Originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869,  
‘Little Women’  is a coming-of-age novel by American author Louisa May Alcott. 
Set in New England, ‘Little Women’ follows the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, who live with their mother during the Civil War. After their father falls ill, Beth contracts scarlet fever, and their family suffers much financial hardship. In the end, the March sisters are able to build happy lives for themselves.
‘Little Women’ is loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters and scholars classify it as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel.
The novel was an immediate commercial and critical success.