This Little Women remix is wonderful! I've loved the story of Little Women for so long, and even wrote my college admissions essay on it. Morrow brings the beloved March sisters to life once more in So Many Beginnings, which reimagines the March family as a family of formerly enslaved African Americans, as they build a new "free" life in a Union colony.

If you're looking to learn some American history through the lens of African Americans, as opposed tot eh very white lens thought in our history books, this is a great book to pick up. You will learn how the Union, despite being the anti-slavery side of the war, was still a proponent of slavery as it benefitted them. You will also learn how escaped enslaved people built lives for themselves, and how many of the things we are taught about enslaved people are wrong and stereotyped by their oppressors.

I listened to this story via audiobook as well as reading an e-book copy, and both ways were fantastic to read. The narrator for the audiobook was great; it was an extra, more immersive layer to the story that made the reading experience just *that* much better.

Stunningly creative and informative, So Many Beginnings is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about an era in American history that usually is only told from the viewpoints of the oppressor or the oppressed. Not that this story doesn’t include those factors, but it goes so much further. By placing the story in a freed people’s community, it brought a whole new perspective to the story. I found myself comparing the characters and events in Little Women to this story, and I am in awe with how Morrow takes these characters to new depths. Though their names and personalities are similar to Alcott’s book, the back stories she weaves in to give them those traits makes it a completely different story. I used the word “informative” earlier, because I learned so much about the freed people’s communities in this book, and it never felt like a history lesson. Morrow is incredible, and this book is highly recommended!

I've been struggling to review this book for several weeks now, because nothing I can say will do justice to how wonderful it is! The writing is stellar, the characters are wonderful, I love with Morrow does with Jo and Lorie, I love what she does with Beth's story, I love how much we get of the March parents, I love how much I learned and how angry this book made me. I've already discussed it on the podcast and can't wait to start recommending it to patrons when it's released. Most of all, I can't wait to give this book to my daughter someday.

This book is a Little Women retelling about four black sisters living in a freedpeople colony in North Carolina during the civil war. As a massive Little Women fan (I mean, what reader isn't though??), I was intrigued by this "remix" and seeing the classic tale from a new perspective and angle. It takes the iconic story and seamlessly weaves in a previously separate historical setting and it just works. The premise is exciting and intriguing, however, I did find it a bit slow to start. Though the character ideas and personalities are the same ones we know, the story feels completely original and new.

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a fan of Little Women and it's so refreshing to see many adaptations of Louise May Alcott's classic book. What I admired the most from So Many Beginnings was all of the backgrounds and relationships Jo. Meg, Beth, and Amy had with each other and with the supporting characters because it really reflected their personalities and their true selves plus, you always connect with characters that remind you of people in your personal life and it just made my heart warm for every page I have read. I also love the diversity spin with the black communities and the struggles they all went through especially during the Civil War and the issue of Slavery. It was nice for the March's to find a safe haven and live the life they were meant to live despite all that was happening around them.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Wow, I was excited to read this just because I like Little Women, but this really knocked my socks off. For starters, I had never learned about the Freedmen's Colony on Roanoke Island but that was such an interesting setting for this book and I'm so glad to have learned a bit about it. But then I loved how thoughtfully and sensitively these characters were adapted--the concept that as a slave, Jo was thought by white people to be mute because she knew that she'd get in trouble if she said the things that were on her mind, so she just...didn't talk...and then after being freed getting to be more like the outspoken Jo from the original books......*sob* Really moving, especially as her family encourages her to explore her burgeoning writing talent. Whew!! And the new layers of Beth's illness here, I don't want to spoil it but it's so smart and beautiful. And just seeing a family like the Marches who are so emotionally intelligent and compassionate, and seeing the way they talk about the experience of slavery and ongoing racism was honestly revelatory to me; I've read a lot of books about the Civil War/race/etc and had never read some of these ideas expressed quite this way before.

The idea of a "Little Women remix" could have been so pat but instead this is a truly new and moving book, worth reading whether or not you've read/enjoyed the original book. Really stunning.

I enjoyed Bethany C. Morrow's novel, So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix. As a child, I loved Alcott's original Little Women and this version of the classic did not disappoint. I enjoyed the different perspectives and the author's explanation at the end was very informative.

Feels good, feels right.

This is a "what if Little Women were about a Black family?" fanfiction.

It's not Little Women, obviously. It doesn't have the length of the original, or the episodic pace, or spend as much time on whimsical one-off adventures or Pilgrim's Progress. Things it DOES have include:

• A similar regularly-sermonizing style. This time the sermons are mostly about abolition and post-bellum injustices, as I'm sure you can imagine. There is some Christianity sprinkled in there as well, but not nearly as much.

• GOOD and accurate family vibes. Honestly, the sisters in this are a lot less annoying overall than the Little Women sisters. Less realistic? Probably. But it still conveys a powerful, loving bond among the whole family in the same way the original does.

• Very good Jo and "Lorie" vibes. This is one of the most uniquely standout things about the original, and this book does quite a good job of spinning its own thing off in a way that's new but still preserves the feeling of the Laurie/Jo bond.

• Historical details! It took me, as a kid, a LONG time to figure out what time period Little Women was even set in. Sure the dad was away at war, but which one? This book certainly doesn't have that ambiguity, and we get to learn about the lives of people freed from slavery and the challenges they still had to face in a way that my history books, at least, did not cover very much.

• Growing pains. This book is a lot less painful, too, than the original, which honestly is kind of nice. I prefer my fanfiction not to hold me down and take a scalpel to my soul. But there are still those themes of transition, growing up, and finding your place in the world.

Overall, this book does a lot of things differently, of course. But it really did give me the feeling that you know, this IS pretty much what the March family would end up doing if they WERE born into this situation. I enjoyed it a lot.

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow reimagines the March sisters as a newly-freed Black family living in the Freedpeople’s Colony on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

The March sisters remain the familiar, beloved characters with those same sisterly relationships we all loved in the original. Their life and their home are very different, though. There’s a lot to discover about life on the Freedpeople’s Colony on Roanoke Island. This isn’t something I’d heard about before, but it was a real place in the Outer Banks, where formerly-enslaved families began to set up a town and create a life. In the historical Freedman’s Colony, many of the men joined the army, so it also worked for the March family in the book, because it explained their father’s long absences. The hardworking hopefulness of the March women works well here, too, although they’re all doing different tasks with different goals. There’s definitely no rich aunt in the wings here, and the March family is constantly aware that they’re unusually fortunate in having their nuclear family intact and safe.

Although the March sisters are experiencing all the new beginnings, there’s a sadness hanging over the story. As the characters build and develop their city, readers are aware that this city doesn’t exist anymore, and you know the reason won’t be a good one. It was a bit depressing to discover the end of the Freedman’s Colony, though, that the land given to these newly-freed families was too poor for sustainable farming and not sufficient for all the people who were looking for homes, so the colony was kind of set up to fail.

I enjoyed the reinventions of familiar characters. For example, Meg still wants to marry and start her own family, and she worries she won’t be able find a good man to marry. This comes off less like girlish, romantic daydreams and more like practical concerns about creating the life she wants. Meg’s missed a lot of dating and flirting time living as a personal maid/companion while the family was enslaved, and now most young men in the Freedman’s Colony are away fighting, so her concerns feel realistic.

Without restating the whole plot, I enjoyed the updates to Jo and Laurie’s friendship, and the way Beth’s illness connected themes from the original novel with a realistic medical mystery (although understood perfectly well by a certain grandpa!). At another point in the story, one of the white missionary teachers notices Amy’s talent, and arranges for her to have further dance instruction in Boston. Mrs. March, understandably, is less than pleased about a white lady deciding to send her daughter away. This makes a thoughtful parallel to Amy’s trip to Europe to paint in the original novel, as well as expressing some of the views at that time.

So Many Beginnings picks up on Roanoke Island, but there are references to slavery before. Meg remembers her previous life the most, since she’s the oldest sister, but the family is all shaped by slavery before arriving in the colony in the Outer Banks. The sisters all try to give little Amy more of a childhood than they had, letting her dance and play as much as possible.

This is not at all a scene-by-scene retelling or even a particularly strict reimagining, but enough of the key themes reappear to make this an enjoyable read for fans of Little Women. Meg, Joanna, Bethlehem, and Amethyst have different experiences than the original March sisters, but the main theme of sisters helping each other, especially very different sisters helping each other, remains the same.

So Many Beginnings is part of a collection of revisited classic fiction, including A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix and Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix. For a modernized return to the March sisters, check out Meg & Jo and Beth & Amy, both by Virginia Kantra.

I wanted to like this book. A lot. I thought the premise was a great one and I welcomed the story being told from a different perspective. I found it hard to keep going and ended up quitting the book a few chapters in.

While this does have several of the same elements as "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, there are a number of differences, as well. This version, however, describes the experiences of former slaves after they were freed. I appreciated the Afterword, where the author mentions the historical events used to shape this version of the story. It's hard not to compare and contrast it to the original.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

After leading a book club to read Alcott’s Little Women last year, I cannot wait to share this beautiful remix.

Morrow has crafted elements of a much loved classic into an incredibly important work of historical fiction that shares details we never learned in school. I’d never heard of any freedpeople’s colonies and now know I have to find out more. I love the women that she brought to life, and I was left wanting to follow each of them after getting a glimpse of their new beginnings.

While the intentions of the character who says this in the book are lamentable, the truth of the words themselves is powerful, “Literature has such a power to unite this country, even if only in readership.” I firmly believe that books like this one can open hearts and minds to the missing stories in our history.

I like that the subtitle of this book is "A Little Women Remix" because it's definitely not a retelling, but a beautifully crafted telling of a new story. Morrow pays homage to the original in many ways, the names of the characters are similar Margaret, Joanna, Amethyst, and Bethlehem, and by naming one of the minor male character's Alcott. . The stylistic tone of the novel is also similar, using the more formal style of the original, which stays true to the time period. (Many retellings modernize the language, even if not modernizing the setting) The time remains the Civil War, but otherwise is completely different, as the March family are newly freed African Americans. Morrow creates a reality where Margaret was the favored companion of a spoiled white girl, and as a result was educated alongside her, and thus able to teach her family secretly. Set in the free village of Roanoke, Virginia, Margaret teaches the free adults and children, Jo works as a carpenter and writes about the needs of the newly freed, Beth is a talented seamstress, and Amy is allowed the luxury of being a child who loves dancing. Morrow spends the majority of the novel with the March's looking forward, there is little discussion of their enslaved days, mainly through Meg's painful flashbacks, There are some mixed feelings about the Union, as their men are drafted to fight but freedoms remain limited due to prejudice. The former enslaved are only allowed to be successful to a point, at which a successful colony is shut down or opportunities denied. Thus, this Jo writes not the melodramas of Alcott's heroine, but critiques of public policy and hits walls not so much due to her sex, but her race. This is a really powerful work that I think teens will enjoy.

So Many Beginnings: A Remix of Little Women by Bethany C. Morrow lives up to its title. It does have several of the elements of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It has the March family, but they are a Black family living in a Freedmen’s colony, Roanoke Island. Meg, Beth, and Jo have similar work to those sisters did in the original; and, while both Mr. Marches did help with the war effort, their roles were different. The value of this book is that it describes the experiences of former slaves after they were freed, which is what attracted me because I am interested in the subject. As the author states in her Afterword, this book relates historical events that have been overlooked for too many years.
I enjoyed reading this book. I found it an easy pleasant read.

I LOVE Little Women, and so I was excited to read this remix of the story. This is more of an historical story of the March family who were once enslaved and no longer are. They are living in the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island and experiencing life and doing work they enjoy, such as Meg and her teaching.

I always love stories about family and sisters, which is why I’ve always loved Little Women. This one was definitely a remix. The way it played for all the girls was different when compared to the original and so it caught me by surprise.

Jo has always been my favorite. Love a girl who is brave enough to speak up and express her opinion, and plus I love how blunt she is! I adore her and Lorie’s relationship. Such good friends that could be more.

I actually liked Meg in this one since I always found her a bit dull, but what I appreciated in here is that she knew what she wanted and went for it, she didn’t care what others thought of her, or what her sisters thought. She had a goal and she fought for it.

Beth’s story was similar with her being ill, but she didn’t allow that to stop her reach her goals.

Then Amy, I always found her a bit annoying, and she still kind of is, but she was more tolerable and actually really funny in this remix. She loves dancing and goes to a bigger city to pursue her passions. Another March girl that has a goal and fights for it.

All in all, I really enjoyed the story. I didn’t know about some of the history in this book and appreciated learning more and it makes me want to do more research on this bit of history. I will say I felt like the end was very rushed. It had such good pacing through the book until the end where everything just suddenly came together and it ended.

If you love Little Women, I recommend this one! I received an advance review copy for free(thank you NetGalley), and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow is just what I've been waiting for! What a great way to remix a beloved classic. It was a pleasure seeing the four sisters find their way in the world.

I am a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott, and this remix of Little Women is richer than a basic retelling. Bethany C. Morrow has done her research and embeds so much history into this new story; it's only minimally connected to the original - character names and personalities, time period - and I mean that as a compliment. Morrow's work has created a deeper story while holding onto the relationships between the March sisters, and the perspectives from which the plot develops are important to understanding the impact of slavery and the Civil War. It's like we've all grown up hearing about these topics and suddenly realizing that everything we "knew" is just the tip of the iceberg. Freedmen's Colonies, Northern Blacks and their bias against enslaved people, lack of support from the Union when those who have been emancipated are attempting to build new lives... There is so much to learn and appreciate in this beautifully-written novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of SO MANY BEGINNINGS! This is a new remix series on the classic, "Little Women."In this book, Meg is a teacher, Jo's a writer, Beth's a seamstress, and Amy's a dancer. It pays tribute to the original which is something I love to see in retellings. But, it also offered a different perspective because Amy was less irritating in this one than she was in the original. The original painted her in such a negative light that she was always one of my least favorites until the recent movie adaptation came. You know the one with Emma Watson as Meg. That one. Anyway, this book showed how the March family used to be enslaved and were now free. It's gut-wrenching and Meg's flashbacks show the pain they went through. I highly recommend this one and I'll be writing a more in-depth review on Pop-Culturalist.com closer to the release date.

This is very tender and sweet. Probably will do a lot for you if you're into 1) Civil War/antebellum time period, 2) Little Women already or 3) Black retellings of "classics". As someone very into 2 and 3, it was super wholesome and layered for YA. I also love what Morrow did with the Jo/Lorie romance this time around. Felt very satisfying where the OG isn't.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this remix of my favorite classic novel. The history that Morrow was able to weave into such a well-known story was fascinating. It is a damn shame that we do not learn about these elements of our nation’s past in schools. Also, the fact that Morrow got the Jo and Lorie relationship right almost had me in tears. I loved everything about this book and will gladly recommend Morrow’s work to other readers.