Now the siren call of the March sisters has inspired a contemporary fictional take on the story.
Warning: The following interview includes spoilers aboutThe Spring Girls.
Read at your own risk!
Simon & Schuster
Theres no way to ever, ever, ever recreate the original story.
In fan-fiction, sometimes its possible to skirt the edge, but this story is impossible to even touch.
But I didnt think about that in the beginning.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.Puffin Books
I loved the story.
Ive loved it since I was a teenager.
Most women love it, if theyve read it.
If they havent they might love the movie or theyve heard of it.
We read it in class first, and I used to steal books from my school.
I was just obsessed with reading it.
There was something about the mother that struck me there was just something so different about it.
Why do you thinkLittle Womenstill endures so much in the popular imagination?Its just a timeless concept.
Women have, in some places, more freedom, but its a universal story.
Jo wanted a career and she wasnt focused on getting married, and we all want to be her.
We all love Jo, but Meg, there was no shame in her wanting a husband.
It was just a fun thing for me to do to change their last name from March.
Meg receives a lot more voice and agency here, as well as a traumatic backstory.
I was a little bit surprised by it too in the beginning.
I assumed the whole book would be really Jo centered.
I didnt even realize I was going to do all the girls point of view.
It was going to be Jos story and then the other girls kind of took over.
With Meg, I really fell in love with her.
I wanted to change her romantic narrative.
My version of John Brooke; I never really loved him.
So, he just kind of became obnoxious in mine.
She needed something more exciting.
In the story, she was just kind of there and it happened.
I didnt actually plan that to happen.
I wanted to have the good parts about Laurie, but not have him be a dick.
I never got over him and Amy.
I will just not be happy about that for the rest of my life.
I still cant believe that happened.
So I knew for sure that was the first thing this is not happening in mine.
That will never ever happen.
I feel like he talks down to her; he doesnt take her seriously.
So Im like, who says she has to be with her high school boyfriend or the Professor?
This is not that story.
I wanted her to just have her chance with Laurie because I wanted it so bad before.
Beth survives to the end of the book.
Her frailty is transmuted into social anxiety, and she is also gay.
Its a sensitive subject to write about when Ive never experienced any hardship over my sexuality or anything.
I wanted to be really careful with the way I did it.
I didnt want it to be this huge thing thats not the center of her character.
I wish I had a better answer, but it just kind of happened.
Shes definitely not dying.
I always loved her, so I was like, shes not going anywhere.
I kept thinking I have to kill one of them, and then they all survived the first cut.
I felt like that wouldve been too easy, but I so wanted to.
So I went through and just marked what things I loved.
Every chapter in the original is its own episode basically.
Do you plan to watch the new BBC adaptation?
Whats your favorite adaptation?My favorite is the Winona Ryder version with Susan Sarandon as the mom.
That was my favorite as of now, but I am excited to see the BBC one.
