Century signs Daisy Buchanan’s retelling of Little Women in two-book deal

Daisy Buchanan © Sarah Kate Photography

Century has signed a two-book deal with Daisy Buchanan, including a “funny” modern-day retelling of Little Women.

Susannah Hamilton, senior commissioning editor, acquired world English rights, with Europe exclusive, from Diana Beaumont. The as-yet-untitled retelling will be published in February 2026.

Written from the perspective of Louise Alcott’s Marmee, the matriarch of the March family, Buchanan’s retelling imagines Marmee, now named Louisa, as perimenopausal, “hot, hormonal and hilariously prone to inexplicable rage”.

The synopsis continues: “And this Christmas, she is delightfully, deliciously alone – no stockings to prepare, no grown-up girls to cater for. Until, one by one, Meg, Jo and Amy turn up on her doorstep demanding attention, mothering and safe harbour. What follows is a year of change for all four women – plus Laurie and Mr Lawrence – as they navigate modern life in all its guises.”

Hamilton called Buchanan’s novel “pure joy”, adding that “Louisa has been pushed to the sideline for so long – a foil for her daughters, no longer relevant now she is a mother – and Daisy’s reimagination of her is everything I wanted it to be”.

Buchanan added: “Little Women has lived in my head and my heart since I was little. It’s been so much fun to revisit the characters through the lens of 21st-century womanhood, and explore some of my favourite themes – love, sex, sisterhood and motherhood. I hope it will delight its legions of original fans, while feeling thoroughly fresh and original.”