Little Men (by Louisa M Alcott)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often, in the middle of reading fairly light romances, sagas and even crime fiction, I take a foray into the world of children's or teenage books. Louisa M Alcott was an American writer in the 19th century, whose work seems rather dated now. Nevertheless, her books are warm and relaxing, and I find them very encouraging.

'Little Men' is the third in the series of four books that began with 'Little Women'. Although technically complete in itself, it is a continuation of the previous books. The story focuses mostly on the offspring of the original March girls (Meg, Jo and Amy), and several other boys whom Jo and her husband look after.

There's a bit of author moralising in places, as tended to happen in that period, and inevitably the writing and style is quite old-fashioned. But human nature hasn't changed, and there are some very moving moments along with a lot of fun.

I thought this an enjoyable read, probably intended for teenagers originally. 

(I wrote a much longer review of 'Little Men' after I re-read it again in 2018)