to think that Amy March is one of the most irritating literary characters ever.

[squoosh]

God she annoys me, throwing Jo's book in the fire, being a general brat and then sin of sins marrying Laurie when she had no business do any such thing.

I don't care what the subsequent books may say the Amy/Laurie union was a stupid idea.

They should have left her to drown in the icy river.

There's a huge Noel Streatfeild thread in children's books. Not trying to get rid of people, just thought it might be of interest.

A timeless thread :o

In the US, the first two volumes (Little Women and Good WIves) are usually published in one book.

So Joey read it and Beth did die, but if you have a UK version that is just the first bit, Beth will not have died yet when you get to "the end".

It's pretty clear that she will though, she's just generally "delicate" and useless and boring

I am currently being irritated by Camilla Macauley in The Secret History.

I had NO idea that Little Women and Good Wives were ever published as a single volume; that bit in Friends has always irritated me, and now it makes sense!

So glad someone revived this thread. I can finally move on.

Oh old thread. Seeker hasn't returned after all.

Okay, but wouldn't you also agree that:
-To have four lovable sisters might be a little wearing?
-For the youngest to be rather vain and spoiled might be logical?
-By the time of the marriage, Amy would have grown into a more "womanly" character. according to the fiction of the time?
-The marriage probably wasn't so far-fetched, given society at the time?

I remember reading The Swish of the Curtain, I just could not put it down and read it in one go and ended up doing my homework at some ungodly hour of night

Does any one else read Monica Dicken's novels?

I found Kate and Emma very difficult to read with the theme of child abuse.

I hated Beth. I would have been the bad sister who couldn't be bothered to sit and listen to her witter on being Saintly and Good. I was pleased when she FINALLY died as she was a bit of a wimp who gave up and was a burden on her family.

@mumof3men - did you know that there is a third Katy book - What Katy Did at School?

I love the Louisa M Alcott books, and LM Montgomery and Susan Coolidge - and I feel a book marathon coming on!

The Katy books are:

What Katy Did (fell off a swing, tried to be like saintly cousin Helen)
What Katy Did At School (made a priggish society for good behaviour, did not wave at boys at all)
What Katy Did Next (went round Europe as someone's companion, marvelled at how cheap flowers were)

BUT THEN there are two that are not about Katy

Clover
In The High Valley

cannot describe them, you should read this article

Katy does appear in those two books though. They're mainly about Clover and Elsie. I think it was with good reason they remained out of print for so long, I was very disappointed with the characters and the story.
There's also Nine Little Goslings which contains a story about Johnnie.

Bad typing there, am using phone!

Katy appears in them but they are not ABOUT Katy, she's a minor character. I wasn't trying to suggest that she'd died or anything! :o

Oh no, sorry, I didn't think you were.

They're worth reading, in a way, I think. Though I think they're shadows of the other books. The girls seem to take pleasure in Lilly's misfortunes, I thought, and poor Dorry (not considered bright) is a figure of fun to them. etc The ending is rather twee in High Valley too. I'd be interested to hear what others thought.

Is it Clover that contains Katy's marriage? I think it might be.

I thought Little Women was a vile twee book. I met a woman who had two daughters and wanted two more to name after the characters. Jeez.

For some reason Iliked the Katy books though still found them rather twee.

Amy was a selfish little girl. She used words incorrectly in an effort to sound knowledgeable and grown up. She was also intent on acting the "young lady". That is why Aunt March got on with her and why Jo was sidelined as a companion for Europe. She was also an artist. As she grew up she adopted the sophistication that (as Jo knew) was what Laurie needed in a wife. Jo insisted they were never suited as a married couple. She made some remark about he would have hated her "scribbling" and something about him that would have got on her nerves. All in all, Amy was a character who provided some laughs and a foil for the general sweetness of the rest of the family. The March family are my favourite literary characters and I cannot ageee with any word said against any of them.