This retelling of Little Women actually turned out to be a really cute story. As a quick intro to the book explains, Little Women was originally published in two installments; Jo & Laurie is set between the two original volumes of Little Women as Jo March is trying to figure out how to write the sequel to her wildly successful first book. The trouble is that her publisher tells her that she must write happy endings (meaning happy marriages) for her characters, and Jo is struggling to write those futures for even the fictional versions of herself and her sisters. Her sisters Meg and Amy, as well as their neighbor and childhood friend Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, try to help Jo come up with her ending. However, Jo is still grieving from the loss of their sister Beth to scarlet fever, as well as desperately trying to ignore Laurie's increasingly obvious romantic intentions while forcefully denying her own feelings for Laurie. Will Jo be able to write the ending - the right ending - for her debut novel?
I really thought this retelling was well done. The writing was excellent, the characters were charming, and the dialogue was witty and entertaining. I loved all of the nods to the original story, such as the mentions of the pickled limes and the scorched party dress. I really enjoyed the overall story concept that Jo March was the real writer; I loved the differences between the "real" Jo March's life and the one she "wrote" in Little Women. I adored the cheeky and playful banter between Jo and Laurie, and between Jo and her sisters. My only real issues were that the pace seemed to drag a little toward the end, and then I had an issue with the ending itself.
Despite this, though, I thought this was a cute retelling and a fun read. I know there are Little Women purists that are outraged by the audacity of such a retelling, but I definitely feel this retelling deserves a chance.
I really thought this retelling was well done. The writing was excellent, the characters were charming, and the dialogue was witty and entertaining. I loved all of the nods to the original story, such as the mentions of the pickled limes and the scorched party dress. I really enjoyed the overall story concept that Jo March was the real writer; I loved the differences between the "real" Jo March's life and the one she "wrote" in Little Women. I adored the cheeky and playful banter between Jo and Laurie, and between Jo and her sisters. My only real issues were that the pace seemed to drag a little toward the end, and then I had an issue with the ending itself.
Despite this, though, I thought this was a cute retelling and a fun read. I know there are Little Women purists that are outraged by the audacity of such a retelling, but I definitely feel this retelling deserves a chance.