I haven't read Morrow in years, but I was so happy to see this version of Little Women coming out.

Four young sisters are coming of age in Roanoke Colony, North Carolina. Each are searching for their own identity and niche in the backdrop of the Civil War.

Okay, weird admission: I LOVE that this was set during the Civil War, as the original partly was. Why? Because honestly it lent to the time period having some uniformity and in experiences, but also, there are so few Black stories in fiction from this time period (at least commercial ones). Most you'll find in non-fiction. But the black experience is real in fiction too and deserves to be told. And I learned things! I love that a bibliography was included. I added some books to my to-read list.

I felt like Morrow did give us the four sisters with similar aspirations in this book as well. The characters were very much living within the world they resided, but you could see hints of Alcott's original here and there frequently.

Overall, I loved this so much. It was fantastic. Thank you for the ARC!

Bethany C. Morrow is such an amazing, talented writer. This was such a pleasure to listen to. Thank you to the publisher.

Why did I pick up a YA retelling when I am primarily an adult romance reader? I LOVED THE IDEA of this retelling of Little Women, but I could not get into the book. It's more of me problem than the writing or plot. So, take my rating with a grain of salt.

Definitely a remix! I didn't love the story, but still found it an enjoyable book. and appreciate the differences. Good narration.

Little Women was one of my favorite books as a child. I wanted to read it because I'd seen every movie adaptation.

There are no complaints. Morrow adapts to 1863-67 while portraying the energies and personalities of the March women, great and small.

All of the major story arcs are present, as in Alcott's, but the details are not followed, and thus the resolution is not the same. (I liked how they paid homage to the original by naming their father Alcott.) Morrow's objectives are preferable to mine.

The supporting characters differed from the original: there is no Aunt March, most likely because slaves are not wealthy. The emotions and events of the secondary characters are still relevant. Jo meets Lorie (Laurie) at a social gathering. Beth is still fragile and ill.

The name variations were appealing to me. As Beth's full name, Bethlehem makes sense. Amy is an Amethyst because she shines.

The afterword is beneficial. I had never heard of free colonies before. I expected there wouldn't be former slaves who always spoke beautifully, as one snobbish character is corrected for assuming Jo learned flawless English once she was free.

I picked this up because Little Women is one of my favorite classic literature, but aside from the setting and the race of the women, it wasn't really that much different.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've had this novel on my Will not Review list, simply because I haven't really been in the mood to read a Little Women inspired historical fiction novel. Not because I don't think the novel is good.

After reading at least a quarter of it, I can say that the narrator is great, and I liked how she read the story. The story itself is good (so far) as well. It seemed interesting, but unfortunately not enough for me to read when I'm not in the mood lol.

I did buy the kindle edition however, and I plan to read it at another time. I still think recreating Little Women with an African American viewpoint, is a cool idea.

I received this as an eGalley ARC from NetGalley.

It took me a while to get around to this book- but I'm glad I waited until I had time to savor/enjoy it. This book does more than just re-writing Little Women- it does as the title says and "remixes" the book. It is still set before and after the Civil War, but it takes place in a freepersons colony in Virginia during and after the war. The book is very well researched and I enjoyed the regular beats of the story with the slight differences to make a familiar book feel new again. Someone this book succeeded in making me like Jo/Lorie (Joanna= Jo, Loren = Lorie) again? Go figure.

This is an engaging story set in the time period of Little Women. There are four sisters but the perspective and history of Black people make the story new. It is educational. I would love to see THIS version as a well made movie.
I read Little Women many times as a young girl. I hope this book is read as much by new generations.
The narration is excellent, it was easy to get lost in the story.

Like many people, I had a brief phase where I was really into Little Women. So when an author finds a new approach to the story I get the obsession, the compulsion to revisit the plot and structure. The brilliance of the original story as that it captured a very specific set of women in a very specific time of social change. We saw the world around them shifting at the same time that they are going through personal change. It makes sense, then, to do the same with newly freed women during the Civil War. We occasionally get stories of Black folks during reconstruction, but this may be the first I've seen that captures the uncertainty of life for people during the war, the drive to establish themselves as citizens with rights and capable of running their own lives.The characters deal with every day concerns as well as large social issues. Since we know the general thrust of the plot, Morrow is able to give the characters plenty of room to develop and express themselves. A solid story and a good listen in audio form.

I don’t think I’ve ever actually read Little Women I think I’ve only seen it in movie form and not in the last two decades so I only have the vaguest memories about it so I can’t compare this as a retelling. I love a good story and that’s what this was so I enjoyed it. The narration was done well.

I received an audio ARC so first let me say I really enjoyed the audiobook. I found the narrator to be really easy to listen to and had no problems with their reading of the story.

This is a great retelling for any fan of the original Little Women. I really appreciated how this showed and dealt with the challenges that real freed people would have dealt with while still staying to the heart of Little Women and telling us a lovely story about a family who really loves each other so much. I also really liked the changes that were made to the individual characters and found them to be appreciated updates to the story. Overall I really enjoyed this and would recommend it.

highly recommend SO MANY BEGINNINGS to any readers interested in retellings of high literature and/or diversifying the classics. SO MANY BEGINNINGS is a Black retelling of LITTLE WOMEN taking place during the American Civil War and the beginnings of Reconstruction. March sisters are Meg, Jo, Bethlehem (Beth), and Amethyst (Amy), and they were born enslaved and then became emancipated. themes include race relations; the long emancipation; lingering white supremacy; limits of white charity; economic challenges while emancipated. overall an amazing combination of a Black retelling to diversify the cannon and a smart historical take on the complexities of emancipation and Reconstruction

This is such a wonderful reimaging of Little Women. Set during the Civil War, the March sisters are recently freed Black women. The novel captures the heart of Little Women while telling it's own story. It was a very wonderful read.

This was a good book. However, I'm not sure it was actually successful in what it set out to do: retell Little Women. It bore little resemblance to the classic tale. The sisters weren't accurately paralleled, and the greater thematic elements were lost amidst the vastly altered plot. I do think this is absolutely worth a read, but I wouldn't necessarily use the retelling aspect as the main selling point.

So Many Beginnings is a stunning reimagining of Little Women that starts with Alcott's early 1860's time period and then fashions an entirely new tale, deftly weaving in often-overlooked aspects of American history. The March family resides in the Freedpeople's Colony of Roanoke Island, working to build a free society for formerly enslaved individuals.
Morrow's characters are intelligent women with lofty goals. Meg is a teacher who hopes to marry. Joanna dreams of becoming an author but by day works alongside construction crews, building homes in the colony. Bethlehem is a skilled seamstress and designer who wants to develop an African-based clothing enterprise. Talented dancer Amethyst earns accolades as a performer. The sisters encounter both overt and subtle forms of racism and gender inequality as they pursue personal and professional ambitions.

In this retelling of Little Women, the March girls and their family are Freedpeople who are living in the Freedmen's Colony on Roanoke Island in 1863. Morrow beautifully adapts Alcott's original story to fit within this specific context, considering the bonds of family and sisterhood among Freedpeople during the Civil War, Sometimes the tweaks are subtle - changing the girls' full names (Beth=Bethlehem, Amy=Amythyst); sometimes the changes are more dramatic - they live in a house their father built, Jo builds houses as her work within the colony, etc.

I can't emphasize enough how much I love what Morrow has done here. She's taken one of my childhood favorites and rewritten it in a new and novel way, a way that runs through a more racially-aware lens. In one memorable scene, Amy uses language referring to "masters" and Jo delicately and lovingly explains why that terminology is problematic. Repeatedly, the family considers the traumas of slavery, the challenges of keeping their family together in a system that destroyed families, and the challenges of freedom and what it means (something that is given or earned?).

It felt like it took a long time for Laurie to arrive in the story but when he did, it was perfection.

The audiobook is beautifully produced and I'm totally captured by it as I listen. I've loved almost every moment of this book and I want it to last forever! Kudos to Morrow on this great production.

Thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for this advanced audiobook copy of the book!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy.

I have never read Little Women, but have been wanting to. When I saw it reimagined with a Black-centric twist, I had to get it. This is the story of 4 sisters growing up in North Carolina during the Civil War. Roanoke is a colony of freedmen and women. The March girls all have different aspirations, but they are sisters with shared dreams who love each other mightily. There were some interesting historical aspects here as well.

I really wanted to like this book and there were some really good aspects... The history of the freed colonies was interesting, although(without having dinner a lot of research into it), the book made things there (during the war no less) seem a little easier than what I would suspect would have been a hard scrabble existence. I would have like this better if there has not been an effort to force Alcott's Little Women into it...I would have liked the characters for themselves rather than noticing the similarities or discrepancies to Alcott's characters.

A fascinating look at the four March sisters if their story was reimagined from a different perspective of the Civil War. Kudos to the author for creating such a fascinating new angle on a classic story!

The tone of the book is a bit more serious than the original classic. I learned about some interesting bits of history I didn't know about before, like the Freedmen's Colony on Roanoke Island (such a fascinating setting... I want to know more!). Other changes that I really enjoyed include the new names of the girls, like Amy's name is Amethyst, and Beth's name is Bethlehem (love it!). I also love Amy's story arc (which you'll have to read the book to find out about; it's good!).

Recommended for readers of historical fiction, black interest, and fans of Little Women.

Suitable for: 13 and up - Adults
(For subtle hints at mature topics.)

Audiobook listeners:
I so enjoyed the audio version. Great narrator! Definitely recommendable.