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Jo's Boys (Little Women #3)
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...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
August 1st 1996
by Puffin
(first published 1880)
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Finally! I started reading this as soon as I finished Little Men, but didn't really get into so put it down for a few months. Around page 150 I suddenly got hooked on the stories within the book (because every chapter in an Alcott novel has its own individual plot) and read a few chapters every day until I finished it. It's obvious at the end that it's the last book she'll write about the March family as the last page lists what happens to every character - which is a bit sad, as Alcott's novels...more
A long, sometimes tedious, but almost always charming epilogue to Little Women and Little Men. Alcott wrote it in 1886, eighteen years after Little Women and two years before her death. She must have known, feeling the effects of mercury poisoning from her time as a Civil War nurse, that the lights were really going out, the curtain about to fall.
In this book Alcott continues to find a platform for her ideas, including women's suffrage, co-education, rehabilitation for criminals, and temperance,...more
In this book Alcott continues to find a platform for her ideas, including women's suffrage, co-education, rehabilitation for criminals, and temperance,...more
Jan 30, 2008
Catherine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classic-novels,
young-adult-fiction
I am sad to see the curtain close on the tales about the March family! It is a little slower-paced than Little Women, which is my hands-down favorite out of the series, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The thing I love most about Louisa May Alcott's March family series (Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys) is the way she gently weaves her philosophies about childrearing, feminism, education and living a good life into her stories in such a gentle, non-preachy way. This will...more
I just finished reading the entire series of the March family and their descendants. I homeschool and picked up Little Men for inspiration. I gleaned so many wonderful insights for educating young children, finding our personal missions and following your bliss. In reading the entire series, I get a vision of what I want our lives to look like as I raise my children and the kind of experiences I want them to have. It is easy to involve yourself in the lives of the people in these books because y...more
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Once again, I am amazed, absolutely open mouthed that this was written in the mid-1800s! It's so accessible and easy to read and the values - gender and educational - that are described are so modern that I actually had to check the publication date because at first!
By the time you get to this third book in the series, you've become so emotionally involved with the characters that it's hard to really critique the book in terms of pace, tone, plot etc. The Marches feel like a family you know and...more
By the time you get to this third book in the series, you've become so emotionally involved with the characters that it's hard to really critique the book in terms of pace, tone, plot etc. The Marches feel like a family you know and...more
Can I say it? Dare I say it?
I'm not the world's biggest fan of Little Women. It always struck me as being a bit too saccharine, and a good deal too preachy. If a book starts preaching at me, I lose patience. Fast. 1800's-style frilly morality-based Christianity has always been a major turn-off for me, especially when they reduce the Bible to being called "the sweetest story", never even saying it's name.
Little Men, however?
I have never been able to get enough of it.
Yes, this book does have a...more
I'm not the world's biggest fan of Little Women. It always struck me as being a bit too saccharine, and a good deal too preachy. If a book starts preaching at me, I lose patience. Fast. 1800's-style frilly morality-based Christianity has always been a major turn-off for me, especially when they reduce the Bible to being called "the sweetest story", never even saying it's name.
Little Men, however?
I have never been able to get enough of it.
Yes, this book does have a...more
I've been listening to this at night, along with Little Men, for the last few weeks. I haven't a shred of objectivity abou this particular book, as it's one of my all-time favorites. Revisiting it as an adult, I can see more clearly some of its weaknesses, in particular its preachifying and the stilted way some of the character traits (Nan, most notably) are portrayed. However, this matters not the shadow of a whit to me, for these people are so alive, and Plumfield so dear that I hardly notice...more
some quotes:
p. 116 "Virtue, which means honor, honesty, courage, and all that makes character, is the red thread (British put a red thread in their ropes) that marks a good man wherever he is. Keep that always and everywhere, so that even if wrecked by misfortune, that sign shall still be found and recognized. No matter what happens to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to those who love, and do your duty to the end."
p. 112 "It is the struggle with obstacles which does us good. You...more
p. 116 "Virtue, which means honor, honesty, courage, and all that makes character, is the red thread (British put a red thread in their ropes) that marks a good man wherever he is. Keep that always and everywhere, so that even if wrecked by misfortune, that sign shall still be found and recognized. No matter what happens to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to those who love, and do your duty to the end."
p. 112 "It is the struggle with obstacles which does us good. You...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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For those of you who many not be familiar with Alcott, Little Men and Jo’s Boys are the sequels to the beloved Little Women. Telling the story of Jo’s life after her marriage to Professor Bhear, Little Men introduces us to Plumfield School where boys, and girls, are taught not only the important lessons learned from books, but the important lessons of life as well. Jo’s Boys takes the chronicles of the students to new heights, as the students reach adulthood and choose their future paths, allowi...more
Obviously readers of the previous two books in their original publications were clamoring to find out what happened to the titular Little Men, and parts of Jo's Boys definitely feels like a concession to popular opinion. It's slower and more overtly moralizing than Little Men or Little Women (though both of those books have their fair share), but I have to say, I salute Louisa May for not giving in to expectations in every quarter. After having had to marry off Jo at the end of Little Women, Nau...more
In all honesty, this is a dreary book. Imagine the epilogue to the Harry Potter Series, which most people agree is somewhat hamfisted and not up to par, if not blatant fan service. Now imagine if J.K. Rowling had written it into a full eighth book, rather than a single chapter. That is what we have here. As the third (or fourth, depending on how you care to look at it) and final installment in the chronicle of the March sisters and their families, this draws much too heavily on the less-compelli...more
There's a certain sense of emptiness that only booklovers will know. Upon closing a dear book and saying goodbye to its variety of language and characters, it can often feel like some precious part of one's soul is left behind and lost forever. And here I am; with a bittersweet lump in my throat and a melancholic longing for something more.
"Jo's Boys" by Louisa May Alcott is different from the other books in this series. It is far more dramatic - even violent at times - in its plot, and is gener...more
"Jo's Boys" by Louisa May Alcott is different from the other books in this series. It is far more dramatic - even violent at times - in its plot, and is gener...more
Standing by the 5 stars. As I've said before, these people are too intimately wound up with my psyche to be rated objectively.
There's some preaching but to my eye it's not as heavy-handed as in Little Women. There are lots of great female role-models (with respect to the times). All of the young women are working toward careers, with the exception of Daisy (that natural housewife!). The young men are supportive and for the most part, respectful. There are anachronisms aplenty, but there's also...more
There's some preaching but to my eye it's not as heavy-handed as in Little Women. There are lots of great female role-models (with respect to the times). All of the young women are working toward careers, with the exception of Daisy (that natural housewife!). The young men are supportive and for the most part, respectful. There are anachronisms aplenty, but there's also...more
It took me a while to get through this one. Mostly because they totally NEGLECTED my favorite character. :( They didn't even mention Nat in the ending "this is what happened to everyone" blurb. He got one chapter to himself where nothing was accomplished and later on he plays for his "family" and that's the end of it. He is described as unextraordinary and the general feel of the whole family towards him was his life would never amount to much. It made me mad because in the beginning he was take...more
This was a good read mainly because of the previous books, especially "Little Women".
It is interesting to take the narrator of "Little Women", where Alcott writes "So grouped, the curtain falls upon Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Whether it ever rises again, depends upon the reception given to the first act of the domestic drama", and compare it to the tired narrator of "Jo's Boys" ("It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present tale with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfi...more
It is interesting to take the narrator of "Little Women", where Alcott writes "So grouped, the curtain falls upon Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Whether it ever rises again, depends upon the reception given to the first act of the domestic drama", and compare it to the tired narrator of "Jo's Boys" ("It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present tale with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfi...more
This is a sweet sequel to Little Men and takes place 10 years later. It tells what the young men try to accomplishes they go in to the world in search of careers, money, fame, etc. However it kind of reads like an after thought. The details of each character are sparse in comparison to the fluidity of the telling in Little Women. It is fun to know what each young man is doing and to whom they marry, but there isn't enough detail. I kept feeling like there could be so much more to the story. Also...more
Of the three "March" books, this is the hardest one to relate to as an adult. As a child, I found it the least interesting. There was less of Jo, and she was a lot preachier. It's nice to see the second generation mature, but there are so many its hard to keep track and some of the loose string wrap-ups seem hurried or gratuitous.
On the other hand, as an adult, I approve of Alcott unveiling more forcefully her own attitudes towards women, in a way that she didn't in LW, Rose in Bloom or An Old F...more
On the other hand, as an adult, I approve of Alcott unveiling more forcefully her own attitudes towards women, in a way that she didn't in LW, Rose in Bloom or An Old F...more
Mar 03, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no one
Shelves:
audiobook
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
It was such a shame to discover that this was going to be the end of the march girls, but it ended so well i can't complain. i loved being able to find out what happened to all of jo's boys and bess, daisy and demi after they left plumfield. it kept well all the way through when i had thought the story would start to wind up from about half way through the book but it kept going as if there was more to discover after this book. normally when i finish books i am left asking myself questions and s...more
This book is a little slow; however, it has wonderful morals in it and it is a great book to read to your children and have discussions on the lessons brought out by Mrs. Bhaer. It did bother me that Dan had such a hard life and did not get his just rewards for all the things he over came. He repented of his sins and if the Lord forgives him then so should others, by not discouraging him from his love.
This book would be a hard book to understand if one did not know history during this time peri...more
This book would be a hard book to understand if one did not know history during this time peri...more
This was the last book by Alcott highlighting the March family. Of the three this was my least favorite as it felt a little rushed. It's like eating a big bowl of soup and still feeling hungry. Still a delightful read, but it didn't go into as much detail as her previous books. I did like how Jo's character really developed into a mirror image of Alcott, you could get a better idea of what her life was like as a successful author during the post civil war era. Raised by a transcendentalist fathe...more
Dec 12, 2011
Erin Germain
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-reads,
classics,
fiction,
historical-fiction,
kindle,
three-stars,
kindle-books-to-lend
I'm a bit torn, and really wanted to give this more stars. In terms of writing, I certainly could, because I've always loved Alcott's descriptive style, but some of the storylines didn't sit well, and a few of the characters really seemed set up, from the beginning, to be sacrificed for the good of the moral. The ending left me feeling as though there should have been a little more and I thought it bit sad to see how she closed the book on the Marches (sorry for the pun). Maybe I just need to re...more
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Jo's Boys is the follow-up to Little Men, which is a follow-up to the beloved classic Little Women.
In Little Women and Little Men, Louisa May Alcott introduced readers to the characters that eventually appear in Jo's Boys, in particular to Jo March and her husband Professor Bhaer. This warmly parental couple start a small boarding school called Plumfield, primarily for boys whom readers get to know first in Little Men; Jo's Boys (Little Women #3) was mostly written to tell the most curious rea...more
In Little Women and Little Men, Louisa May Alcott introduced readers to the characters that eventually appear in Jo's Boys, in particular to Jo March and her husband Professor Bhaer. This warmly parental couple start a small boarding school called Plumfield, primarily for boys whom readers get to know first in Little Men; Jo's Boys (Little Women #3) was mostly written to tell the most curious rea...more
This book is the final one dealing with the March family. Jo and her professor started a school for boys and this is the sequel to Little Men, which chronicles the beginning of that school and the boys who attended. It takes place years after Little Women and the March women’s children are now grown and pursing their own lives.
The young residents of the March houses, Parnassus and Plumfield, are all picking careers and falling in love. Nan wants to be a doctor and spurs any romantic advances in...more
The young residents of the March houses, Parnassus and Plumfield, are all picking careers and falling in love. Nan wants to be a doctor and spurs any romantic advances in...more
OK, so I bought this book like... four or five years ago.
Then I realised it was the 4th in the series and I didn't have the 3rd.
OH NO!!
So then I had to wait for three years before I was innocently walking around in a bookstore when...
I FOUND IT!
YAY!!
So then I had to get past all the books I had on my to-read list before I got to Little Men, which took six months or so.
I read it, loved it, etc.
Then I turned to Jo's Boys.
It was gone.
OH NOOOO!!!
I seriously turned the house inside out trying...more
Then I realised it was the 4th in the series and I didn't have the 3rd.
OH NO!!
So then I had to wait for three years before I was innocently walking around in a bookstore when...
I FOUND IT!
YAY!!
So then I had to get past all the books I had on my to-read list before I got to Little Men, which took six months or so.
I read it, loved it, etc.
Then I turned to Jo's Boys.
It was gone.
OH NOOOO!!!
I seriously turned the house inside out trying...more
As the final novel I could not have asked for a better ending to the informal trilogy.
Another ten years have passed and Jo and Fritz’ school is now a college and the cast of characters ever widens. I definitely appreciated Jo’s Boys on the same level as Little Women. Whereas Little Men solely served as a bridge between the two and an introduction to the future brave and generous men of Jo’s Boys.
However, as with Little Men, Dan and Nan were my favorite characters. Nan continues to be a spitfire...more
Another ten years have passed and Jo and Fritz’ school is now a college and the cast of characters ever widens. I definitely appreciated Jo’s Boys on the same level as Little Women. Whereas Little Men solely served as a bridge between the two and an introduction to the future brave and generous men of Jo’s Boys.
However, as with Little Men, Dan and Nan were my favorite characters. Nan continues to be a spitfire...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A childhood favorite re-visited.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Eight and up.
Length? – A couple of evening's reads.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters, Again, three with almost identical names.
Setting? – Late 1800's, mostly at the boy's school, now a college.
Written approximately? – Late 1870's.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes.
1. C...more
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Eight and up.
Length? – A couple of evening's reads.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters, Again, three with almost identical names.
Setting? – Late 1800's, mostly at the boy's school, now a college.
Written approximately? – Late 1870's.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes.
1. C...more
May 25, 2012
Wanderer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-that-got-me-through,
classics
It's almost impossible to read this childhood favorite with new eyes, so I'm not sure if my great love is mostly for content or mostly for old time's sake.
I used to long over the atmosphere of learning and culture the book portrays and sigh over the little love affairs; now I like the fun bits, with special laughs over Jo escaping her fans and how Josie taunts the boys, especially the dandies. The moralizing gets skimmed or skipped, as of yore.
Josie was and still is my favorite, with her drama...more
I used to long over the atmosphere of learning and culture the book portrays and sigh over the little love affairs; now I like the fun bits, with special laughs over Jo escaping her fans and how Josie taunts the boys, especially the dandies. The moralizing gets skimmed or skipped, as of yore.
Josie was and still is my favorite, with her drama...more
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Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. She and her three sisters, Anna, Elizabeth and May were educated by their father, philosopher/ teacher, Bronson Alcott and raised on the practical Christianity of their mother, Abigail May.
Louisa spent her childhood in Boston and in Concord, Massachusetts, where her days were enlightened by visits to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s...more
More about Louisa May Alcott...
Louisa spent her childhood in Boston and in Concord, Massachusetts, where her days were enlightened by visits to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s...more
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“Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.”
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“Men are always ready to die for us, but not to make our lives worth having. Cheap sentiment and bad logic.”
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