Top 10 beloved couples who did not end up together

4. Laurie and Jo March from Little Women

After writing the first part of the classic novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was pressured by fans and family to have her beloved heroine (tomboy Josephine “Jo” March) and the charming boy next door (wealthy Theodore “Teddy” Laurie Laurence) marry each other. However, the author refused. According to Delamar.org, her response was firmly “I won’t marry Jo to Laurie to please any one.”

Fans today are still disappointed by this decision especially since both characters end up happily with someone else. According to Heroes and Heartbreakers, the debate about who should have married Jo remains controversial: “Generations of readers have cried bitter tears as Jo shoots down adventurous, passionate Laurie and subsequently groaned in disbelief when she falls for the older and stodgier Bhaer.”

Although certain readers now state their preference of Laurie and Jo remaining apart, many still state that their marriages to other people is one of the worst elements of the novels. The blog Compulsive Overreader noted that “the adult Jo and Laurie only come alive and retain something of their youthful selves when in each other’s presence. It’s as if Alcott created two characters who were destined to be together, decided to keep them apart, but could never quite separate them, despite her own sternest good intentions.”