I just finished eating lunch (I know, lunch at 3:30 is just plain crazy), and when I finally manged to open the applesauce lid ... POP! suddenly I had a post-title.
Amazing how that works.
Back in April, in a post labeled 'Of Posting, Flies, and Communication,' I told you that I would write a review on Jo's Boys written by Louisa May Alcott. I said I would do it unless I got abducted by aliens... But sometimes even when aliens don't come you can get a little side-tracked.
So anyway, an hour or so ago I finished reading it for the second time. Basically, in my case, if it's a book that I'm liking, I will want to read it over again right after I've completed the last chapter. If it's a neat, interesting, and good book, I will still like it after that second reading, and want to have my own copy of it. And if it's a really really good book, I will keep liking it for more than a couple months after I've considered, weighed it out, and went over it in my head.
Jo's Boys is one of those books.
I don't read new books very often. And I don't find books that I want to read, or are interested in reading, or that I don't think are weird when I start reading the first few chapters very often. This is all very ironic coming from someone who loves to read, and feels like they need to have a book to read at any given time. But then, I'm the same way with movies. And really, I think I'm the same way with music too.
It's kind like: If I can read, watch, or listen to you (talking to the product I'm critiquing here), over and over again, and still be wanting to read, watch or listen to, you are very well written, directed, or composed in my opinion.
I've been told that I'm good at critiquing movies (???) by a handful of people (this was strange when I first heard it, because I assumed that people thought that I was horrible at 'judging' things like movies).
Only because they heard me say a few things about The Voyage of The Dawn Treader after I had seen it when it came out about five months ago. This was probably only because I had been waiting for years, and years and years (at least it seemed that long) for it, and really couldn't keep my mouth shut about it (and you can read my critic on it at Dragon's Fly).
Often times, the more I read, watch, or listen to something, the better I think of it. Why this is, I still am not exactly sure...
And now, after all that jabbering, I will return to Jo's Boys.
Oh, and many (more) thanks to Mrs. Crickl, as she was the one who told me about this book in one of her comments.
Louisa May Alcott started building up Jo's Boys back in another one of her first great novels, Little Women (this, by the way, is my mom's favorite book). Here, we meet some main characters, such as: Jo, Meg, Amy, Laurie, etc. These characters though, to my delight, come into Little Men and Jo's Boys too! (I love it when characters that you get to know grow up, and then show their same personality in different ways). I am wondering though, does Eight Cousins have anything to do with the three stories about the sisters and their families?
Anyway, the book Little Men is one of my favorites, because of the way Alcott writes about the the people. They each have their own personality, and it's just a refreshing book to read for the simplicity itself. Actually, the same goes for Jo's Boys too. Only, this book may be a little better, because of the fact that now, the people in Little Men, are ten years older, and each have a fresh way of displaying their own little quirks.
All in all, if you want an easy-to-know-what-I'm-talking-about summery of my opinion, I'd say that if you read this book, you likely won't regret the time you spent on it. You'll presumably think that it was well written, and it makes a nice book to read in contrast to newer, and more modern-day books.
Before I finish with the critique though, I will list my favorite characters:
--Nan Harding
--Emil Hoffmann
--Ted Bhaer
and (especially in Little Men)
--Nat Blake
So all in all, and all considered, I'd say that this book, (and Little Men), is defiantly a 'good read,' although, if you are one of those people who only enjoy -- and only are interested -- in fast-paced, mysterious, thrill and adrenaline-pumping cliff hangers, this may not be exactly your kind of book...
So there you go. Are you now filled with the desire to go and read -- or re-read -- this Alcott story??
Now what book reviews and applesauce jars have in common, I have no idea...
-Animal Lover
