Little Women; or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott is a coming-of-age novel published in 1868-1869.
The story follows four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—as they navigate the passage from childhood to womanhood in Civil War-era Massachusetts.
Loosely based on Alcott’s own family, the novel explores themes of domesticity, work, and love while depicting the joys and struggles of nineteenth-century women’s lives. Through their adventures and challenges, the March sisters embody different aspects of young American womanhood.