The classic lit monster mash started up by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is heading towards American authors as well. Recently,Del Rey Books announced the purchase of Little Women and Werewolves,to be written by Porter Grand. No release date has been mentioned but it'll most likely be out and about sometime next year.
While I enjoy this sub genre quite a bit,I have some doubts concerning this one. If the writer was going for a Ginger Snaps vibe with the material,that would be cool but based on the plot description given,it doesn't look that way at all:
"In this retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic, the beloved little women must keep not just the wolf, but the werewolves, from the door...and the kindly old gentlemen next door and his grandson may have some secrets to hide--or share with the March girls."
Laurie and old Mr. Laurence as werewolves? Sorry,but that just doesn't work for me. Even if they turn out to be fearless werewolf hunters instead,the story would work better if one of the March girls wound up barking at the moon-why not Beth?
The poor girl's doomed any way here,so let her go out with a real bang(delivered by a silver bullet borrowed from the Laurences,courtesy of Jo in a heartbreaking sequence of events)! You could chose Amy as well,I suppose-she's always had a bad case of grandiosity and becoming a four legged beast might be a humbling experience for her:
True,I am a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott's book but that doesn't mean that I consider this material to be sacred text. On the contrary,out of respect for the novel and it's many readers,higher standards are set for any parody/re-imagining/modern day take.
Meg taking up a werewolf lifestyle is hard to imagine. She strives so much for the neat,orderly life of a proper lady that it would be tempting to throw such a huge monkey wrench into her plans.
However,I see her more as the werewolf hunter type. Meg may appear to be a Mary Meek and Mild kind of gal but when her loved ones are under attack,she becomes quite a fearsome foe. If the likes of Aunt March couldn't scare Meg off from marrying the man of her choice,not even a pack of bloodthirsty shapeshifters have a chance in hell against her:
Jo,on the other hand,would be as equally at home on either side of the moon in this hairy situation. Her quick temper and fiery independent nature would be a bonus,not to mention adding some extra angst in her personal struggles to develop a mature level of self control.
Whether she's slinging a shotgun at them or literally running with the wolves,one thing is for certain-Jo's refusal to marry Laurie would make a lot more sense(to some folks)with such a burden to carry along her Pilgrim's Progress:
Werewolves do fit in with strong female characters in paranormal fiction,with such fine examples as Kelley Armstrong's Elena and Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville. It is possible to make this match up work and with any luck,attract a fresh new audience of readers as well.
At this point,it's a wait and see game. Hopefully,Little Women and Werewolves will be a fun addition to your library of classic change ups and not a disappointment. The March sisters do deserve the best. There have been many wonderful adaptations of this story and it would be nice to have another to put on the shelves,even if there was more bite than the usual bark of sweetness this time around:
I absolutely adore the original book (there aren't very many books I've read as many times as it) so I think I'll skip the werewolf jaunt.
ReplyDeleteLoving the original is the best possible reason to read this one. It was written by a librarian who also loved the book, and wrote it as she felt Alcott would have if she could have gotten it past the Victorian male editors.
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