I gave this two stars because I like Alcott's writing style and the period detail in the book is interesting. I liked learning about an average family of the time, dealing with loss and difficulty. But like Alcott herself, I really didn't enjoy the book as a whole. Jo is great and all, but Alcott was forced by her publishers to marry Jo off in the end, which is so disappointing. The book is largely based on Alcott's own life and I'd rather read her biography (in which she, the real Jo, never does marry and becomes a successfull writer!).