"I'm not like the rest of you; I never made any plans about what I'd do when I grew up; I never thought of being married, as you did. I couldn't seem to imagine myself anything but stupid little Beth, trotting about at home, of no use anywhere but there. I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is leaving you all. I'm not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven." "She preferred imaginary heroes to real ones, because when tired of them, the former could be shut up in the tin kitchen till called for, and the latter were less manageable." ? Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Little Women (1868-69) by Louisa May Alcott is a classic that follows the amusing lives of the four March sisters, namely, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. From childhood to womanhood, tracing their journey, the novel shows the struggles of talented tomboy and aspiring to be author Jo, beautiful Meg, tragically frail Beth, and romantic and spoiled Amy, in New England during the Civil War.