Little Women is a novel by Louisa May Alcott, published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. The novel follows the lives, loves and tribulations of fours sisters growing up during the American Civil War. While their father serves in the conflict, the sisters—dutiful Meg, fiery Jo, gentle Beth, and fanciful Amy—are guided on a journey of growth and experience by their spirited mother. Little Women is the story of a loving and unconventional family welcoming life&apos;s joys and bravely facing life&apos;s sorrows. In part autobiographical, this is an important historical portrait of young women growing up in a post-war American society of strong traditions and modern freedoms.<br>Louisa May Alcott (1832 – 1888) was an American novelist best known as author of the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo&apos;s Boys. She was an advocate of abolition, women&apos;s rights, and temperance.