Mini Review: Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Little Women and Me
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
ISBN: 1599901540

Summary from Goodreads:

Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the 1860s world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys a modern twist on an old favorite.

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I love Little Women. The copy I own is over 40 years old and belonged to my mother. I read it at least once a year and relish the simplicity of the story and its simple and subtle way of teaching readers the virtues that seem scarce nowadays.  That being said, just because it is a lovely classic doesn't mean that I don't have issues with it!  Why, in all that is Alcott, did Laurie end up with Amy!?!  I really did not (and still couldn't) understand Marmee's reasoning. I mean... WHUT!?!

Anyway, I am not here to rant about Little Women. I am here to rant, I mean review Little Women and Me.

There has been a slew of classic books with a twist these days.  Like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I liked), Prom and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Monsters, Little Vampire Women... The summary was enough to tantalize me to read it since the premise that I got was really good and it kind of reminded of Lost in Austen (the British television series which was bloody brilliant!).  And it shared my opinion regarding the Jo-Laurie-Amy debacle.  So there I was, swimming along through the words where it immediately caught me that this Emily had so much angst than the usual YA teenager.  So much so that I was annoyed with her the few pages in.  I let it slide, hoping she'll at least turn down the rant when she's inside the book.  But no, it did not.  My annoyance escalated to frustration when Emily went downright bratty with every little thing the March characters did.  For someone who loved the book and probably had a clue with the characters' natures, she sure did went about like she was a fwooper.  What's more is that she actually went and played for Laurie.  Wasn't she outraged that Laurie ended up with Amy and not with Jo and now she just swooped in did that?  Wait. I do understand that.  It's just a fantasy world, dreamlike, unreal so there's a chance you might not get out of it why not just do anything you bloody want. But still!

Then, that bombshell that was just dropped near the end when someone unlikely was not supposed to be there in the first place - apart from Emily.  Ach Mein Gott!  Again, rushed, my dear, rushed. Too bad. Almost there, almost there.