Louisa May Alcott’s most famous novel Little Women was an instant bestseller on publication in 1868. In the century and a half since, it has retained its charm for each new generation of readers. All these decades later, the feminist leanings of the female-led narrative still resonate.
This hugely popular Folio Society edition celebrates the novel’s classic status with a stunning gold-blocked binding and exquisite printed endpapers. Ten captivating illustrations by American artist Rebecca Green, and a specially commissioned introduction by celebrated author Jane Gardam, acknowledge the novel’s enduring themes of human relationships and female empowerment.
Artist Rebecca Green brings a fresh, modern slant to Little Women with 10 astonishing new illustrations. With her focus on female protagonists and visual storytelling, Green is the perfect artist to illustrate a classic novel known for its timeless depiction of female relationships. Her beautiful portraits have a contemporary feel, yet sympathetically reflect the novel’s era. At the same time, the personalities of the characters shine through in their facial expressions, clothing and manner.
Acclaimed novelist Jane Gardam has contributed a new preface for this edition. She writes of her personal attachment to the novel and the balance it achieved between fostering female independence and catering to an audience with an appetite for conventional narratives.
Little Women captures the squabbles and fun of family life. Alcott also wove her own personal ideologies into her story: the novel is coloured by her early years growing up with three sisters, but also her later experiences as an active member of the suffrage movement. As a result, the characters of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are three-dimensional, independent thinkers, and authentic voices of their time.
The Folio Society edition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, illustrated by Rebecca Green and introduced by Jane Gardam, is available exclusively from www.foliosociety.com.
