“Little Men,” by Louisa May Alcott

FM's ratings:

1.      Premise 7

2.      Prose 6

3.      Plot 6

4.      Characters 7

5.      Overall 6

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“As there is no particular plan to this story, except to describe a few scenes in the life at Plumfield for the amusement of certain little persons, we will gently ramble along in this chapter and tell some of the pastimes of Mrs. Jo’s boys.”  Full disclosure – fair enough – of the fact that this novel has no real intended plot and very little premise.  Only it isn’t revealed to the reader until the beginning of chapter 8!  And yet, these factors exist almost by accident.  The premise is what might typically occur at a boy’s school, though a rather odd one.  And the plot is an interweaving of days in the life of several of the boys in attendance.  Having read other writing by Alcott, I know she was capable of writing excellent prose, but here she is writing “for children” and, just like music written “for children,” the quality doesn’t seem to matter.  “Pollyannaish” is an apt term for the tone of the prose, and in its innocence, there are some odd, anachronistic turns of phrase.  It would, in fact, be highly amusing upon re-reading this novel to highlight all the poorly phrased passages that could be taken by a dirtier mind than mine – well, okay, almost as dirty! - to mean something suggestive.  There are dozens.  The characters are all quite stereotypical, with the occasional flash of real human qualities.  But it’s the prose that makes this a tedious read.  Having said all that, I have to admit that there are quite a few very poignant moments designed to make one at least misty-eyed – and somehow, it works.  Without them, the novel might rate an overall “4” or less.  As with all “classics,” this one is worth reading, if only for the historical significance.  Just be prepared for the tedium.