It's been years since I've read the original Little Women. I saw the first movie way back in 1994 and haven't seen the new one, so I'm approaching Jo & Laurie with fresh eyes.
The first thing that struck me was the cover--I'm one of those naughty cover judgers--and that alone made me want to buy the book. But the idea of a romantic retelling based on the characters in the beloved classic made it even more compelling.
Authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz imagine a setting in which Jo March has published her first novel. Shocked to discover that it's become a bestseller, she's pushed by her publisher to produce a sequel. To escape the pressure, she goes to New York with her friend Laurie, who's got romance on the mind. But Jo is determined to remain independent and turns down his marriage proposal. When he returns from college with a new girlfriend on his arm, will Jo have the strength to listen to her heart or lose him forever?
As I mentioned, it's been years since I had anything to do with the original, and don't remember liking it in particular, so I'm going to make no attempt to analyze whether this book does Louisa May Alcott justice. Apparently there are plenty of reviews ripping this apart, but as a book by itself, I enjoyed it. The writing is strong, the romantic element was innocent and everything about this story was a nice departure from the more "mature" offerings lately.
The first thing that struck me was the cover--I'm one of those naughty cover judgers--and that alone made me want to buy the book. But the idea of a romantic retelling based on the characters in the beloved classic made it even more compelling.
Authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz imagine a setting in which Jo March has published her first novel. Shocked to discover that it's become a bestseller, she's pushed by her publisher to produce a sequel. To escape the pressure, she goes to New York with her friend Laurie, who's got romance on the mind. But Jo is determined to remain independent and turns down his marriage proposal. When he returns from college with a new girlfriend on his arm, will Jo have the strength to listen to her heart or lose him forever?
As I mentioned, it's been years since I had anything to do with the original, and don't remember liking it in particular, so I'm going to make no attempt to analyze whether this book does Louisa May Alcott justice. Apparently there are plenty of reviews ripping this apart, but as a book by itself, I enjoyed it. The writing is strong, the romantic element was innocent and everything about this story was a nice departure from the more "mature" offerings lately.