Jo's Boys (Bantam Classics) [Paperback]

Louisa May Alcott (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Best known for the novels Little Women and Little Men, Louisa May Alcott brought the story of her feisty protagonist Jo and the adventures and misadventures of the March family to an entertaining, surprising, and bittersweet conclusion in Jo’s Boys. Beginning ten years after Little Men, Jo’s Boys revisits Plumfield, the New England school still presided over by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo remains at the center of the tale, surrounded by her boys—including rebellious Dan, sailor Emil, and promising musician Nat—as they experience shipwreck and storm, disappointment and even murder.

Popular for over a century, Alcott’s series still holds universal appeal with its powerful and affectionate depiction of family—the haven where the prodigal can always return, adversity is shared, and our dreams of being cherished, despite our flaws, come true. In this edition of Jo’s Boys, readers once again experience a treasured classic by one of America’s best-loved writers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Better known for her novels Little Women and Little Men, Louisa May Alcott continued the story of her feisty protagonist Jo in this final novel chronicling the adventures and misadventures of the March family. Entertaining, surprising, and overall a joy to read, Jo's Boys is nevertheless shaded by a bittersweet tone, for with it Alcott brought her wonderful series to an end.

Beginning ten years after Little Men, Jo's Boys revisits Plumfield, the New England school still presided over by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo's boys -- including rebellious Dan, sailor Emil, and promising musicain Nat -- are grown; Jo herself remains at the center of this tale, holding her boys fast through shipwreck and storm, disappointment... and even murder.

Popular for more than a century, the series that began with Little Women continues to hold universal appeal with its powerful and affectionate depiction of family -- the safe haven where the prodigal can always return, adversity is never met alone, and our dreams of being cherished, no matter what our flaws, come true. With this new edition of Jo's Boys, readers once again have access to a treasured classic by one of America's best-loved writers.

From the Inside Flap

Better known for her novels Little  Women and Little Men, Louisa  May Alcott continued the story of her feisty  protagonist Jo in this final novel chronicling the  adventures and misadventures of the March family.  Entertaining, surprising, and overall a joy to read,  Jo's Boys is nevertheless shaded by  a bittersweet tone, for with it Alcott brought her  wonderful series to an end.

Beginning ten  years after Little Men,  Jo's Boys revisits Plumfield, the New  England school still presided over by Jo and her  husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo's boys -- including  rebellious Dan, sailor Emil, and promising musicain  Nat -- are grown; Jo herself remains at the center  of this tale, holding her boys fast through  shipwreck and storm, disappointment... and even  murder.

Popular for more than a century, the series  that began with Little Women  continues to hold universal appeal with its powerful  and affectionate depiction of family -- the safe  haven where the prodigal can always return,  adversity is never met alone, and our dreams of being  cherished, no matter what our flaws, come true. With  this new edition of Jo's Boys,  readers once again have access to a treasured  classic by one of America's best-loved writers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Classics (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553214497
• ISBN-13: 978-0553214499
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Alcott, Louisa May
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Alcott, Louisa May

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Plumfield Revisited, May 8, 2002

By 

"kaia_espina" (Quezon City, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jo's Boys (Bantam Classics) (Paperback)

For "Jo's Boys", which she intended to be the last in her series about the March family, Louisa May Alcott pulled out all the stops. It is with great fanfare that the beloved characters of former books make their last appearance.

All sorts of incredible developments are described in the course of the novel--and some of them fairly stretch the imagination. My favorite is the "emigration" of the whole extended family to Plumfield: Meg has a house close by, Laurie and Amy have a mansion on an adjacent hill, and even Mr. March and Mr. Laurence have become neighbors to the school. Of course, this and all the rest make the story more fun . . . but I miss the old subtlety.

The school itself has become a college--a convenient twist that allows the characters from "Little Men" to still be in the same area years after they ought to have moved away. Though not all the Plumfield students make a second appearance, Alcott's famous favorites remain.

A decade later, Demi is having trouble deciding on a career and declaring himself to a certain young lady. Tommy is in pursuit of his childhood sweetheart, Nan, who has vowed to be a spinster for life. Nat is sent to Germany, far away from his beloved Daisy, for musical training. Emil is shipwrecked, Dan tangles with the law, and young Ted gets into scrapes worthy of his namesake's youth. There is enough "lovering" and "spooning" here to make up for the lack in "Little Men", but some characters brought in for the romance are ex machina.

"Jo's Boys" is also agonizingly preachy. I don't just mean the campaigning for women's suffrage and against alcohol, but also all the sermonizing about mastering one's faults, appreciating others' virtues, testing the strength of love by waiting, etc. Mrs. March's three surviving daughters try their best, but they cannot equal her talent for lecturing without putting people to sleep. The story positively drags when the moralizing begins.

At least no one has to forsake his or her castle in the air, this time around. Even though Meg, Jo, Amy and Laurie had to give up their artistic aspirations, being deficient in "genius," the next generation of dreamers does not suffer the same fate. Few of them are made to "grow out of" whatever made them so wonderful during childhood. This almost makes up for the novel's appalling lack of polish.

Read "Jo's Boys" for closure, but if you feel homesick for Plumfield, stick to "Little Men".

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The rest of the story!, April 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jo's Boys (Bantam Classics) (Paperback)

This is a story of how the 'Little Men' turned out. Will Tom be able to get Nan to marry him? Or will Nan turn him down? What about Dan? Does he ever marry? And what about the 'Princess'? Will Mrs. Meg Brooke ever let Nat marry Daisy? Read the book to find out the rest of the story!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good book not as good as the rest, December 25, 1999

By 

Arielle M. Dundas (Wassenaar, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jo's Boys (Hardcover)

I loved this book, but I thought that little men and little WOman were better. Perhaps it is the long times span she took writing it. I thought, however, it clever. I was worried that things wouldn't work out in the end, but they did. You really must read this book if you have read the others it is top notch, just not great literature likee the rest.