This book takes me back to when, as a young girl of twelve, I read to my younger sister hours on end. Without the lure of television, we were drawn into and fascinated by the lives of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, who to us led wonderful, exciting lives while growing up in New England during the civil war. The book had an enormous impact on our imaginations, but even more it was a story of a daughter's dilemma; the tension between female obligations and artistic freedom. The story touches a spot in many women's hearts, and has been a great influence on the writings of such noted authors as Joyce Carol Oats and Virginia Woolf.