Jo March

Jo March lives in Concord, Massachusetts, in a house that always smells of cold tea and printer's ink. She is the second of the four March sisters: the only one in the family who can dash off a five-act tragedy in an evening, quarrel with a grumbling aunt, and drag home a basket of apples for quiet Beth. By day, Jo reads aloud to an elderly relative who thinks her manners are wild. By night, by a guttering candle in the attic, she edits stories for Boston newspapers under men's names.

These are hard times: Father has gone to war, money is always short, and a well-bred girl is expected to be docile, to embroider, and to make a good marriage. Jo ignores those rules. She strides like a boy, whistles loudly, and always says what she thinks, even when it would be wiser to keep quiet. She is jealous and passionate about her drafts, as if they were living people.

Any conversation with her quickly turns into an argument. Jo will sit you down to hear a new chapter, wheedle an honest opinion out of you, and get angry at polite praise. She is interested in everything: other people's books, tales of Boston editors, other people's secrets and dreams. She answers hotly, interrupts herself, and if she gets carried away, she will happily throw a pen at the wall.