Louisa May Alcott: Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys: Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys (Library of America)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • little women still a classic
  • Little Women - Review
  • A World-Beating Trilogy of Human Kindness
  • I put this item on my wish list because of the May 15, 2005 review
  • Collected classics
Louisa May Alcott: Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys: Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys (Library of America)
Louisa May Alcott
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931082731

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars little women still a classic.......2007-08-29

Never read this as a kid but watched all versions in the movies. The book was so much better. She's great writer, like Lucy Maud Montgomery and Mark Twain. Great american classic.

4 out of 5 stars Little Women - Review.......2006-12-01

A story of four sisters full of devotion and protection for one another, a selfless mother who adored and mentored them, a father gone off to civil war. The narrative follows the girls from adoring adolescence to wise adults with all that goes into making life between. It was noted that Alcott used her own personality traits to portray Jo, a willful, headstrong lady who was dominant in the March family and the heroine. Good mentoring and definitely a classic.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.

5 out of 5 stars A World-Beating Trilogy of Human Kindness.......2006-09-24

As I re-read these delightful pages, I found myself comparing Little Women to Pride and Prejudice, that outstanding work that captures human psychology so well. The comparison made me see new depths in Little Women that convince me that Little Women is by far the stronger work.

But my biggest reaction was how modern the views in the book are. Women should have education, access to opportunities to develop their interests and marriage to men who will complement them. People should be concerned about each other and help one another, lest any person's life be harmed or feelings hurt in the process.

I also noticed how complete a community of loving women can be within the same family.

The writing style is beautifully spare. The key point of a chapter may turn on two or three words. And then, everything changes in the twinkling of an eye.

Being a long book, Ms. Alcott has plenty of chances to develop her characters and she does so beautifully . . . allowing Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and Laurie to grow and change as they age.

I also came to appreciate more the scope of the book, taking the young women from teenage years through the first few years of marriage. It's a time period that few books consider. Usually, it's all over when the marriage happens. I like this approach better.

Should you read Little Women? Does the sun rise in the East?

If you haven't read Little Women, you've missed great role models for how to be a parent, spouse and child.

Here's the story in a nutshell: During the Civil War, Mr. March is away serving as a chaplain in the Union army. Mrs. March (Marmee) and her four daughters are at home in the cold north making do on small income with the help of one servant, Hannah. As the story opens, the March family is facing a frugal Christmas. But events soon take an unexpected turn and their hearts are filled with gladness. Jo makes an unexpected and most humorous acquaintance of the Laurence boy (Theodore, known as Laurie) who lives next door with old Mr. Laurance, his grandfather. The two families draw upon one another for strength and friendships grow. Illness intercedes making the two families even more dependent on one another. One by one, the children move into adulthood, deal with their romantic feelings and form their alliances.

The characters of each child are quite different, allowing Ms. Alcott to explore the contrasts by putting them together in various private and social occasions. Meg is beautiful and much admired. She should attract many suitors. Jo is energetic, self-absorbed and talented in writing (the character closest to Ms. Alcott herself). Beth is very kind and yet fragile. Amy is the social climber in the family . . . and the pet. Laurie has an artistic temperament, but finds himself expected to play an heir's role.

You'll long remember with delight the stories of their thespian performances, games, dances and social visits. Although the book makes up a wonderfully detailed novel, the chapters are written almost as stand-alone short stories that pack a powerful punch in their modeling of good behavior.

If Little Men weren't an entertaining novel, it could serve as a timeless reminder of how adults can help children direct their energies in helpful ways and develop better habits. The philosophy is to provide lots of love, understanding, forgiveness, slack and carefully chosen incentives and guidance while encouraging friendships among youngsters who will balance one another out if they spend time together. You'll recognize lots of Marmee's loving approach in Jo's more rough and tumble perspective. It's a nice combination.

For those who loved the child-centered world of Little Women, you'll be entranced by what Jo does to educate and raise her own boys, her nephew and niece, a troublesome neighbor girl, male boarders and some unfortunate orphans.

Much of the novel focuses on the character development of two poor orphans, Nat and Dan, who find Jo's Plumfield (which she inherited near the end of Little Women) to be an unfamiliar paradise of a home and school that requires some adjusting to.

Although the title is Little Men, there's plenty of focus on Daisy, twin sister to Demi, Nan, an independent girl with lots of energy, and Bess, Amy and Laurie's daughter. There are pretend balls, teas, and dramatic performances that echo those in Little Women.

But the male slant that is subdued in Little Women bursts forth in Little Men as the book recounts pranks, brawls, collections of disgusting items, pillow fights, taming a colt and doing heavy chores.

Like Little Women, the chapters are really short stories involving the same characters as they progress from month to month.

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.

Ms. Alcott 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.

4 out of 5 stars I put this item on my wish list because of the May 15, 2005 review.......2006-01-04

in the NY Times by MARY JO SALTER titled "Louisa May Alcott's American Girls". I've read a "girls" version a million years ago and have one or more leather bound gifty editions which I haven't read. The Showalter-edited version should be close to the original so I will buy it next month. Please note I have not yet read this version despite my rating and I really wrote here to recommend the review.

5 out of 5 stars Collected classics.......2005-02-28

Louisa May Alcott is best known for her classic novel "Little Women," an enchanting look at growing up. But the story of Jo March didn't stop when she went to Plumfields. This collection includes not just "Little Women," but also its two sequels.

"Little Women" introduces us to the four March sisters: pretty Meg, shy Beth, aspiring artist Amy, and tomboyish Jo. In the middle of the Civil War, the girls mature and explore the world, with the help of their mischievous male neighbor Laurie. But with their new freedoms and loves come sacrifices and heartbreak as well...

At the end of the first book, "Mother Bhaer" adopted a small army of preteen boys in addition to her own sons. "Little Men" chronicles the growing pains of her boys -- some of them have been neglected, some are wild, some are nieces and "nevvies" of Jo's, and some just need the delightful chaos of a loving home.

"Jo's Boys" wraps up the trilogy in a bittersweet manner. Jo's boys (and girls) have grown up and are starting to stretch their wings away from home, and are even starting to fall in love. Some of the boys have run-ins with the law, some have trouble pursuing the girls of their dreams, and one will risk his very soul -- and his love -- for something he believes in.

With a much-beloved classic like "Little Women," it's pretty much a given that the sequels won't stack up. But "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys" are still a good mixture of humor, poignancy and "lovering." And of course, the original "Little Women" is one of the best coming-of-age novels of all time, as well as the best book that Alcott ever wrote.

Alcott had a talent for writing realistic family stories and sweet romances, without letting them get dull. And she manages to create a colorful cast, from the mischievous Laurie and rambunctious Jo, to the gentle Marmee and the meek-to-mad cast of "Jo's boys." No matter how many characters Alcott wrote, she managed to give each one a personality.

Louisa May Alcott created the lovable March family, and in the three-pack of "Little Women," "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys," we get to see three generations in action. Funny, poignant and sweet.
The Boys of My Youth
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I didn't get anything out of this memoir
  • fresh, surprising, raw, subtle
  • My favorite book
  • This was and okay book, but I expected more.
  • Flashback
The Boys of My Youth
Jo Ann Beard
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316085251

Amazon.com

Jo Ann Beard beautifully evokes her childhood in the early '60s, a time in which mothers continued to smoke right up to labor, one's own scabs were deeply interesting, and Barbie dolls seemed to get naked of their own volition, knowing that Ken would be the one to get in trouble if they were caught. Beard's memories of the next 30 years are no less sharp and wry, powered by antic melancholy, perfect juxtapositions, and "the push of love." When she was little, "the words of grown-ups rarely made sense," and even now, with the exception of her best friend and a few colleagues, not much seems to have changed.

In the title story, Beard and her best friend, now 38, still spend forever on the phone, an activity they perfected in junior high and that is now possible thanks to an office WATS line. Hindsight easily renders their seventh-grade ex nihilo obsession with a "ninth grader extraordinaire" foolish, along with most encounters with the boys of their youth. But their current relations with men are really no less absurd, as they realize while listening to Beard's latest possibility leave an answering-machine message: "I don't know whether to faint or kill myself. Elizabeth laughs unbecomingly. I put both hands around my own neck. We are no longer bored."

The Boys of My Youth is filled with family picnics, small celebrations, and fragility. Beard knows that her teenage efforts to "have a better personality" were as futile as her later attempt at "practicing being snotty, in anticipation of being dumped by my husband," but that doesn't make her any less fond of her younger self. And she has the same affection, and irritation, for her family, who slowly emerge in story after story. In "Waiting," she and her older sister try to keep calm as their mother is dying: "I hold two fingers up to remind her of how much longer she needs to keep this up, to pay attention. She holds up one finger, guess which one, to remind me of who's the oldest, who's the boss. I would love more than anything to slap her."

There isn't a weak piece in this collection, which includes the world's most perfect description of the agonies of having your hair washed--at age 3--and the ecstasies of one encounter near the Mexican border. "The car is a boiling cauldron. The coyote stands scruffy and skittish, like a wild dingo dog I met once, who bit everything in sight, wagging his tail like a maniac. Eric slides the camera to me and puts a hand on my arm. He whispers in my ear. I nod. I love dogs better than anything else on earth, next to cigarettes and a couple of people."

Beard often edges from serious laughter to high seriousness and back again. "The Fourth State of Matter" is perhaps the book's standout, a narrative about space physicists; invading squirrels; a beautiful, dying dog; a "vanished husband"; and, alas, a seminar turned 12-minute massacre. On November 1, 1991, she leaves work early and passes by the disappointed graduate student who will later that day gun down eight members of the University of Iowa physics depart. Her piece is complex and heartbreaking, a master conduit of emotion and information. As always, Beard knows the rich value of the minor ritual. Earlier, she had recalled playing "Maserati" with her collie: "I'd grab her nose like a gearshift and put her through all the gears, firstsecondthirdfourth, until we were going a hundred miles an hour through town. She thought it was funny." After "the newslady" finally confirms her colleagues' deaths, "Maserati" again figures: "We sit by the tub. She lifts her long nose to my face and I take her muzzle and we move through the gears slowly; first second third fourth, all the way through town, until what has happened has happened and we know it has happened."

Book Description

Jo Ann Beard beautifully evokes her childhood in the early '60s, a time in which mothers continued to smoke right up to labor, one's own scabs were deeply interesting, and Barbie dolls seemed to get naked of their own volition, knowing that Ken would be the one to get in trouble if they were caught. Beard's memories of the next 30 years are no less sharp and wry, powered by antic melancholy, perfect juxtapositions, and "the push of love." When she was little, "the words of grown-ups rarely made sense," and even now, with the exception of her best friend and a few colleagues, not much seems to have changed.In the title story, Beard and her best friend, now 38, still spend forever on the phone, an activity they perfected in junior high and that is now possible thanks to an office WATS line. Hindsight easily renders their seventh-grade ex nihilo obsession with a "ninth grader extraordinaire" foolish, along with most encounters with the boys of their youth. But their current relations with men are really no less absurd, as they realize while listening to Beard's latest possibility leave an answering-machine message: "I don't know whether to faint or kill myself. Elizabeth laughs unbecomingly. I put both hands around my own neck. We are no longer bored."The Boys of My Youth is filled with family picnics, small celebrations, and fragility. Beard knows that her teenage efforts to "have a better personality" were as futile as her later attempt at "practicing being snotty, in anticipation of being dumped by my husband," but that doesn't make her any less fond of her younger self. And she has the same affection, and irritation, for her family, who slowly emerge in story after story. In "Waiting," she and her older sister try to keep calm as their mother is dying: "I hold two fingers up to remind her of how much longer she needs to keep this up, to pay attention. She holds up one finger, guess which one, to remind me of who's the oldest, who's the boss. I would love more than anything to slap her."There isn't a weak piece in this collection, which includes the world's most perfect description of the agonies of having your hair washed--at age 3--and the ecstasies of one encounter near the Mexican border. "The car is a boiling cauldron. The coyote stands scruffy and skittish, like a wild dingo dog I met once, who bit everything in sight, wagging his tail like a maniac. Eric slides the camera to me and puts a hand on my arm.He whispers in my ear. I nod. I love dogs better than anything else on earth, next to cigarettes and a couple of people."Beard often edges from serious laughter to high seriousness and back again. "The Fourth State of Matter" is perhaps the book's standout, a narrative about space physicists; invading squirrels; a beautiful, dying dog; a "vanished husband"; and, alas, a seminar turned 12-minute massacre. On November 1, 1991, she leaves work early and passes by the disappointed graduate student who will later that day gun down eight members of the University of Iowa physics depart. Her piece is complex and heartbreaking, a master conduit of emotion and information. As always, Beard knows the rich value of the minor ritual. Earlier, she had recalled playing "Maserati" with her collie: "I'd grab her nose like a gearshift and put her through all the gears, firstsecondthirdfourth, until we were going a hundred miles an hour through town. She thought it was funny." After "the newslady" finally confirms her colleagues' deaths, "Maserati" again figures: "We sit by the tub. She lifts her long nose to my face and I take her muzzle and we move through the gears slowly; first second third fourth, all the way through town, until what has happened has happened and we know it has happened."

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars I didn't get anything out of this memoir.......2007-08-30

This memoir was highly praised by a book publication or two that I had read a review of the book in..it failed to deliver anything to me but a boring youth.

5 out of 5 stars fresh, surprising, raw, subtle.......2007-06-26

Beard's intimate prose is unselfconscious and unabashedly focused on the moments in relationships which we rarely realize are the most important ones. The one exception is an essay in the middle of her novel which tells the story of a traumatic event in her adult life. Beard lapses into cliche not because she is incapable of better, but perhaps because all the words to describe such an event have been pre-ordained by the reporters and cops whose mouths form the syllables of murder. Even in the midst of cliche, and starkly plain language, she finds ways to remember details that evoke. A wonderful new book... everyone ought to read it.

5 out of 5 stars My favorite book.......2007-03-23

This is what writing means. Gorgeous, pitch-perfect prose. Sensory details that speak for themselves.

3 out of 5 stars This was and okay book, but I expected more........2006-05-21

It was a bit of a let down. I was more interested with the family/friends then with the author as a character. She didn't come through very well on paper.

5 out of 5 stars Flashback.......2004-08-01

Like a flashback, Jo Ann Beard's collection of short stories takes you back in time. My favorite story is "Cousins" and is about two best-friend cousins. At an outdoor Eric Clapton concert the girls ingest a mild hallucinogen and discover pieces of their childhood in the quilt spread on the ground. One girl feels her halter top is coming off. When she looks at her cousin she is "cupping clouds." Moments later her cousin says, "The clouds are cupping me now," and she wants someone to "Get them off." Beard writes, "A guy on the blanket next to us tries to hand me a joint. I can't take it because I'm holding my chest. He looks at me, looks at Wendell balled up on the ground, and nods knowingly. 'Bummer,' he proclaims."

With an exquisite eye for detail and lots of humor, Jo Ann Beard inspires memories of laughter and friendship and the heartache of youth that is never matched in later life. Upon completion of this book, you will find yourself thanking Jo Ann Beard for taking you back to that magical place in time. "The Boys of My Youth" is worth reading and re-reading and sharing with your best friends.

Jo's Boys
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Bittersweet, yet satisfying conclusion
  • Little Men Plus Ten Years
  • Half entertaining, half irritating.
  • Jo's Boys: Not the Best, but Still Good
  • Louisa May Alcott
Jo's Boys
Louisa May Alcott
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1406501077

Book Description

All nice and warm for a July day, but received with delight nevertheless. Ted and Josie immediately 'dressed up', learned the war-whoop, and proceeded to astonish their friends by a series of skirmishes about the house and grounds, with tomahawks and bows and arrows, till weariness produced a lull.

Download Description

If anyone had told me what wonderful changes were to take place here in ten years, I wouldn't have believed it,' said Mrs Jo to Mrs Meg, as they sat on the piazza at Plumfield one summer day, looking about them with faces full of pride and pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 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.

4 out of 5 stars 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.

2 out of 5 stars 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.

3 out of 5 stars 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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!
Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys (Classic, Puffin)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Poor Publisher
  • Disappointing
  • My favorite Alcott novel...
  • Timeless Insights into Educating and Raising Children
  • Louisa May Alcott continues her lovely talents
Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys (Classic, Puffin)
Louisa May Alcott
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140367136

Product Description

"Little Men" continues the story of the March family of "Little Women". Jo and her husband, the kindly professor Bhaer, open a school for boys at Plumfield. As Jo says, "A good, happy, homelike school with me to take care of them and Fritz to teach them". Five 90-minute cassettes and three 60's.

Download Description

"Little Men" is the sequel to the classic book "Little Women". The main story is about the story of Jo's boys. They have many adventures. Jo is no longer the untamed child you remember from "Little Women". There are countless funny moments and some sad moments to that will want to make you cry. If you liked "Little Women" you will love this book. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Poor Publisher.......2007-09-11

I was looking forward to having my own copy of Little Men, but the copy I received from publisher Hard Press had many grammatical and spelling errors. It did not have an appealing layout, either. I should return it for a better copy of the book which I know exist.

2 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2007-03-08

Mostly I got this book because I never owned it and do own Little Women and Jo's Boys.I want my daughter to have the trilogy.I thought it was terrible.A mere series of goody-goody character sketches with very little holding it all together. If anything, it just underscored how Jo should have accepted Teddy! They were a great pair.I did not care about these boys much and even had trouble distinguishing them from one another.Jo's Boys was much better--at least a novel, so read Little Men only to fill in the blanks.

5 out of 5 stars My favorite Alcott novel..........2006-11-23

Mention the name Louisa May Alcott, and most people will instantly think of "Little Women." But in my mind, the less often discussed "Little Men" is just as great, if not better.

The story picks up shortly after the conclusion of "Little Women," with Jo and Frederick Bhaer running a school at Plumfield. Along with their own little Rob and Teddy, they are busy raising the neglected children of rich folks alongside the orphans they have taken in.

While the boys exist in a virtual haven for good ol' fashioned fun upon the farmlike Plumfield, Mother and Father Bhaer still manage to teach them moral life lessons along with their classroom exercises.

If you enjoy this book, be sure to pick up "Jo's Boys," which takes place ten years after "Little Men" and concludes the boys' stories.

5 out of 5 stars Timeless Insights into Educating and Raising Children.......2006-09-23

If Little Men weren't an entertaining novel, it could serve as a timeless reminder of how adults can help children direct their energies in helpful ways and develop better habits. The philosophy is to provide lots of love, understanding, forgiveness, slack and carefully chosen incentives and guidance while encouraging friendships among youngsters who will balance one another out if they spend time together. You'll recognize lots of Marmee's loving approach in Jo's more rough and tumble perspective. It's a nice combination.

For those who loved the child-centered world of Little Women, you'll be entranced by what Jo does to educate and raise her own boys, her nephew and niece, a troublesome neighbor girl, male boarders and some unfortunate orphans.

Much of the novel focuses on the character development of two poor orphans, Nat and Dan, who find Jo's Plumfield (which she inherited near the end of Little Women) to be an unfamiliar paradise of a home and school that requires some adjusting to.

Although the title is Little Men, there's plenty of focus on Daisy, twin sister to Demi, Nan, an independent girl with lots of energy, and Bess, Amy and Laurie's daughter. There are pretend balls, teas, and dramatic performances that echo those in Little Women.

But the male slant that is subdued in Little Women bursts forth in Little Men as the book recounts pranks, brawls, collections of disgusting items, pillow fights, taming a colt and doing heavy chores.

Like Little Women, the chapters are really short stories involving the same characters as they progress from month to month.

If you haven't read Little Women, by all means start there. An important part of the fun of Little Men is finding out what happened next to Meg, Jo, Amy and Laurie.

5 out of 5 stars Louisa May Alcott continues her lovely talents.......2005-09-01

Though I read Little Women many times as a girl and just again recently, I hadn't ever read Little Men. I recnetly purchased the book so I could find out what happens to the March family. The story begins slowly (even for 19th century literature) and I found myself wondering if Louisa May Alcott actually wrote it-the style seemed so different. However, as I became more involved in the book Alcott's old charm comes through. I enjoyed a thouroughly delightful tale. Little Men continues with the story of Plumfield and introduces all of Jo's boys. It is a must read for any Alcott fan!!
Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out. A Sequel to "Little Men"
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out. A Sequel to "Little Men"

    Manufacturer: Roberts Brothers
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000GJPICU
    Jo's Boys
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      Jo's Boys
      Louisa May Alcott
      Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000F9XG8Y

      Product Description

      This is the sequel to Little Women and Little Men....
      Jo's Boys - Jack and Jill - Under the Lilacs (Set of 3)
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        Jo's Boys - Jack and Jill - Under the Lilacs (Set of 3)
        Louisa May Alcott
        Manufacturer: Nelson Doubleday-1957
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000LIJK16
        Boy George and Culture Club
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          Boy George and Culture Club
          Jo Dietrich
          Manufacturer: Cherry Lane Music
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          Discographies & Buyer's GuidesDiscographies & Buyer's Guides | Reference | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0895241994
          Boys and Foreign Language Learning: Real Boys Don't Do Languages
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            Boys and Foreign Language Learning: Real Boys Don't Do Languages
            Jo Carr , and Anne Pauwels
            Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

            LiteracyLiteracy | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Instruction Method | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Gender Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            LinguisticsLinguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            Reading SkillsReading Skills | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            Study & TeachingStudy & Teaching | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
            All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
            ASIN: 1403939675
            Release Date: 2006-02-16

            Book Description

            This book examines the continuing poor relationship between boys and the study of foreign languages and is framed by discussion of gender socialization, gendered curriculum practices and cultural narratives about boys and schooling. The core of the book is constructed by boys themselves. Their commentaries raise important issues for language teachers and curriculum planners, but also for everyone involved in wider conversations about boys, language, literacy and education.
            The Works of Louisa May Alcott: Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              The Works of Louisa May Alcott: Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys
              Louisa May Alcott
              Manufacturer: Longmeadow Press
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover

              United StatesUnited States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
              Women Writers & Feminist TheoryWomen Writers & Feminist Theory | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              Alcott, Louisa MayAlcott, Louisa May | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              Women WritersWomen Writers | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
              Little WomenLittle Women | Historical | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
              ASIN: 068110371X

              Books:

              1. Lucy and Danae: Something Silly This Way Comes
              2. Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
              3. Maurice: A Novel
              4. Montaigne: Essays
              5. Night Fall
              6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
              7. One Thousand and One Arabian Nights (Oxford Story Collections)
              8. Passage
              9. Peonies
              10. Pioneers of Soviet Architecture

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