The timeless classic Little Women inspired this heartwarming modern tale of four sisters from New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her … crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.
Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.
One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.
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“Meg and Jo” by Virginia Kantra is a beautiful story inspired by Little Women, a well beloved classic tale. With the holidays upon us, a lovely retelling is just what is needed.
The story is told in two Point of Views between Meg and Jo. This time, the March sisters are all grown up and pursuing their separate dreams and aspirations. Jo ends up in New York City, a struggling journalist who is now trying her best to survive living in the city by working in a restaurant and at the same time secretly running a very successful food blog. Good ‘ole reliable Meg is running her own household, and married to John with twins. Amy is working in the fashion industry and Beth is taking a break from school.
Seems everything is perfect until their mother is hospitalized with only Meg to help, and a father who rather care for his patients rather than his own wife and family. This brings the March sisters back home together, in North Carolina for the holidays to help each other – after all the story is about the strength of the family and the siblings helping each other.
Overall, I did enjoy this retelling and it would really be a more enjoyable read having had some knowledge about The Little Women to better understand the sisters’ personalities which very much carried on to this book. I look forward to the next installation with the focus of the story with Beth and Amy.
Thank you to Berkley Pub and Netgalley for the opportunity to receive and review an ARC of this amazing book by Virginia Kantra. I voluntarily reviewed this ARC and all opinions are my own.
Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra is a modern reimagining of Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott. Little Women is my absolute favorite book which is why I was curious about Meg and Jo. I wanted to see how an author would modernize this treasured classic. Let me state that this was a mistake on my part. I wish I had looked up the author and noticed that she writes romance novels. This book focuses on Meg and Jo. It is told from their perspectives in alternating chapters. Jo still wishes to write, but newspapers are letting staff go. For some reason, Jo was hired at Gusto by Chef Eric Bhaer to work as a prep cook. I found this particularly odd since Jo disliked the domestic arts. Jo has a blog titled Hungry which provides an insider’s view of the city’s food scene. She does it anonymously which Jo is glad she did after hearing what Chef Bhaer thinks about food bloggers. There is an attraction between Jo and the chef which develops into something more until complications arise. Meg is married to John Brooke and they have very busy twins. Meg quit her job as a loan officer to be a stay at home mom at John’s urging because his mother worked two jobs and was never at home for him. While Meg loves John and the twins, she is dissatisfied with her life. Meg comes across as whiny (it is unattractive). She likes things done a certain way, so she does it all herself but then complains that she does not get help from hubby. Meg makes some poor choices. I did not like how Meg was portrayed at all. The story is set in Bunyan, North Carolina so there are stereotypical Southernisms in the story (“Bless her heart” was a repeated phrase). I especially disliked how Mr. March was portrayed in this book. It was unappealing and disappointing. Abby March, the mother, is one who does not like fuss (as we are told repeatedly). I missed the warm, loving Marmee from Little Women. Beth is a singer who performs in front of audiences at Branson (can anyone see the shy Beth doing this) and Amy is an intern at Louis Vuitton in Paris (I could see Amy doing this). Laurie is called Trey in this version and let me just say he is nothing like the kind boy next door from the original. Meg and Jo comes across as a typical romance novel. It lacks the warmth of family, sisterly bonding, love, and compassion that was present in the original Little Women. The author was brave to tackle such a difficult project, but I feel she missed the mark. There is a preview of Amy & Beth at the end.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Meg & Jo” A Contemporary Retelling of Little Women” by Virginia Kantra, Berkley, 12/3/19
Virginia Kantra, author of “Meg & Jo” “A Contemporary Retelling of Little Women” has written a unique and intriguing novel. I absolutely adored “Little Women”, and imagining the setting changed to a modern version, piqued my interest. I am somewhat conflicted as I write my review. There are two aspects that I feel fall into play. The first is this does this read like a contemporary retelling of “Little Women”? The second aspect is, Did I enjoy and would I recommend this story?
The Genres for this story are Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, and Family Drama. The story takes place in the author’s present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The March family lives on a farm with goats, and each of the four adult women each has distinctive personalities, and are trying to lead their own lives. The author describes her colorful and dramatic cast of characters as complex and complicated.
Meg is reliable and married with two active twin children. Jo is independent and her writing skills start off as a blogger of food, while she works with a famous chef. Beth is very artistic and has a beautiful voice, and Amy is creative but attention-seeking. All of the sisters come home after an emergency. The Matriarch of the family carries a lot of responsibility and the father counsels the men and women who have served our country and have problems. This emergency forces the sisters to evaluate the meaning of sisterhood, family, communication and what is truly important in life.
If I were to read the same story with the same characters using different names, and not being told this was a contemporary retelling of “Little Women”, I might not realize that at times. At other times I might have a deja-vu experience. On the other hand, I enjoyed the story as written and would want to read more about the sisters. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction and family drama.
Having an older sister I could relate to Meg and Jo’s close relationship. Life isn’t always fair, and what we think we want and need constantly changes. Kantra’s writing kept me interested and engaged. I enjoyed her updated version of Little Women. I’m looking forward to reading Beth and Amy’s story. 4.5 stars
Virginia Kantra writes an enjoyable retelling of Little Women. Very interesting story of 4 sisters. Jo is the responsible one living in North Carolina where she grew up. Meg lives in New York City and due to down-sizing she has lost her job as a journalist and is currently working in a restaurant as a sous chef and has an anonymous food blog. The two younger sisters are trying to find their way in an adult world of fashion and entertainment. But a family emergency calls them all home. Meg and Jo begin to question their lives and their life plan. Discovering that their parents aren’t who they thought they were, they must decide what is best for their mother as well as for themselves. Wonderful story. I would definitely recommend.
I went into reading this one completely separate from Little Women after all it’s a modern day retelling. I think Virginia Kantra put her own spin on the March sisters all grown up in modern times that fans of the classic will enjoy. Even readers who’ve never read Little Women before will enjoy Meg & Jo.
I do love the various nods and character traits of the March sisters that the author makes in her writing.
The book obviously focus on Meg & Jo, the rest of the March family is involved in the story but not the sole focus which is nice in making this a quick read & of course there are also new characters.
Even if you haven’t read Little Women I think you’ll enjoy reading Meg & Jo especially if you enjoy a good book about family & navigating adulthood.
This is an excellent retelling & I look forward to reading more about the March family in future books by Virginia Kantra.
A phrase on the cover of Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra states it’s ‘A contemporary retelling of Little Women.’ I’m not sure I would consider it a retelling, but definitely a modern day story inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.
Told alternately by sisters Meg and Jo, this is a story of the four March sisters, now adults and struggling to find their own place in the world. They’ve each set out to pursue their dreams, but find breaking out of the boxes assigned to them as children a difficult first step.
The current day setting empowers the girls in ways not feasible in the original 1860 setting, allowing them to resolve their stories in ways I found much more satisfying. At the risk of giving too much away, this includes their mother. Go Marmee!
This is the first I’ve read by Virginia Kantra in a while, since her Dare Island series. What I remember most about that series was her ability to draw me into the story, making me feel as if I was there, part of it, experiencing rather than just reading.
This was definitely the case with Meg & Jo. From New York City to the family farm in North Carolina, I can picture each setting as clearly as if I’d been there. As for the characters, they immediately became my extended family. I’m missing them already and can’t wait for the story to continue in author Virginia Kantra’s next novel, Beth and Amy.
I enjoyed reading Meg & Jo and highly recommend for anyone who enjoys family drama, the love/hate relationship of sisters, or anyone simply wanting to compare this new story to the original. (Literary scholars forgive me, but I found it much more satisfying and enjoyable than the original!)
Meg & Jo will be on sale 12/3/19 and is available for pre-order now. A release date for Beth & Amy is not yet available….hoping it won’t be far behind!