Customer Reviews
Bittersweet, yet satisfying conclusion 
2006-11-23
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.
Little Men Plus Ten Years 
2006-09-23
If you liked Little Women and Little Men, you'll be rewarded for reading Jo's Boys because you'll find out what happened to Nat, Dan, Nan, Emil, Tom, Demi, Daisy, Bess, Jo, Meg, Amy and Laurie in another ten years.
Jo is transformed into a famous novelist who spends her time trying to hide from her public with little luck. It's quite humorous. Plumfield is now a college. Nat goes abroad for advanced training in music and learns other lessons better. Dan seeks to build a new world in the West and runs into the consequences of his quick temper. Emil has a most remarkable adventure on the high seas that will remind many of classic sailing tales in the 19th century. Nan is interested in medicine and little else. Demi turns out to be spoiled. Daisy is patiently waiting for her love to return.
By this time, Louisa May Alcott had become identified more closely with Women's Rights, and Jo's Boys is in some ways a tract piece to advance the cause of equal opportunity for women. I was struck by how modern many of the views are, although the way they are expressed is definitely from the 19th century.
She also takes herself more seriously as a writer and enriches the text with references that may not be familiar to many readers. That effect makes the book seem much less accessible.
But the same loving heart underlies this reunion. You just have to look past more language to find it.
Half entertaining, half irritating. 
2005-12-16
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.
Jo's Boys: Not the Best, but Still Good 
2005-08-03
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.
Louisa May Alcott 2005-02-07
Her books are the most touching ever! I cried when I read Little Women. These books are the best ever yet!
A fine book, just not Alcott's best. 2004-10-27
Best known for the novels
Little Women and
Little Men, Louisa May Alcott brought the story of her feisty protagonist Jo and the adventures and misadventures of the March family to an entertaining, surprising, and bittersweet conclusion in
Jo’s Boys. Beginning ten years after
Little Men, Jo’s Boys revisits Plumfield, the New England school still presided over by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo remains at the center of the tale, surrounded by her boys—including rebellious Dan, sailor Emil, and promising musician Nat—as they experience shipwreck and storm, disappointment and even murder.
Popular for over a century, Alcott’s series still holds universal appeal with its powerful and affectionate depiction of family—the haven where the prodigal can always return, adversity is shared, and our dreams of being cherished, despite our flaws, come true. In this edition of
Jo’s Boys, readers once again experience a treasured classic by one of America’s best-loved writers.
Do not buy this edition 
2003-01-13
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.)
It's A Sequel! 2002-12-19
I read through the book, yet found it confusing and hard to understand. Then I realized it was the third book in a series! I am writing this review for a school assignment, so I will tell you what I got out of this book. It is about Jo March, the mother of three boys whom this book portrays. It has good moral values and bits of funny tales. You will find it is full of romance. I don't really understand a whole lot about the characters, but that is because they were probably described in the previous tales. If I were to give you one piece of advise it would be to READ THE OTHER BOOKS FIRST!
Plumfield Revisited 2002-05-08
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".
A NICE BOOK 2002-02-23
This is a nice book, if you have read Little Men, and are familiar with the characters. I found the capter about Dan especially endearing. Nat's chapter is equally touching. One of the chapters about the one who becomes a sailor is exciting and almost melodramatic in essence. In short, I liked this book.
