In New England, in the shadow of the American Civil War, the four teenage sisters March - Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth - are on the verge of adulthood. After falling into financial hardship, their father works as a pastor in the Northern Army and has been forced to leave home. Meg teaches the children in one of the neighborhood families, Jo is courted by Laurie but also aspires to write, Beth prefers to help with household chores rather than attend school, and Amy is the artistic soul dreaming of high society. Together - and with the support of their wise and patient mother Marmee - the sisters face love and disappointments, setbacks, poverty, and sorrow. The story of their unyielding sisterhood has captivated generations of readers and has been adapted into multiple films - a classic portrayal of female camaraderie and strength. LOUISA MAY ALCOTT [1832-1888] grew up surrounded by American authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. She depicted her experiences as a nurse during the Civil War in Hospital Sketches in 1863, followed by gothic novels and thrillers. In 1868, she published Little Women, which became so popular that it had two sequels.