About Little Women
The story (no spoilers)
Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are four sisters growing up with little money while their father is away at war. Jo wants to be a writer, and each sister has her own dream and her own faults to work through.
Who it's for
Readers who like warm family stories and everyday English: home, school, friends and feelings, with no difficult plot to follow.
- Level
- CEFR A2–B1
- Length
- 4 parts · about 1,700 words
- Reading time
- about 14 minutes (~4 min per part)
- Author
- Louisa May Alcott
If you liked this, read
- Anne of Green Gables · A2–B1
- A Little Princess · A2–B1
- Pride and Prejudice · B1–B2
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading Little Women in English: quick answers
- What English level is Little Women on SeoJae Story?
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is retold in simplified English at CEFR A2–B1 (elementary to intermediate). It is split into 4 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is Little Women hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR A2–B1 (elementary to intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read Little Women in simple English?
- About 14 minutes of reading in total — roughly 4 minutes per part across 4 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of Little Women?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 4 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is Little Women free to read here?
- Yes. All 4 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is Little Women in the public domain?
- Yes. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #37106). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.