jo-and-laurie

[jo-and-laurie]

Before you start reading:

I combined the Instagram and Twitter idea; I made a Instagram comment thread.

The set-up includes an Instagram hating post against the novel Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz and a comment section arguing against the hating remarks. At the end, you will see that the hater was convinced to give the novel a try.

Q&A:

Where is the “👨 Hater” post? The “👨 Hater” post is the first post after this one, which is the argument I will counter in the comment section. 

Where is the comment section? The comment section is the second post after this one! As stated before, I will be countering the “👨 Hater” post by stating all the great aspects of the novel!

— Have fun reading and following along! Hopefully, the reasoning found in the comment section will encourage you to read the novel as it encouraged the hater!

[jo-and-laurie]

👨 Hater #1

No, no, no! Absolutely not! I have just become aware of the novel Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz. If you did not know, the novel is based on another novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. In the novel Little Women, the reader follows the March family with the author-to-be Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy. In Little Women, Jo had never wanted to settle down and marry a man, especially one she did not love. However, according to the summary of the novel Jo & Laurie, Jo finds love with her neighbor, Theodore "Laurie" Lawrence. Although I have not read the novel, I can already sense how much it counteracts Jo's character in Little Women. Alcott's original intention in writing Jo as a strong character was to break the bias set on women in the 18th century. However, I believe this novel will ruin Jo's character completely and shatter her character's original purpose.

[jo-and-laurie]

Comments

👩🏾 Supporter #1: I can see where you are coming from. Personally, I felt the same way as you when I first heard of the novel, but I came around and decided to give it a try. The novel itself is a coming-of-age novel in which the reader can follow the protagonist and see a change in her moral and psychological growth as she approaches adulthood and encounters love. As you read, you will find yourself relating to the characters. However, if you cannot relate, you will still be able to form empathy towards them as you follow their thought processes or reasoning behind their actions. What I am about to say may sound weird, but it is as though you are growing up with them! Trust me; it is a whole adventure. Just give it a try, haha.

👩🏻 Supporter #2: The person who commented above is an intellectual because, at least, they gave the book a try! How are you judging without even reading it? I have read the novel, and yes, the novel does envelope itself in a love story between Jo and Laurie, but the novel simultaneously follows Jo in the dreadful journey of dealing with publishing a sequel to her bestseller Little Women. So, it does not only focus on love. Additionally, the novel keeps the concept of women empowerment found in Little Women and further educates the reader about gender inequality. Many Little Women supporters believe that an empowered woman cannot find love, but this novel was able to keep Jo March's empowering character of not wanting to be tied down to marriage and follow her dream to be a writer. The novel itself is based on Jo struggling to accept love from Laurie, so I am afraid I have to disagree with your point of the novel ruining "Jo's character completely.” Fundamentally, the novel sends a powerful message that empowered women can achieve their dreams and find love simultaneously.

👴🏻 Supporter #3: Following up with the comment above, as the novel keeps the concept of women empowerment, it depicts the economic struggle caused by the Civil War. I do not want to give any spoilers, but all I will say is that the novel states multiple instances where Jo struggles financially. By doing so, it educates the reader of the problems that Americans, specifically women, faced during the 18th century. I genuinely recommend the novel; you will definitely learn a thing or two while falling in love with the overall plot!

👱🏽‍♀️ Supporter #4: Everyone is talking about the historical aspects, but what about love! I am as single as can be, and my love life is boring to a whole different level. On a scale of one to ten (one being "not boring" and ten being "extremely boring"), my love life is a whole eleven! I broke the scale, haha. So, I was in need of love. My need for love grew, though, after reading Little Women and watching the 2019 movie adaption, because I was left unsatisfied with the ending. The novel and movie adaption of Little Women did not end with the protagonist, Jo March, and her neighbor, Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, being romantically involved. So, since Jo & Laurie is a continuation of Little Women, I entered the novel's world with one motive: fill up my need for love and provide a better ending for Little Women. As I entered this new world that the authors of Jo & Laurie created, I experienced and shared the same emotions as the protagonist, Jo. I put myself into her shoes and entered an imaginary world that was tender and passionate. Of course, other emotions were also expressed, such as denial, sadness, and jealousy. The novel came with everything! I basically lived another life. As George RR Martin said, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, and the one who doesn't read, lives just one."

👨 Hater #1: Damn, I did not expect any replies. You all gave convincing arguments, so I will give the novel a try. :)