Beth & Amy
By Virginia Kantra
Adult Fiction
Amy March is making her own way in the world, or so she thinks. After moving to New York and struggling to launch her budding design career, Instagram influencers and boutiques have finally noticed her chic luggage brand, and sales are booming. The last thing she wants to do is to come home and face her sisters and most of all, Trey Lawrence.
Good girl Beth has finally left North Carolina to pursue a dream of becoming a country music singer. She’s writing songs and touring with Colt Henderson, the biggest star in the business. But when the pressure starts to build and her health suffers, Beth questions her dream, which might not be hers after all.
Beth & Amy continues the contemporary retelling of Little Women started by Virginia Kantra in last year’s Meg & Jo. While I enjoyed Meg & Jo, this second installment is even better. Kantra fleshes out the characters of Amy and Beth with more details and nuance than the original while staying true to their personalities. Likewise, the slow-burn development of Trey (Laurie) and Amy’s relationship delightfully compensates for any disappointment resulting from their hasty marriage in Little Women. Best of all, the chemistry of the sisters and the entire March family remains in tact. I especially liked how Kantra explored the complexities of Marmee and Father’s fraught relationship. Retellings walk a fine line between honoring the original source material and modernizing the story. Beth & Amy is both faithful to the spirit of Little Women but creative enough to stand on it’s own. I loved it! Beth & Amy comes out today.
Book Review by Holly G, Associate Librarian