When the book opened, the father of the four March sisters was a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War. They live with their mother in poverty (with only one servant, Hannah). The girls are friends with Teddy Laurance (Laurie), the boy next door, John Brooke (Laurie’s tutor) and Laurie’s grandfather, the rich man who owns the house. Meg, the oldest of the sisters, falls in love with Mr. Brooke and marries him. They live in a tiny house while Brooke works as a businessman. They have twins, and after some initial difficulties, have a happy marriage.

Jo, the tomboy, was best friends with Laurie, but when he proposes to her, she rejects him and flees to New York where she works as a hack writer. She meets an older German professor, Mr. Bhaer who follows her back home. They eventually marry and open a school for boys in the large house of Jo’s rich aunt who leaves it to her in her will.

Beth is sickly, and after barely surviving scarlet fever, gradually weakens and dies at 19, mourned by everyone because of her sweet, giving (boring) temperament.

Amy is a flirt and showoff. She is given a trip to Europe with her aunt and Uncle. When Laurie flees to Europe after his rejection by Jo, he meets and Amy and they fall in love and get married and everyone lives happily ever after.

The characters are likeable (especially Jo and the later Laurie; at the beginning of the book he’s a wimp). The plot is OK, although not much happens and everyone spends a lot of time sitting around talking about nothing. It is definitely a girls’ book, amounting to little more than a fairly-well-written romance novel. Dialogue is not Alcott’s strong suit. At times it gave me goose bumps.