The Little Women Letters
Sisters Emma, Lulu, and Sophie Atwater couldn’t be more different. They adore each other and drive each other crazy in equal measure. Next to her accomplished sisters, Lulu can’t help but feel like the failure of the Atwater family, working dead-end jobs with no romantic prospects in sight. When her mother asks her to find a book of old family recipes in the attic of her childhood home, Lulu stumbles across a stack of letters written by her great-great-grandmother Josephine March. As Lulu delves into the lives and secrets of the March sisters, she finds solace and guidance in Jo’s words, discovering that she and Jo share many similarities, even though they are worlds apart.
As uplifting as Little Women, Gabrielle Donnelly’s novel will speak to anyone who’s ever fought with a sister, fallen in love with a fabulous pair of shoes, or wondered what on earth life had in store for her.
As uplifting as Little Women, Gabrielle Donnelly’s novel will speak to anyone who’s ever fought with a sister, fallen in love with a fabulous pair of shoes, or wondered what on earth life had in store for her.
Choose a format:
Buy from us:
- Touchstone |
- 384 pages |
- ISBN 9781451617191 |
- June 2012
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Praise
“Marvelously entertaining, Gabrielle Donnelly's THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS evokes the spirit of Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN with warmth and affection. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this wonderful book.”
– Jennifer Chiaverini, author of the New York Times bestselling Elm Creek Quilts novels
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“Marvelously entertaining, Gabrielle Donnelly's THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS evokes the spirit of Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN with warmth and affection. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this wonderful book.”– Jennifer Chiaverini, author of the New York Times bestselling Elm Creek Quilts novels
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“Gabrielle Donnelly's THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS radiates a rare warmth and charm that had me smiling from beginning to end. The characters absolutely live, and the story is utterly compelling. I quite simply love Donnelly's voice!”– -Santa Montefiore, author of The French Gardener and The Mermaid Garden
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“Witty, warm, and bubbling over with voice, The Little Women Letters is a love letter to and from a set of unforgettable heroines. Gabrielle Donnelly's homage is just what a literary tribute should be: full of compassion, heart, and fun. - - Erin Blakemore, author of The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder”
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“A sheer delight, full of gentle humor and homespun wisdom.”– Katie Fforde, author of Love Letters
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“Gabrielle Donnelly's absorbing novel sweeps you across time and generations of family, bound together through love and the strife and joys of daily life. A refreshingly hopeful story that grips you so thoroughly you'll want to lock your door and read, read, read!”– Carol Cassella, author of Healer and Oxygen
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“I LOVED this book - it was like a personal treasure trove. The letters sound just exactly as if Jo had written them, and isn't it what we'd always wanted and thought we could never have - more of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy?”– Penny Vincenzi, author of The Best of Times
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“[A] light, spirited tale about modern women with old-fashioned values.”– Publishers Weekly
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“Donnelly’s The Little Women Letters imagines how modern versions of the March sisters might have lived. . . . Donnelly writes with obvious passion for the classic take and successfully applies a fresh sensibility to the three modern sisters. Nostalgic without being deferential, jocular without being flippant…Beautifully crafted.”– Booklist
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“Could be just the perfect pool-side read.”– The Washington Post
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“For those who yearn for the verve and wit and chagrin of Alcott, ‘The Little Women Letters’ offers a thoroughly modern . . . twist.”– Seattle Times
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“An absolute joy to read. . . charming . . . decidedly modern. . . . Alcott's fans will be pleased with the faithfulness Donnelly affords to the March family story, and fans of good fiction will rejoice in this delightful story.”– Ventura County Star
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“If you enjoyed Little Women and like fun chick lit, this is your perfect beach read--light, fluffy and a guaranteed happy ending!”– Capital Region Living magazine
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“Fans of Louisa May Alcott can rejoice.”– USAToday.com
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Book Reviews
Reading Group Guide
This reading group guide for The Little Women Letters includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Gabrielle Donnelly. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
INTRODUCTION
Emma, Lulu, and Sophie Atwater are sisters who couldn’t be more different. They adore one another and drive each other crazy in equal measure. Middle sister Lulu feels like the black sheep of the family—at twenty-four, she still doesn’t know what she wants out of life. One day in her parent’s attic, she finds a collection of letters from her great-great-grandmother Jo March. Finally someone seems to understand Lulu. Jo didn’t always get along with her sisters Meg, Beth, and Amy, and she, like Lulu, assumed that she was too quirky and opinionated ever to find love.
As the family gets ready for Emma’s wedding, Lulu realizes that she can’t keep the letters to herself—Grandma Jo belongs to all the Atwater women.
QUESTIONS & TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Jo March writes in a letter from 1888, “times are changing for girls, blessedly” (page 2). What new liberties does Jo enjoy during her lifetime, according to her letters? see more
INTRODUCTION
Emma, Lulu, and Sophie Atwater are sisters who couldn’t be more different. They adore one another and drive each other crazy in equal measure. Middle sister Lulu feels like the black sheep of the family—at twenty-four, she still doesn’t know what she wants out of life. One day in her parent’s attic, she finds a collection of letters from her great-great-grandmother Jo March. Finally someone seems to understand Lulu. Jo didn’t always get along with her sisters Meg, Beth, and Amy, and she, like Lulu, assumed that she was too quirky and opinionated ever to find love.
As the family gets ready for Emma’s wedding, Lulu realizes that she can’t keep the letters to herself—Grandma Jo belongs to all the Atwater women.
QUESTIONS & TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Jo March writes in a letter from 1888, “times are changing for girls, blessedly” (page 2). What new liberties does Jo enjoy during her lifetime, according to her letters? see more
Video
The Legacy of Little Women
Gabrielle Donelly examines the worlds of the March and Atwater sisters.
The Legacy of Little Women
