Jo and Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

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Jo and Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

Review by Hannah Hobbs


Little Women has captivated readers for over 150 years - and it is still a popular choice for anyone trying to find a drama that explores family dynamics, coming-of-age stories, and the fluctuations of love throughout life and death. Louisa May Alcott created the dynamic Jo March and her memorable family and neighbor - Theodore Laurence, or Laurie for short. However, Alcott refused to cave to fan demands that Jo and Laurie fall in love in the second volume of her book. 


Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz have saved the day. Jo and Laurie is a sweet look at what it might have been like if Jo March and Theodore Laurence had romantically pursued each other. As a lifelong lover of Little Women, I loved the way Jo and Laurie was written - it felt as if I was watching a behind the scenes video and discovering what really happened. Stohl and de la Cruz have created a believable story and they have expanded the characters of the entire March family and the Laurences. 


Any addition to Little Women will be controversial. However, I believe that Jo and Laurie is a fun retelling of the end of Little Women and (if you think like I do) you might even accept it as the way it could have ended. If not, hopefully it will encourage you to find a copy of Little Women and re-read! Check out Jo and Laurie in person at our ARVRLS branches today!


-Hannah

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