Unseen Scenes: 16 Gems From “Little Women” That Get Exactly Zero (0) Film Portrayal

As promised… I am here to talk about Little Women.

There are an abundance of film versions — recently it has begun to feel like a new one is made every year, mainly because the previous year’s attempt was unsatisfactory. I have seen 4 versions, so far.

This one, with June Allyson as Jo. I reviewed it here, and some of you might recall that I, ahem, wasn’t the biggest fan. But I do realize (and respect) that this is sort of The Iconic Version and holds a lot of nostalgia for people whose first exposure to Little Women was through this movie.

Then, of course, there is this version (made in ’94 instead of ’49 which causes me a great deal of confusion). I reviewed it at greater length in this post… and, as probably most of you know, for me, THIS is The Iconic Version of Little Women and definitely the standard to which I hold up every other version. No one will ever really be Jo for me except Winona Ryder and I’ve never seen a better Laurie than Christian Bale (he was simply *made* for the role, that’s all there is to it!).

The third version I’ve seen — and one that seems to be almost entirely forgotten in favor of the more star-studded iterations — is the Masterpiece series of 2017. I actually really enjoyed this version and it would probably grow on me still more if I took another gander at it…

Finally, there is the most recent version and the one that EVERYONE is talking about. (And perhaps rightfully so.)

With a smidge of sadness, I must openly declare that today’s post is not about judging between these 4 versions. Although much could be said on the subject, about the various strengths and weaknesses of each, and perhaps the shortcomings that all of them share, I will save that for a time when I have sorted out my feelings more thoroughly. (To be perfectly honest, I simply don’t *know* which one I like best… or rather, which one objectively is the best, so I can’t write a blog post about it! Yet. But I am thinking that perhaps someday soon a very massive chart ought to be made to help me weigh out, once and for all, which one Takes The Cake.)

No. I am here to announce part of the reason why I cannot choose. And that part-of-the-reason is this:

I love the book so absolutely… and no version (at least, none of these 4) comes close to capturing ALL the things I love about the book.

If you haven’t read the original paper-and-ink version of Little Women… oh, my dear. You are missing out. This book is like wandering into a new world and discovering that it is HOME and always was and always will be. I’ve read this book more times than I can remember and every time… it steals my heart and breaks it and puts it back together again. The book is special in a way that few other things are.

So if you take away ONE THING from this post, let it be this: READ IT, READ IT, READ IT. It is so good and so wholesome and so pure and so absolutely worth every bit of time it takes.

Now that I’ve stated that very important point. What I really want to do in this post is indulge in a little complaining.

 

…Not the most charitable cause. But! There are four! Different! Versions! Of this story! And not a singular one has brought ANY of these 16 moments to life. And that, my friends, is a crying shame because I think that each of them makes Little Women the thing of beauty that it is. 

I have rambled long enough. Let’s get to the Good Stuff.

1. Each version has Fred Vaughn, but no Camp Laurence!

Camp Laurence is simply a Good Time. In the book, this event gets a whole chapter of space devoted to it. Essentially, “Camp Laurence” is an epic picnic, hosted by Laurie (and Brooke), where the four March sisters, a few local friends (Sallie Gardiner and Ned Moffat, to be precise) and a British family of four (prim Kate, a little girl named Grace, and twin boys), gather together for food, croquet (with a little cheating on the side!), storytelling, Truth-or-Dare-but-without-the-Dares, and other games.

Lots of fun happens in this chapter, but it’s also really an essential part of the story because a great many Important Plot Things are set up in this chapter. This is the first chapter where we “see” John Brooke “up close” and get a little peek into who he is. Now, I think that Brooke is incredibly underrated and actually a really fantastic character… but more on that later. For the first time, we get hints of his interest in Meg and we see them discover some common ground — things to Bond Over, if you will. Additionally, we meet Fred Vaughn for the first time! And he becomes super important later! Laurie was actually the one who first introduced Fred Vaughn and Amy! Bet he felt really dumb about that later! Finally, I think this part of the story is important because we see Beth very much out of her natural element, but also rising with courage and grace to do a hard thing. Most of the film versions give us precious little Beth Time, and none of them really capture the bravery that accompanied her quiet spirit.

2. In most of the film versions, Laurie mentions (typically in his proposal) that he “gave up billiards” but we never see why that’s important

“It’s no harm, Jo. I have billiards at home, but it’s no fun unless you have good players, so, as I’m fond of it, I come sometimes and have a game with Ned Moffat or some of the other fellows.”

“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry, for you’ll get to liking it better and better, and will waste time and money, and grow like those dreadful boys. I did hope you’d stay respectable and be a satisfaction to your friends,” said Jo, shaking her head. 

“Can’t a fellow take a little innocent amusement now and then without losing his respectability?” Laurie asked, looking nettled. 

“That depends on how and where he takes it. I don’t like Ned and his set, and wish you’d keep out of it. Mother won’t let us have him at our house, though he wants to come. And if you grow like him she won’t be willing to have us frolic together as we do now.”

“Won’t she?” asked Laurie anxiously. 

When Laurie first comes to live with his grandfather, he admits to Jo that he doesn’t know how things are done in America. Although he has impeccable manners and is a naturally sweet and likable person, he feels like an outsider. Not only was he raised and schooled in Europe, but he is part-Italian — something that makes him more artistic, more sensitive, and a bit more superstitious than his American counterparts. As the story continues, we see Laurie start to conform more and more to his surroundings — to make friends and to behave in a more polished, flirtatious, and romping style. But this adjustment does take time… and isn’t always an improvement for the better, the book suggests.

The incident with the billiards isn’t just about Jo being legalistic about gambling. It demonstrates an honest worry about who Laurie is starting to hang around with. It shows that Laurie wants to have friends — so much so that his morals might be compromised and he might be tempted to succumb to peer pressure in some not-so-great ways. So while it’s really sweet that Laurie would give up a habit that Jo reprimanded him for, I feel like there is a lot more to it than that.

3. We typically meet Meg’s “fashionable” friends, Sally Gardiner and Annie Moffat, but not Ned

“How can you be so cruel to me?” he whispered, under cover of a lively chorus. “You’ve kept close to that starched-up Englishwoman all day, and now you snub me.” 

“I didn’t mean to, but you looked so funny I really couldn’t help it,” replied Meg, passing over the first part of his reproach, for it was quite true that she had shunned him, remembering the Moffat party and the talk after it. 

Ned was offended and turned to Sallie for consolation, saying to her rather pettishly, “There isn’t a bit of flirt in that girl, is there?”

As you might have guessed, Ned is Annie’s brother and appears rather a lot throughout the book. At first, Ned is just a flirting college boy. He shows up at the aforementioned Camp Laurence and seems to be fun and friendly. In subsequent chapters, however, we get hints here and there that he is starting to express an interest in Meg… and she is hardcore rejecting him. The book doesn’t explicitly state that Ned has become a Bad Influence on Laurie or that he has a Massive Crush on Meg or that he is turning into a vapid and self-absorbed young man… but read between the lines a little and it is definitely there.

Honestly, I just find it odd that Ned is cut out of the story so completely. Sallie, too, is portrayed more as Some Rich Girl than a genuine friend of Meg’s — who continues to be a friend after their respective marriages.

4. The wild hallway dance is included in every version (it’s just too picturesque to skip), but never Laurie helping out afterwards

“No, dear, run along, and bring me some coffee. I’m so tired I can’t stir.”

So Meg reclined, with rubbers well hidden, and Jo went blundering away to the dining room, which she found after going into a china closet, and opening the door of a room where old Mr. Gardiner was taking a little private refreshment. Making a dart at the table, she secured the coffee, which she immediately spilled, thereby making the front of her dress as bad as the back.

“Oh, dear, what a blunderbuss I am!” exclaimed Jo, finishing Meg’s glove by scrubbing her gown with it. 

“Can I help you?” said a friendly voice. And there was Laurie, with a full cup in one hand and a plate of ice in the other. 

“I was trying to get something for Meg, who is very tired, and someone shook me, and here I am in a nice state,” answered Jo, glancing dismally from the stained skirt to the coffee-colored glove. 

“Too bad! I was looking for someone to give this to. May I take it to your sister?”

This whole scene just makes me smile. It’s so vivid… and rather uncomfortably relatable, don’t you think? Meg has a twisted ankle and Jo goes rushing off to try and fix the situation. Not only does she take several wrong turns, but manages to walk in on some old guy having a secret one-man drinking party. Finally, she locates what she wants but it’s crowded and she spills all over herself. Now she’s a mess and has no coffee to bring back to Meg. All around… a disaster.

“AND THERE WAS LAURIE.”

I think sometimes the film versions would lead us to believe that Laurie was sort of a bold flirt right from the start, you know? Like he comes out of nowhere and likes Jo and they start dancing all over the place and then he’s offering to take her and her sister home. But honestly, the book gives us this totally different picture of him… He is the perfect gentleman, with lovely gentle manners, and stellar timing. He isn’t quite so… wild — not until they get to know him a little better, anyway.

Also, that last line. “May I take it to your sister?” As if he was just conveniently roaming the halls hoping that someone might have a spare injured sister he could give his coffee to. Riiiiiiiight.

5. We always meet Kitty and Minnie, but not Miss Norton or Tina

So, in every version, we see Jo make her big trip to New York. It’s a pivotal part of the story, because it’s where Jo first becomes independent and learns a lot about both writing and life. And, of course, she meets Professor Bhaer — in all his goofy, charming, and warm-hearted loveliness. Typically, the story also informs us that Jo is here to serve as a nanny-teacher to Mrs. Kirke’s two young daughters, Kitty and Minnie. Sadly, none of the four film versions ever show us little Tina. She is an adorable imp… a daughter of one of the maids who works in the boardinghouse, presumably. She is a playmate to Kitty and Minnie in the book, but also receives lessons from the Professor and they make simply the funniest and cutest pair imaginable.

Bhaer’s strength as a romantic lead would be raised by about a thousand, I think, if we got to see him playing zoo with Tina or teaching her how to read or helping her carry coal up the stairs.

There’s also another boarder we never meet! Miss Norton is a quiet-ish, sophisticated-seeming young woman who befriends Jo and they occasionally go to concerts or the theater together. Miss Norton doesn’t play a huge role in the story, but I think it would have been nice to see that Jo was capable of female-female friendships with someone other than her sisters… and might have been good to see a less-lonely version of Jo, overall.

6. We never see Beth’s snowmam (er, maiden)!

As Christmas approached, the usual mysteries began to haunt the house, and Jo frequently convulsed the family by proposing utterly impossible or magnificently absurd ceremonies, in honor of this unusually merry Christmas. Laurie was equally impracticable, and would have had bonfires, skyrockets, and triumphal arches, if he had had his own way. After many skirmishes and snubbings, the ambitious pair were considered effectually quenched and went about with forlorn faces, which were rather belied by explosions of laughter when the two got together.

…The Unquenchables had done their best to be worthy of the name, for like elves they had worked by night and conjured up a comical surprise. Out in the garden stood a stately snow maiden, crowned with holly, bearing a basket of fruit and flowers in one hand, a great roll of music in the other, a perfect rainbow of an Afghan round her chilly shoulders, and a Christmas carol issuing from her lips on a pink paper streamer. 

I don’t know why, but this scene just means the world to me. We see a lot of Jo and Laurie — both in the book and the film versions. And I love that! Because I adore them together and my heart is absolutely SHATTERED that they don’t get married–

Another rant for another time.

The point is… Laurie became a brother figure to all four girls. He was protective of pretty Meg. He was Jo’s best friend. He helped Amy write her last will and testament when she thought she might die and adopted her funny grammar mistakes as his own inside jokes. He secretly taught Beth new pieces on the piano and showered her with compliments and conspired with Jo to make her this snow-maiden in the middle of the night because they were so relieved that they didn’t lose her. Laurie is a functioning member of this family… not just Jo’s friend.

I think it’s important to show that.

7. The dentist encounter

For a week or two, Jo behaved so queerly that her sisters were quite bewildered. She rushed to the door when the postman rang, was rude to Mr. Brooke whenever they met, would sit looking at Meg with a woe-begone face, occasionally jumping up to shake and then kiss her in a very mysterious manner. Laurie and she were always making signs to one another, and talking about “Spread Eagles“ till the girls declared they had both lost their wits. On the second Saturday after Jo got out of the window, Meg, as she sat sewing at her window, was scandalized by the sight of Laurie chasing Jo all over the garden and finally capturing her in Amy’s bower. What went on there, Meg could not see, but shrieks of laughter were heard, followed by the murmur of voices and a great flapping of newspapers. 

Wow. So, this scene is adorable. The above quote, actually, occurs right after Jo finds out that the local newspaper published one of her stories — but prior to actually being published, Jo sneaks out alone and talks to the Newspaper People and they tell her they will publish her stories in two weeks (or something to that effect). BUT. Laurie *sees* her sneaking about and mistakenly thinks that she went to the dentist (the newspaper and the dentist are in the same building, you see) and tries to come up and comfort her. The whole encounter is simply hilarious and delightful. Especially when Jo laughs at him and reveals her secret and Laurie shares his own “plummy bit of news” and they behave like schoolgirls together. (Laurie is such a gossipy fellow, by the way. I adore him.)

8. Jo and Professor Bhaer’s awkward courtship

Gentlemen are sometimes seized with sudden fits of admiration for the young relatives of ladies whom they honor with their regard, but this counterfeit philoprogenitiveness sits uneasily upon them, and does not deceive anybody a particle. Mr. Bhaer’s devotion was sincere, however likewise effective — for honesty is the best policy in love as in law. He was one of the men who are at home with children, and looked particularly well when little faces made a pleasant contrast with his manly one. His business, whatever it was, detained him from day to day, but evening seldom failed to bring him out to see — well, he always asked for Mr. March, so I suppose he was the attraction. The excellent papa labored under the delusion that he was, and reveled in long discussions with the kindred spirit…

I suppose my main complaint here is not the non-existence of a fumbling, quirky romance between these two fumbling, quirky people as much as… I just want more of it. In the book, the professor shows up randomly every night for like, a week.

A.

Week.

I think that’s hilarious.

Combine that with the fact that the whole family highkey Knows What’s Up but is collectively pretending they don’t? And that Laurie plays Protective Big Brother? And Amy wants to find a way to help them out financially? And that Daisy and Demi are absolutely in love with Bhaer as much as Jo is? It just makes for some really golden scenes that all these film versions are passing up, is all I’m saying.

9. Meg’s jelly incident (and other small glitches in her marriage)

Meg is grievously overlooked in most of the film versions. On the one hand… I get it. She isn’t my favorite character either. On the other, though, I feel like the right actress could put a really interesting spin on “vain” Meg and make it really interesting. The problem, of course, is that bland actresses are *always* assigned to Meg and the more dynamite talent goes to Jo and Amy. (But especially Jo. Because she is the Actual Main Character. And I get that. But surely… there is more than one talented actress? In the world?)

Anyway. The scene I’m referring to is pretty much always skipped over, because once Meg gets married… she kinda disappears from the story altogether. Then she has babies and gets a courtesy glance for that… and then disappears again. The book grants all four sisters much more equal allotments of story time. Meg’s newlywed attempts to make a cozy home, Laurie’s ridiculous housewarming gifts, the financial struggles of the young couple, the raising of their children, and the role of “Aunt Dodo” play a much larger part of the story than you would ever imagine based off of the movies.

In particular, we see Meg trying to suddenly jump into this role of “housemaker” all by herself. John is working to provide money, so he isn’t actually to blame here. But when Meg decides she is gonna make a ton of jelly — and be super great at it on her first try — their marriage is put to the test for the first time and they both have to learn some things about asking for help. It’s a sweet story… and it’s Meg’s. Despite what the filmmakers all seem to think, she is a vital part of Little Women and the messages that it holds dear.

10. Laurie always proposes before Jo leaves for New York, but in the book he does it after

Technically…

This item shouldn’t be on the list.

But this is my blog and I do what I want.

And I want to address this issue, because every film version so far has gotten it WRONG.

Jo starts to suspect that Laurie is developing The Romantical Feels for her. She decides that some Healthy Distance would be a good thing and also secretly hopes that he will fall in love with Beth instead (which is a very intense matchmaking move on Jo’s part, wow), so she goes to work in New York. When she returns home and he has graduated from college, he agonizingly slogs into the waters of Proposing To Your Childhood Best Friend and it doesn’t altogether end well…

For some strange reason, all the different movie versions decide that it would be much better if Laurie proposed first and then Jo ran away to New York afterwards. Excuse me, but no. That is simply Not How It Happened and you can’t just decide that you know better than the AUTHOR herself. Cut it out.

11. Amy maturing, not to mention her attempted (and failed) party

Amy does a lot of growing in this story. Very few of the film versions show this.

Instead, we see a bratty little girl and then a gorgeous and perfectly elegant adult woman — with absolutely no in-between! But real life doesn’t work that way — self-centered kids grow into selfish adults, unless intentional work is done to correct the fault. The book actually depicts Amy learning to improve her manners, to be kind, gentle, longsuffering, and patient. She gets involved in the community and in charity work, she makes friends among the upper class, and she creates this whole new identity for herself that is actually pretty admirable.

This is so important to show! It’s really, really hard to like Amy — or to respect Amy — when all we see is selfishness and beauty and her being given everything on a silver platter.

 

In contrast, book-Amy puts a ton of work into becoming a better person — a person worth respecting and admiring. Skipping that whole portion of her life totally undermines the character. Sadly.

One scene from the book comes to mind whenever I think about this transformation from little-girl-Amy to adult-Amy:

Amy tries to throw this Extremely Elegant Party for all her friends. On the day of the party, everything goes wrong. Only one friend shows up. But Amy stays calm and collected and makes the day so nice for that one friend… because she genuinely believes that elegance is about good manners and hospitality, not just showing off or being fake. It reveals who Amy is becoming and where her priorities lie.

12. Laurie falling in love with Amy (as well as his vague painting and composing attempts)

When he looked about him for another and a less intractable damsel to immortalize in melody, memory produced one with the most obliging readiness. This phantom wore many faces, but it always had golden hair, was enveloped in a diaphanous cloud, and floated airily before his mind’s eye in a pleasing chaos of roses, peacocks, white ponies, and blue ribbons. He did not give the complacent wraith any name, but he took her for his heroine and grew quite fond of her, as well he might for he gifted her with every gift and grace under the sun, and escorted her, unscathed, through trials which would have annihilated any mortal woman.

Thanks to this inspiration, he got on swimmingly for a time, but gradually the work lost its charm, and he forgot to compose, while he sat musing, pen in hand, or roamed about the gay city to get some new ideas and refresh his mind, which seemed to be in a somewhat unsettled state that winter. He did not do much, but he thought a great deal and was conscious of a change of some sort going on in spite of himself. “It’s genius simmering, perhaps. I’ll let it simmer, and see what comes of it,” he said, with a secret suspicion all the while that it wasn’t genius, but something far more common.

In the same way that it is fundamentally important to see that Amy has changed into a kind, confident, and extremely strong woman in order to appreciate her adult character, it is also fundamentally important to understand that Laurie falls in love with Amy slowly in order to appreciate their love story.

The film versions, sadly, remove a lot of the chemistry and time and slow change (likely for time reasons, which is understandable) that occurs over many chapters in the book. Instead, we usually see a very angry and still-grieving Laurie being attacked and berated for his laziness and apathy by a very cold and self-righteous Amy (who, again, we haven’t seen much change in since she was a demanding, foolish child). Then… suddenly… he is wildly in love with her? It makes no sense. Honestly, it’s absurd. And I hate it.

Now, I’m never going to ship Laurie and Amy the way that I ship Jo and Laurie. It just… isn’t possible.

But. I will say this. I ship Laurie and Amy A HECK OF A LOT more when I see the process behind the actions. The book gives me that. The book shows us Laurie and Amy, meeting on accident as adults and experiencing unexpected twinges of attraction — it shows them seeing each other, for the first time, in a new light, as adults and as EQUALS. Time has leveled the playing field between a child and a teenager and made them both grown-ups. It’s also really interesting to note that Amy almost definitely is the superior person when they re-meet in Europe and that Laurie learns a lot from her. (Which is so crazy, considering what a nasty kid she was. And shows, once again, how much she has changed.) Then, they part ways, and we see that Laurie can’t get her out of his head. He is slowly falling in love with her — for months and months and months…! This isn’t sudden! This isn’t out of the blue! He doesn’t just randomly decide to like her because she grew up and became way hotter! It is actually a slow process of realizing that he was stubbornly clinging to something that was never going to happen and that Amy was creeping into his heart.

Just… please. Give us one movie version that shows the full love story of Amy and Laurie.

13. Every single version shows the girls giving away their breakfast (and discovering Laurie’s existence for the first time), but none of them indicate that Jo and Laurie had ALREADY (briefly) MET

“Our cat ran away once, and he brought her back, and we talked over the fence, and were getting on capitally, all about cricket, and so on, when he saw Meg coming, and walked off. I mean to know him some day, for he needs fun, I’m sure he does,” said Jo decidedly.

This quote pretty much speaks for itself. Even in the book, this first-ever-meeting is only told in retrospect, so we don’t “see” it happen. But I really wish we could have…

It also impacts the later meeting at the party. Jo, formally, makes up some nonsense about “I think you are my neighbor” and it’s FUNNY because both of them ALREADY KNOW THAT because they’ve talked over the fence about lost cats and cricket.

14. We never get a “castles in the air” scene

Ugh.

I don’t know if I can describe this in words.

If you haven’t read the book… well. There is this whole chapter, about how the four girls and Laurie go to this little nook among the trees and talk about their dreams for the future. They call these dreams their “castles in the air” and the whole thing is so ethereal and precious and reveals so much about who they all are as individuals and what is most important to them…

Like I said. I can’t do it justice.

But it deeply saddens me that none of the film versions have even attempted to adapt this lovely shared moment.

15. John Brooke going to war and getting injured

“Going to college, I suppose?” Meg’s lips asked the question, but her eyes added, “And what becomes of you?”

“Yes, it’s high time he went, for he is ready, and as soon as he is off, I shall turn soldier. I am needed.” 

“I am glad of that!” exclaimed Meg. “I should think every young man would want to go, though it is hard for the mothers and sisters who stay at home,” she added sorrowfully. 

“I have neither, and very few friends to care whether I live or die,” said Mr. Brooke rather bitterly…

John Brooke did his duty manfully for a year, got wounded, was sent home, and not allowed to return. He received no stars or bars, but he deserved them, for he cheerfully risked all he had, and life and love are very precious when both are in full bloom.

JOHN.

BROOKE.

JOHN FREAKING BROOKE.

How is he so underrated?!

How is he no one’s favorite character? (Answer: Probably because he marries Meg…)

Like, the book-version of John is strong and silent and intelligent and just… total heartthrob material??? He’s basically Darcy.

Sadly… I think he is just overshadowed by Laurie’s character who is much funnier and more charming in comparison.

BUT STILL. I’m a wee bit obsessed with how fabulous John Brooke is and I’m always, always hoping that one of these movie versions will GET. HIM. RIGHT.

…And none of them do. It grieves me. I am pierced to my soul.

Look at this:

That is a solid no.

Then there’s this:

Aaaaaand I’m just confused by what is supposed to be going on up there. Certainly not John Brooke.

How about:

He’s actually not bad. I think he might just come the closest to being John Brooke of any iteration thus far.

I can’t find the 1949 Brooke… so we’ll just assume that he was awful.

BACK TO THE ACTUAL TOPIC, THOUGH.

John Brooke is underrated as a whole character, but the fact that he went and served as a soldier in the Civil War is *even more* underrated. The ’94 version definitely doesn’t indicate that he went to war at all. If the others do mention it, it is so brief that it’s basically unnoticeable.

Sad, sad, sad.

I would love to see a film really maximize this part of the story… maybe even show us some of Brooke’s experiences as a soldier?!

16. Laurie’s prank (regarding a certain pair of lovers…)

…It was a disaster.

But a very funny one.

And, further, a disaster that not a single movie version of Little Women has deigned to show us.

So, in the book… Laurie actually Gets The Ball Rolling, for Meg and John Brooke. The two have definitely noticed each other (at Camp Laurence, among other occasions, as mentioned) but there are no concrete feelings. But Laurie — who is basically the OG Fangirl — is hardcore shipping them. And so he decides to, ahem, *intervene.*

Meg receives a letter, ostensibly from Brooke, telling her that he Has Feelings. She replies and says that she is Still Quite Young and attempts to delay his advances. She then receives further communication from Brooke, saying that he never sent her the original letter — it must have been Laurie. Meg freaks out (#relatable) because she thinks she has just rejected a guy who never liked her in the first place. Finally, Jo finds out about the whoooole plot and reassures Meg… the handwriting in BOTH letters is Laurie’s… John Brooke didn’t send OR RECEIVE any letters.

So… happily-ever-after, right?

W R O N G.

Meg is furious at Laurie for giving her such a scare. Laurie is in danger of being kicked from his place as Honorary Member Of The Family… even his dearest pal Jo is close to shunning him. Thus ensues apologies and angst and tears and punishment… and the whole thing is just funny and adorable and so oddly touching and realistic. This is just how families are, you know? They hurt each other and take things too far sometimes and sometimes jokes aren’t funny to everyone but you patch it up and keep going, better than ever. (Except… he actually does put the idea into Meg’s head… so the effects are pretty long-lasting since his ship sails and Meg and Brooke *do* get married…)

Anywho. I would love to see this little snippet of sibling-squabblry make it into a film adaptation. But, alas. Movie writers are all of one mind, apparently. And that one mind is not looking for Fresh New Material Straight From The Book Itself, apparently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At long last… I am done my long ramble. Did you enjoy it? (I did, so that’s something.) It’s good to have all these Thoughts and Opinions out of my system… I’ve been stewing over them for such a long time. 🙂

Now let’s chat a bit before you go! Have you read Little Women (you absolutely MUST)? Have you seen *any* of the same film versions as I have? Which is your favorite (and why!)? Don’t you think John Brooke is THE MOST underrated character (I mean, really… he is swoon-worthy)? Which sister is your favorite/do you relate to the most? Are there other book-scenes that you would REALLY like to see adapted to film?