Year in Reading: Hannah Gersen

Looking back on my reading list, I was shocked that the year began with ’s . I re-read it in January because ’s film adaptation of the novel. Does anything seem more unlike the doomscape of 2020 than the joy and optimism of Gerwig’s ? To be honest, rereading was a bit of a slog, especially the first half, when Marmee gives so many lectures. But the second half, which was originally published as a second volume called , was unexpectedly modern, with many scenes devoted to the business of writing and publishing. A few weeks after I read the book, I watched the first two episodes of on HBO and was surprised to see the girls passing back and forth — a detail I had forgotten from ’s novel.