
Good Wives
'Good Wives ' Summary
Four sisters and their mother, whom they call Marmee, live in a new neighborhood (loosely based on Concord) in Massachusetts in genteel poverty. Having lost all his money, their father is serving as a chaplain for the Union Army in the American Civil War, far from home. The mother and daughters face their first Christmas without him. When Marmee asks her daughters to give their Christmas breakfast away to an impoverished family, the girls and their mother venture into town laden with baskets to feed the hungry children. When they return, they discover their wealthy, elderly neighbor Mr. Laurence has sent over a decadent surprise dinner to make up for their breakfast. The two families become acquainted following these acts of kindness.
Meg and Jo must work to support the family: Meg tutors a nearby family of four children; Jo assists her aged great-aunt March, a wealthy widow living in a mansion, Plumfield. Beth, too timid for school, is content to stay at home and help with housework; and Amy is still at school. Meg is beautiful and traditional, Jo is a tomboy who writes, Beth is a peacemaker and a pianist, and Amy is an artist who longs for elegance and fine society. The sisters strive to help their family and improve their characters as Meg is vain, Jo is hotheaded, Beth is cripplingly shy, and Amy is materialistic. The neighbor boy Laurie, orphaned grandson of Mr. Laurence, becomes close friends with the sisters, particularly the tomboyish Jo.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1868Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Authors

Louisa May Alcott
United States
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist. In 1860, Alcott began writing for the Atlantic Monthly. When the American Civil War broke out, she served as a nurse in the Union Hospital in Georgetown, DC,...
Books by Louisa May AlcottListen/Download Audiobook
Related books

Hide and Seek by Wilkie Collins
In Wilkie Collins's "Hide and Seek", Valentine Blyth, a compassionate artist, takes in a deaf orphan girl, Madonna, who he secretly fears could be rec...

The Relentless City by E. F. Benson
It is a story of life in London during the early 20th century, with a focus on the wealthy and influential members of society. The book explores the...

Nether World by George Gissing
This novel revolves around the problematic issue of money. Michael returns from Australia a rich man, but he hides this fact from everybody. Instead o...

Life's Little Ironies by Edith Nesbit
The Phoenix and the Carpet is a fantasy novel for children, written by E. Nesbit and first published in 1904. It is the second in a trilogy of novels...

Haworth's by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The story of an inventor's son, who tries to prevent him and a couple other characters from being taken into poverty by the man of the house who is dr...

The Spoils of Poynton by Henry James
The Spoils of Poynton is a novel by Henry James, first published under the title The Old Things as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly in 1896 and then a...

Helen of the Old House by Harold Bell Wright
Set in a small town during the early 20th century, "Helen of the Old House" explores the complex dynamics of labor relations and social inequality. T...

The Maid Of Sker by Richard Doddridge Blackmore
On the wild and windswept coast of Wales, a dark secret whispers in the shadows. The Maid of Sker is a classic Gothic romance novel by R. D. Blackmor...

Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett
Anna of the Five Towns follows the life of Anna Tellwright, a young woman trapped by her father's wealth and strict religious upbringing in the indust...

Celebrity by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's satirical novel 'Celebrity' follows the meteoric rise of a young novelist, believed to be based on Richard Harding Davis, though C...
Reviews for Good Wives
No reviews posted or approved, yet...