Little Women or, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Written and published in two parts in 1868 and 1869, the novel follows the lives of four sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March — and is loosely based on the author&apos;s childhood experiences with her three sisters. The first part of the book was an immediate commercial and critical success and prompted the composition of the book&apos;s second part, also a huge success. Both parts were first published as a single volume in 1880. The book is an unquestioned American classic.