Taking place ten years after Little Men, Louisa May Alcott's Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out is the third and final book in the Little Women trilogy. Originally published in 1886, two years before the author's death, Jo's Boys follows the lives of the young men readers came to love and cherish in its prequel. In it, we learn the fates of Jo's sons, Rob and Teddy, along with the other boys at Plumfield Estate School.
Written in classic Alcott style, we see how the boys struggle to overcome their many flaws, in the end learning life's lessons the hard way. Just as the March girls did, each boy must learn to deal with death, love, heartbreak, and the consequences of their actions. Audiences will feel pain and joy alongside each young man as he completes his life journey and fulfills his dreams in this classic conclusion to one of America's most beloved series.
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"I wish I were home to read this book to my son. It is all about young men and women growing up during a very innocent time in American History. The genteel mannerisms of the characters are not evident in comtemporary literature for young adults. Honor, intergrity and wholesome values are still displayed in "Jo's Boys" "Little Men" is the next book I will read, but I believe I flip flopped them. "Little Men," I think, is about the same group of boys, only when they are younger. The titles being a bit misleading boys versus men."
— Christina (4 out of 5 stars)
" Another beautiful piece of literary history by my favorite author. "
— Jenna, 2/13/2014" This is my favorite Alcott novel, though it's definitely less well known than Little Women. The conclusion of the stories of the boys introduced in Little Men, the novel is powerful, well-written, and interesting. I think the many stories of the boys, and the fact that we've seen them grow up, adds a great second dimension to the story. "
— Beth, 2/7/2014" the weakest in the Little Women trilogy. It was written when Alcott was seriously ill and it shows. Bad dialogue and a rushed ending. "
— Leigh, 1/29/2014" 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-compelling Little Men for its characters and basically occupies itself giving small snippets and synopses of what happens to them when they reach adulthood. Half of the characters from Little Men are dismissed completely with two-line summaries, while the ones that remain are each dutifully given their trial, lesson, and ultimate happy ending. Mostly, the boys are married off to faceless but undoubtedly very sweet girls for whom it's impossible to care much, because they are such hollow caricatures. Two of the girls were so young in the preceding book that they are basically introduced fresh, and the best stories in all honesty have to do with their independent aspirations (theatrical Josie and pragmatic doctor Nan). There is a chapter early on in which Jo Bhaer, having acquired some literary success modeled directly off of Alcott's experience, relates the tribulations of being a famous author in that day and age. Of all the moralizing and sermonizing that happens in this book, that chapter rings the truest with both honest experience and humor. Otherwise, I could have been happy having this book compressed down to a single epilogue, a la Harry Potter. "
— Liss, 1/28/2014" Similar to Good Wives; it's just a story of the various realities in Boys' daily lives. I'm not sure if it's just my opinion, but it seems that their days are more interesting than girls' lives. "
— Nicole, 1/24/2014" Not as good as Little Women "
— Vickie, 1/23/2014" I think it is my favorite of Alcott's works...You feel like the characters could be real. "
— Nicki, 1/19/2014" I liked little wemon more and I thought is was a little slow but it was still a good read! "
— Sol, 1/18/2014" What a good read! Love this author with her interesting plot lines, moral lessons, and gentle character development. A great accompaniment to Little Women. "
— Cinderelly007, 12/12/2013" This is one of my most favorite books and my favorite in this series. I wish I could be in a dramatization of it!!! :) "
— Lydia, 12/5/2013" Good, but little men is better "
— Kristin, 11/22/2013" i loved this book so much as a child. i love the ideal of teen life in a simpler time. and the women's lib, independent characters. "
— Kristi, 11/4/2013" Little Men and Little Women were among my favorite books as a child. I just read this one a few years ago and enjoyed getting to see how the story turned out. A good read although I think you have to have read the others first. "
— Gail, 10/29/2013" Again, not as good as Little Women. "
— Arwen, 10/9/2013" Following Little Women and Little Men comes Louisa May Alcott's third and final novel about the March family. Jo watches as her boys grow up, learn their mistakes, and become grown men. A great read! "
— Rose, 8/18/2013" great book very touching!!! "
— ,z, 5/8/2013" I really enjoyed this trilogy (Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys). This book really did a great job of summing things up, letting you know what happens with Jo's boys AND girls. I recommend this book as well as the other two highly. "
— Lyndsay, 4/1/2013" Re-read from 3/17 - 5/21. "
— Kristin, 1/25/2013" I'm reading this as I never have finished Louisa M. Alcott's series about the March family. I've always loved Little Women. "
— Trish, 7/21/2012" This was ok, in my opinion. Not my favorite story of the March's, but still a good read. "
— Danielle, 4/16/2012" Same review as Little Men. This book gives a bit more insight to Louisa herself. "
— Bethany, 2/24/2012" Jo started a boarding school, and her boys from Little Men are grown up! "
— Montana, 1/15/2012" One of my all-time favorites -- it carries on the story of what happens to Jo and her professor from Little Women. "
— KyneWynn, 8/9/2011" I read the whole series, one after the other, so I must have loved them all. "
— C, 6/19/2011" Who doesn't love Louisa May Alcott! My favorite will always be Little Women, but this was a good one too. I just love her writing style. Great story telling. "
— Jodie, 6/6/2011" Better than Little Men, I think. I enjoyed it. But what was with all of the foreshadowing? There was so much of it that I couldn't keep track of what I was already supposed to suspect. "
— Lauren, 4/28/2011" Uno dei volumi che ha segnato la mia infanzia da lettrice accanita. <br/> <br/> "
— Manuela, 4/5/2011" It was good to read the the stories of these beloved characters as they grow up! Some sad parts though. I liked how Jo mirrored Alcott's rise to fame to a certain extent. "
— Emily, 3/20/2011" there some boring parts but the tender sweet parts made up for it. "
— Francie, 3/19/2011" Not as good as Little Women, but I was desperate to carry on the story of Jo and her life with the Professor. Still an amazing classic though. "
— Serena, 2/17/2011" most moralistic of the three. there's a clue at the end that Alcott was tired of writing about Jo & family. Emil and Dan's stories stretched the limits of credibility. And that little Beth was too pure for Dan was tiresome. "
— Joan, 2/12/2011" I'm giving it 4 stars because it is one of the books I read at least once a year from the age 7 until I was about 13. <br/> <br/>I haven't read it as an adult. I probably could still tell most of the story by heart. "
— Mary, 1/14/2011" This is one of my all time favorite books! I read it once every couple of years to remind myself how good it really is. "
— Marty, 1/9/2011" My favorite of the March family saga. ;) "
— Elaine, 1/4/2011" OK, this book did not end the way I wanted it to. Also, the way that some of the characters are described in other two books kind of spoiled the way I looked at them and some other characters in this book. "
— Juliette, 12/11/2010" The last and most depressing of the Little Women series, this book is definitely only for those who really want to know what happens. The ending left me somewhat fulfilled and yet cold. "
— Heina, 12/7/2010" You have to be a fan..you either are or you are not. "
— Barbara, 12/2/2010" I think I liked little men better but it was fun to see what happened to all the boys when they "grew up." "
— Olivia, 12/2/2010" Who doesn't love Louisa May Alcott! My favorite will always be Little Women, but this was a good one too. I just love her writing style. Great story telling. "
— Jodie, 10/24/2010" Another fun read with great characters and good morals from Louisa May Alcott "
— Amanda, 10/16/2010Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Educated by her father until she was sixteen, she also studied under Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Theodore Parker. A prolific writer, her most famous work was Little Women, a timeless American classic.
Tavia Gilbert is an acclaimed narrator of more than four hundred full-cast and multivoice audiobooks for virtually every publisher in the industry. Named the 2018 Voice of Choice by Booklist magazine, she is also winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has earned numerous Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and a Listen-Up Award. Audible.com has named her a Genre-Defining Narrator: Master of Memoir. In addition to voice acting, she is an accomplished producer, singer, and theater actor. She is also a producer, singer, photographer, and a writer, as well as the cofounder of a feminist publishing company, Animal Mineral.