Customer Reviews

Jo's Boys

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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".

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!

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.

This edition appears to be from an OCRed text that was not proof-read. Odd spacings, strange characters, missing words. The binding and paper is cheap.

Stay away! (It's not even worth one star.)

The third book of the series brings closure to Demi, Daisy, Teddy, Rob, Dan, Nat and many other characters as they embark upon their adult lives, ten years after the conclusion of "Little Men."

In addition, Alcott focuses more upon Josie, Bess and others who were mere tots in the previous books, and thus not as interesting as their older family and friends.

Before the novel's conclusion, Emil has faced a harrowing episode at sea, Ted has risked his brother's life, Dan has been confronted by the law, and more. But although Jo still worries over her flock and continues to moralize, she does come to the realization that there is only so much a mother can do, before letting her children go off into the world alone and trust that they will remember everything they've been taught.

While this book brings with it the characteristic bustle and color of the previous two, there is also a certain sadness. It's apparent that Plumfield reached its height during the years the Bhaers' children were small, and a certain emptiness rings throughout the pages. I felt almost as sad as though I were bidding farewell to real friends, never to see them again; but simultaneously, it's a sign of a true writer when someone can make you feel that way.

I have to agree with the reviewer who complained about the sermons. This book is even more littered with preaching than Little Men and Little Women, and that's saying something. Probably a good 20% of this book is skip-worthy for that reason.

Alcott was always prone to littering her works with literary and artistic references (calling Amy "Raphael," and whatnot), but she seems to have gone dramatically overboard in this book, with references to almost all of Goethe's various fictional characters, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Florence Nightingale, "Miss Cobbe" and "Miss Phelps" [?], and more, and more, and more. There are a lot of currently-understandable Shakespearean references, but a lot of the references are to obscure or long-forgotten people. It seems more like active name-dropping or literary snobbery [i.e., "Look how many literary references I can pack into my books!"] than actually adding to the story.

Otherwise, the followups are good; it's interesting to learn about how she perceived her characters at ten years older...though Teddy, and his cousin Jo (Baby Josie in "Little Men"), have turned out to be clones of the original Jo, practically. Overall, this book is not really a worthy effort. But read it if you need continuity and closure.

This is a great children's books- I think it scores low with many Alcott readers however because although it is generally good, it is not GREAT like her other books.
As the third of the "Little Women" books (1: "Little Women", 2: "Little Men"), "Jo's Boys" features the children of the original March sisters, now grown up themselves and having their own issues of romance and careers. The books of this series are all appropriate reading for young teens.
Some people say the moralizing in this book is more than the others- but Alcott put a great deal of cautionary tales in all three. Still, a sweet story and anyone who has read the first two will definitely want to read the last.

This book is a sequel to Little Men and is about the same characters. The childish bond between both the boys and girls has been replaced with a stronger bond of affection. Little Josie has finally grown and wants to be an actor, little Ted has his friend, but will Nat truly be able to marry Daisy? The childish affection has turned into real love, but will it always remain? Will Dan get out of jail? If not, what will happen to him? All these questions will be answered. This book takes the lives of all the characters in Little Men and goes until the end of their youth. BUT BEWARE, THIS BOOK CANNOT BE READ WITHOUT FIRST READING LITTLE MEN. This will be appropriate for children, but I recommend it more around the age of 10 and 11. I myself read it when I was 8 or 9, but I understand it better when I read it now. Enjoy!! Cheers!!!!! : )

This being the conclusion to the March family sagas..i'm sorry to say didn't "thrill" me as much as the other two installments. I just finished reading it last night and was very dissapointed to how Dan's life turned out..i nearly bawled my eyes out. It's a very good book however and i would reccomend it to anyone who needs closure.

Well, it certainly can't compare with Little Women or Little Men, but it is still a good read. But it has a lot of morals, even more so than the other 2. There are several slow points. But if you've read Little Men, and want to know what happens to the originlal Little Women, as well as to Demi, Daisy, Nan, Nat and the rest, this is the book you need.