jo and laurie

[EmeraldZen]

I disagree. Prof Bhaer was a father like figure who basically was inserted into the novel by Alcott to please her publishers and created a boring conventional marriage for Jo. There's very little passion there...and whatever existed is completely gone by Little Men and Jos Boys.

Jo and Laurie have that fire, and spark, and deep connection through their already established beautiful friendship...yes if they had gotten married, they would have argued and faught every once in awhile. But this is what marriages of equality are about (certainly not what she had with Bhaer), and their passion (not just in the romantic sense, but overall) would have kept them deeply in love and fulfilled with their relationship.

Instead we have Jo married to Bhaer - she gives up her independence, her writing, and becomes a conventional wife and a teacher. She basically gives up her dreams...and I found that very sad.

[petaflop]

"...she knew that the boy Laurie never would come again..."

There may be sadder words in literature, but mention LMA and I can't think what they might be.

It was the old "loved him but not in love with him." He became her brother and her BFF when she was 15, and remained so forever.

About Amy, Laurie himself said it best:

"...when I saw her in Switzerland,
everything seemed to clear up all at once. You both got into
your right places, and I felt sure that it was well off with the
old love before it was on with the new, that I could honestly
share my heart between sister Jo and wife Amy, and love them dearly..."

[kiki1982]

Though I've only read the bits with Prof. Baehr, it seems indeed that he was not really a man for Jo...

I'm not sure, he's very intelligent and all, but I think too much of a sentimental man for the feisty Jo. She stops writing almost because he tells her she's a lousy writer, I feel. The more I think about those two the more I feel it's a bit creepy. He would be a doting husband, but I think she would kind of regret the fact that she married someone who is not tickling her strong character. It would become a bit suffocating.
It's a bit like a Wentworth marrying Lizzie Bennet. It would never work.

[petaflop]

Wentworth marrying Lizzie Bennet

Oh, dear. I am now officially laid down upon the bed. Could someone please dab my temples with a bit of rosewater?

When you can, read Little Men and Jo's Boys
Miss Louisa channels her inner Tim Gunn and makes it work.