Is there a book that you’ve attempted to read multiple times and have never been able to finish it? That was me with Little Women. I loved the movie, but whenever I attempted to read the book I wasn’t able to get very far. It never captured my attention.
I used to work with an Alcott scholar and whenever she talked about the Alcott’s she piqued my interest in the novel. She also encouraged me to read the novel since I am a YA writer. So I finally decided that I had to get through it and thought that an audiobook might be the way to go.
It definitely was! There were some dull parts–mostly at the beginning–but as the story picked up I fell in love with it and I couldn’t stop listening. Usually books that cover as much time as Little Women does are a little daunting to me, but it felt natural with this one. I loved following the lives of all the different characters and reliving some of my favorite moments from the film in greater detail in the book. I definitely think I’ll pick up the book one day soon and actually read it for myself and I’ll be looking for the other books that follow Jo March’s story in the future.
The version that I listened to was narrated by Christina Ricci and I loved her narration. I thought that her voice captured the innocence of the characters at the beginning of the novel and grew with them as the novel progressed. I don’t know if I’d be able to listen to Little Men and Jo’s Boys unless she narrated them because I’d expect her voice each time.
Look at this! My favorite book of the month is a classic. This is probably the first time this has happened and possibly the last. As much as I appreciate the classics, they’re not my favorite. Except for this one.
What was your favorite book in July?
