Leave It to the March Sisters

Louisa May Alcott’s most famous novel forms the basis for Sereno’s (Blame It on the Brontës) wobbly contemporary romance. The story follows the uneasy love story of Amy, a college English professor who dreams of being a painter, and her estranged childhood friend and crush—and new housemate—Theo. While Amy doesn’t have three other sisters—thank goodness, considering what happens to Beth in Little Women—she does have one sister, headstrong Jo, who lives across the country but is omnipresent in Amy’s budding relationship with Theo. The Alcott connections are strong in this story. There are clever moments that parallel the classic novel, but there are equally as many overly cutesy, strange, soapy, or downright baffling moments. The flashes of creativity and humor will win over some readers, but the novel’s uneven nature will leave others cold.