Jo & Laurie (edició 2020)

What about Bhaer???



Also, “Girls write to ask who the little women marry, as if that was the only aim and end of a woman’s life,” Alcott wrote in her journal after the publication of the first volume of Little Women. “I won’t marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone.” Source.

*POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

Before I begin my official review I just want to clarify that I really don't like fanfiction.

Fanfiction, for those who don't know, is when someone takes a story already written by another author and changes something about it. Or sometimes they just continue on the story in a way that they like. I, personally, am not a fan of anyone adding to or altering the original authors story.

Now, for my review of the book itself.

The authors both write very well and I did enjoy some of their add-ins. For most of the book, I really felt like they captured the personalities of the character really well. But, there were some things that definitely had too mushy of a feel. Or even too modern.

Two of the characters in the book decide to take a trip to New York unaccompanied by a chaperone and unwed. While, thankfully, nothing scandalous happens, the point is that didn't happen back then. The trip itself would have been a huge scandal.

There were also quite a lot of scenarios that felt to fake to be real. Like instant falling in love, and going from barely ever talking to jumping into each other's arms.

I think the reason some of the lovey dovey stuff bothered me is because it reminded me soo much of a Hallmark movie (which I hate, there's literally no originality in them).

I really loved Little Women, the book this was based off of, but I don't feel, personally, like this story held up to the same standard.

Now, for those of you who love sappy romances, you would definitely enjoy this book! But, if you're like me, and prefer fantasy and sci-fi, I'd recommend passing over this one. ( )

I was both excited to read this book and worried it would ruin the original story, which I loved. It didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the alternate ending.

This book is for every Little Women fan who has been angry or frustrated that Jo and Laurie didn't end up together. Amy, Jo and Meg are portrayed as both real people and the beloved characters that Jo wrote. I love how these authors (of Jo and Laurie) show the differences between who Jo wrote and real life, and how sometimes real life mirrored fiction, as when Mr. Brooke gets the courage to approach Meg after Jo writes him in as her fictional husband. But in some ways it is very different, as Amy is still a child during these chapters. We never get to see mature, adult Amy.

Jo and Laurie have all the same reasons that they shouldn't end up together as they did in the original book. The authors didn't make them different people, instead, they believed that love would find a way. This is a very sweet, satisfying story. ( )

Wow, people really have a lot of strong feelings about this book from looking at other reviews! I went into reading it with an open mind. It is a retelling (it says right on the cover), so I didn't mind the ending changed. That's what I expect in a retelling. I have read the original, more than once, and I do think the tone of the time period and the sisterly relationships were very well captured. It's a good read for those who are looking for a warm, cozy book to curl up with. 3.5 stars ( )

Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz is a Little Women fanfiction about Jo and Laurie's romance. When story opens, Jo March has just written the first part of Little Women, about the four March sisters, with their real names and semi-real stories, and her editor is asking for a sequel.

This was a strange read. I love Little Women, and I've enjoyed some spinoffs, like Virginia Kantra's Meg & Jo. I knew the story would bring Jo and Laurie together, and I wanted to see how it unfolded. Their years of strong friendship could be the basis of a romance, and when I read Little Women as a preteen, I couldn't understand why Jo and Laurie didn't get married. (As an adult, I love sweet, intelligent Professor Bhaer, and I think Jo chose well in building her life with the thoughtful older man.)

It must be hard to write a story about these beloved characters, simply because they are so loved. I kept reading things that seemed out-of-character. Jo made up the name Marmee, adding uncharacteristic cuteness to her story, for unexplained reasons. Not privacy, since in this retelling, Jo made up Meg and John Brooke's romance and published it in her book, using their full names, although real Meg and John had barely spoken. Even though the Little Women has scenes of sisterly unkindness (hello, Amy and the manuscript?!?) this level of accidental cruelty goes entirely against Jo's character. But then, John and Meg were both secretly into each other anyway so, uh, they get together anyway. It's weird fanfiction take, is what I'm saying.

I guess I wanted more of a Shakespeare In Love kind of story, imagining the connections and inspiration behind the well-known work. Instead, for most of this book, Jo storms up the the garret and returns with another disappointing draft for her ever-patient editor. At one point, key moments of Good Wives are pulled out of the air, as the sisters work in the garden and discuss Jo's plans for the sequel, but it was then dropped in favor of scene after scene where Jo wants to know why writing is hard and feeling feelings is hard. (I mean, correct on both counts, but it doesn't make an engaging story.)

The romances dragged, with too many misunderstandings and jealousies, repetitively resolved with grand speeches, so by the time I got to the payoff, with Jo proposing to Laurie, I'd gone from now kiss to ok, fine, whatever, just stop wallowing. I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. ( )