If I could change the ending of any book, it would definitely be Little Women.
I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I never liked how Laurie ended up marrying Amy. From the very beginning, I loved the chemistry between Laurie and Jo. Even though Jo kept insisting she only saw him as a friend, I always found it hard to completely believe. When she found out Laurie and Amy had married, Jo didn’t exactly sound excited either, and that always made me wonder if there was a part of her that questioned what could have been.
I also never felt like Jo marrying Professor Bhaer was the ending she deserved. To me, it always felt a little forced. Jo spent her whole life proving that she didn’t need to follow the path everyone expected of her. She was fiercely independent, passionate about writing, and determined to make a name for herself. While I understand why Louisa May Alcott chose that ending, it never felt completely true to the Jo I had come to know.
If I could rewrite the story, I wouldn’t have Laurie and Amy get married. Instead, I would have them become engaged. Later, Jo would learn that they had quietly ended the engagement because Amy realized Laurie’s heart had never completely let go of Jo.
One of the reasons I think this ending would work is because Jo and Laurie were both incredibly stubborn. Jo had big dreams of becoming a writer and wanted to build a life on her own terms. Laurie, on the other hand, only wanted Jo. Neither of them was willing to give up what mattered most to them when they were young. Instead of forcing their story into a happy ending too soon, I would let them grow separately.
As for Jo, I would have kept her single for many years. I would have loved to see her become a celebrated author, travel the world, and continue chasing the dreams she had from the very beginning with all her struggles to get there. Eventually, she would open a beautiful theater where writers, actors, musicians, and dreamers could share their gifts. Her legacy wouldn’t be defined by who she married, but by the life she built and the people she inspired.
Then, one evening, after a performance had ended and the theater had grown quiet, the doors would open, and an older Laurie would step inside. Time would have changed them both, but the warmth between them would still be there. They would spend the evening talking, laughing, and reminiscing about their childhood, realizing that life had taken them exactly where they needed to be.
I wouldn’t end the story with a wedding or even a declaration of love. Instead, I would leave the reader with Laurie sitting beside Jo as the lights dimmed inside her theater. They would share a quiet smile, one that said everything words didn’t need to. The curtain would rise, the story would end, and we would be left believing that perhaps some people are simply meant to find each other when the time is right.
And if I’m being completely honest… I never really liked Amy, so seeing her end up with Laurie has always been one of my biggest literary disappointments.
Of course, that’s just my version. One of the things I love most about reading is that every reader experiences a story differently. We each imagine different futures for the characters we grow to love. This one just happens to be mine.
Crowned Brunette 