Retellings like Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and Jo: an adaptation of Little Women (sort of) tend to stay away from Part II of Little Women preferring to leave off with Marmee’s return from tending to Father and Beth’s first recovery from illness. Speaking of Beth’s death, the author’s of this adaption chose to focus in on Part II of Little Women rather than starting at the beginning of the story. These poems also provide transitions between chapters from the other March sisters that might have otherwise been more discursive. Her connection to her sisters comes through in McCullough’s poems. Even dead, Great or Nothing‘s Beth is the most compelling version of Beth I’ve read in a retelling. Many retellings of Little Women don’t know what to do with Beth. The inclusion of Beth’s voice on the page even with her character’s physical absence, highlights the importance of Beth’s character. Joy McCullough, whose debut verse novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the 2018 national book award novel, deftly handled Beth’s verse sections. Each sister’s voice is nuanced and Great or Nothing doesn’t fall into the trap of focusing too much on Jo or ignoring Amy because each author takes care with their sister. Tandem authorship gives each sister the benefit of a truly unique voice that builds upon the character traits that Alcott gave them 150 years ago rather than over relying on those traits. Four established young adult authors take on the personas of the March sisters.
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