Week One (4/16/20):
Welcome to the Ascension Parish Library virtual book club on Little Women! We are so happy you have joined us. Here we will discuss the overall structure and expected timeline of our club.
This book club will run from today, April 16th to June 4th, totaling seven weeks. Each week will focus on specific chapters in Little Women, and the discussion questions will reflect the reading. Staff will post a summary of the week’s reading and five to ten discussion questions as comments underneath that post. You can reply both to the discussion questions and to each other’s comments.
You can reply to as many discussion questions as you like, but we encourage you to reply to at least one other person’s reply as well.
Everyone should feel that their beliefs, opinions, and backgrounds are respected. We encourage you to share how you connect with the book and to include text from the book that supports your idea. It is helpful to know that Hoopla changes the number of pages in Little Women based on the type of electronic device you are on; therefore, if you are wanting to call attention to a portion of the text, it might be most helpful to simply mention what chapter it is in. We do not want to stray too far from the spirit of the book, and we ask that you do not include links to outside sources in your writings (though we encourage you to cite any sources that do enhance your reading). We may from time to time include background information that can be found directly through our library’s resources.
Thank you so much for joining us. Let’s begin this week with a few before-reading questions!
For next week, read chapters one through seven.
Click here for a biography of the author
Discussion Question 1: Have you ever read Little Women before? How old were you?
ReplyDeleteI read Little Women when I was in high school. I have wanted to reread it since seeing the most recent movie remake.
DeleteI read it in high school, so I was a teen. I'm going to reread it so it's fresh in my mind.
DeleteI've never read Little Women before, but I bought the book last summer as a birthday gift to myself. This will serve as a great excuse to read it.
DeleteLittle Women was one of my favorite books when I was a little girl. I loved my copy of it! I think I was around 10 when I first read it. I have a habit of rereading books I really like, so I got to where I had many parts memorized over the years.
DeleteDiscussion Question 2: Did you grow up in a family that forged strong sibling ties? How did that strong bond help you as you became an adult?
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a military family. We moved constantly which caused my brother and I to develop a strong sibling bond. You have a built in best friend no matter where you move. This hasn't changed as adults. He is still just a phone call away and ready to help as an adult.
DeleteYes, my sister and I are very close. Our cousin’s are like sisters to me. I’m the oldest of all of us girls & there’s a 8 year difference between me & my sister & first cousin, so I babysat them. In doing that I’ve watched them grow up & we r all close and get together with them for Christmas. It’s great to have a bond with them because we have all been thru a lot together.
DeleteDiscussion Question 3: In the table of contents, we see that each chapter of the book has its own title. Many authors simply number their chapters. Why do you think Alcott named each chapter as she did?
ReplyDeleteI think because she wants to give us an idea of the subject matter for the chapter.
DeleteChristy, I find it interesting that each chapter so far reads like a mini story unto itself. Your idea seems on point.
DeleteDiscussion Question 4: After reading the book summary on Hoopla and reading the chapter titles, what do you think the mood (overall emotion or “feel”) of the book will be?
ReplyDeleteI think the overall mood ends up being one of hope, but there is also sadness and tension in some of the chapter titles.
DeleteI agree with Alyssa in that the mood is hope & no matter what you can overcome anything.
DeleteChristy, I find it fascinating that no matter what I read in the book, hope isn't too far away! I'm wondering if I always feel hope because I feel like each chapter (so far) has some sort of resolution to its conflict. We don't have to wait long for at least something to go well.
DeleteDiscussion Question 5: Virtual book clubs are new at Ascension Parish Library. What do you hope to get out of this book club?
ReplyDeleteOut of this book club I'm hoping to get steady, interactive, occasionally in-depth discussion with people who are passionate about reading and at least some who may already love and know this particular book.
DeleteJust to read books & see how this will work.
DeleteDiscussion Question 6: What do you know about the author, Louisa May Alcott? How do you think her upbringing and experiences influenced her writing?
ReplyDeleteAs I read the author info I learned just how much Pilgrim's Progress affected Alcott's writing. I've read Little Women before, but it has never occurred to me before that she used the plot of another book to shape the plot of her own. I need to brush up on Pilgrim's Progress to see just how much it may have influenced her.
DeleteI've always found it interesting to learn what works influenced particular authors in writing their own books that subsequently became classics.
DeleteI can say I knew nothing about the author until now rereading the book. It’s always interesting to see what their interests are & to see what influenced them.
DeleteI knew some about Alcott's childhood before rereading the book. I had to research Pilgrim's Progress to truly understand the impact it had on Alcott's writing (since she referenced it in her book).
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