant way through Jo’s romantic interest in a woman reporter. I love retellings and reimaginings because they engage modern readers and ignite interest in the classics. I always hope retold classics will draw readers to read the originals and perhaps learn to love the classic authors’ other works. Alcott gave Jo a clear future — marriage to a professor and a life filled with rambunctious boys. When these authors made Jo pursue a queer relationship, they altered the original in a significant way that clashes with the original and its sequels.

Great or Nothing is a pleasant read that brings Alcott’s characters to life. It also celebrates the work of women in a traumatic era. Readers who enjoyed the original, however, will be sorry to see that Jo’s storyline has been altered so significantly.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction. Its not my cup of tea, but Little Women is my cup of tea, queer lit is my cup of tea and I knew my students might find some value in this story. I really loved this. I've read a lot of retellings and a lot of World War 2 stories that get it wrong, but this does both justice.

It takes place after Beth has passed, and the three remaining sisters are scattered to the winds, not talking. I think it was the perfect starting point for these characters and their arcs. I was most impressed by Amy's story, who I think is an extremely underrated character. I also like the voice that was given to Meg in this. I feel like I gained a much deeper understanding of the character. I also love that Jo is queer, it makes sense with her character and makes other story aspects hurt less. Lastly, I loved Beth's poetry. It fit her character well and moved me to tears several times. I was unsure of it at first but slowly realized it was the best way to hear from her. I think this was a super cohesive collaboration that also allowed each author to show their strengths. I will definitely get this for our library and read a sequel, if one comes out.

Great or Nothing felt like Little Women, just in a different time period. This book picks up about a year after Beth’s death. Many events that happened in Little Women before her death are mentioned in this novel as the girls are reminiscing. It has been quite a few years since I’ve read Little Women, but I thought that these characters rang true to the originals.

A WWII retelling of Little Women.
I loved this book. The four authors worked really well together; It was very cohesive.

Great or Nothing felt like Little Women, just in a different time period. This book picks up about a year after Beth’s death. Many events that happened in Little Women before her death are mentioned in this novel as the girls are reminiscing. It has been quite a few years since I’ve read Little Women, but I thought that these characters rang true to the originals.

I was left with wanting more, though. This could have been a much longer novel and I would have been happy.

Thank you to Random House Children’s Books, Delacorte Press for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGalley #GreatorNothing

I received this as eGalley from NetGalley.

Omg, a 1940s WW2-era retelling of Little Women where Jo is queer and Laurie is a GI and Amy is in the Red Cross and they meet in London?!!

Can I request a sequel?!!