Rummaging in her parents' London attic, Lulu Atwater stumbles onto an unexpected treasure: a stack of letters written by her great-great-grandmother, Josephine March--known more familiarly to readers as "Jo," the irrepressible heroine of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Lulu has always thought of Grandma Jo as dull and rigidly conservative, but the letters show her to be a different woman: a passionate writer, devoted to her family but also stubborn, outspoken and awkward, like Lulu herself. Struggling to find her place in the grown-up world, Lulu begins stealing up to the attic regularly, drawing comfort and inspiration from Grandma Jo's letters.
Author Gabrielle Donnelly (The Girl in the Photograph) captures Jo March's voice brilliantly, recounting scenes familiar to readers of Little Women (Beth's illness and death, Amy's European travels, Meg's domestic bliss) and adding a few new subplots. Her modern-day "little women"--Emma, calm and efficient; Sophie, blonde and dramatic; and Lulu, prickly but compassionate--reflect the March sisters' personalities and family dynamic while remaining distinct women.
As Lulu tries out various career paths, deals with difficult family secrets and even considers the possibility of love, she comes to appreciate the family that so often drives her crazy. The sisters' mixture of teasing banter, genuine affection and bursts of frustration will be familiar to any woman who has a sister. The Little Women Letters is a warm homage to Louisa May Alcott's famous family, but it's also a love letter to the ties that bind--and an encouragement to anyone who's ever wondered how to navigate adulthood without a road map. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams