Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott

For Jos 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.

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, Alcotts 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 namesakes 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.

I loved this book, but I thought that little men and little Woman were better. Perhaps it is the long times span she took writing it. I thought, however, it was clever. I was worried that things wouldnt work out in the end, but they did. You really must read this book if you have read the others it is top notch.