danakm's review
Usually her books suck me right away but less with this one. I just don’t think I was Interested in a white guys perspective of the civil war
koalathebear's review against another edition
4.0
I just finished this book tonight. It's certainly a very interesting 'take' on the Little Women story. Although the March women go through a lot of turmoil and suffering, it really is nothing compared to the misery suffered by Mr March while he is with the Union army during the American Civil War - a thought that never occurred to me until I read this book.
March is parallel novel that retells Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women from the point of view of the absent father in the story. The story tells of the events surrounding March's absence during the American Civil War in 1862 and won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Brooks has based the character of March in part on Alcott's father, Amos Bronson Alcott, who was a teacher, an abolitionist and a bit of an eccentric by the sounds of it.
I loved how Brooks stays within the parameter of the novels, that the references to Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy are all consistent with the characters we met in Little Women. March is also an interesting insight into the character of Marmee who comes across as unbelievably saintly and patient. Next time I re-read Little Women, I shall be paying particular attention to the character of Marmee in the context of Brooks' characterisation of Marmee.
Brooks' descriptions of what March faces are entirely plausible and consistent with the breezy, cheerful letters/lies that he sends him to his family. It makes sense to me that he chooses not to share the full brutality and visceral nature of war.
A few things with which I wasn't entirely happy. I guess I never really care for the character of March - he doesn't seem particularly likeable. At one point, his commanding offer criticises him because instead of giving the men comfort, he makes them uncomfortable. He seems like a very idealistic and judgemental character.
As I was reading the book, I kept thinking about the beautiful Sullivan Ballou letter from Ken Burns' series, "The Civil War".
i.e. March, like Ballou enlists because of his conviction in the cause and chooses to leave his family and risk death because of his ideals. March is then sorely disappointed to discover that, contrary to his expectations, many of his fellow soldiers do not share his abolitionist ideals.
I guess I also somewhat resent/judge his relationship with the slave Grace Clement. On the one hand, when Marmee loses her temper, he says to her: "It is you who degrade yourself, when you forgo self-mastery". He's got a lot of nerve saying something like that given how he can't quite seem to restrain himself around Grace even though he should and the consequences for Grace (as he is well aware) could prove tragic.
Nonetheless, it's a beautiful book and and Brooks is an amazingly talented writer - evocative and never dull. Her imagery is vivid but she doesn't go overboard with excess verbiage of boring descriptions. I am going to have to go and read all the rest of her books now - I am particularly looking forward to reading her novel "Year of Wonders".
March is parallel novel that retells Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women from the point of view of the absent father in the story. The story tells of the events surrounding March's absence during the American Civil War in 1862 and won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Brooks has based the character of March in part on Alcott's father, Amos Bronson Alcott, who was a teacher, an abolitionist and a bit of an eccentric by the sounds of it.
I loved how Brooks stays within the parameter of the novels, that the references to Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy are all consistent with the characters we met in Little Women. March is also an interesting insight into the character of Marmee who comes across as unbelievably saintly and patient. Next time I re-read Little Women, I shall be paying particular attention to the character of Marmee in the context of Brooks' characterisation of Marmee.
Brooks' descriptions of what March faces are entirely plausible and consistent with the breezy, cheerful letters/lies that he sends him to his family. It makes sense to me that he chooses not to share the full brutality and visceral nature of war.
A few things with which I wasn't entirely happy. I guess I never really care for the character of March - he doesn't seem particularly likeable. At one point, his commanding offer criticises him because instead of giving the men comfort, he makes them uncomfortable. He seems like a very idealistic and judgemental character.
As I was reading the book, I kept thinking about the beautiful Sullivan Ballou letter from Ken Burns' series, "The Civil War".
i.e. March, like Ballou enlists because of his conviction in the cause and chooses to leave his family and risk death because of his ideals. March is then sorely disappointed to discover that, contrary to his expectations, many of his fellow soldiers do not share his abolitionist ideals.
I guess I also somewhat resent/judge his relationship with the slave Grace Clement. On the one hand, when Marmee loses her temper, he says to her: "It is you who degrade yourself, when you forgo self-mastery". He's got a lot of nerve saying something like that given how he can't quite seem to restrain himself around Grace even though he should and the consequences for Grace (as he is well aware) could prove tragic.
Nonetheless, it's a beautiful book and and Brooks is an amazingly talented writer - evocative and never dull. Her imagery is vivid but she doesn't go overboard with excess verbiage of boring descriptions. I am going to have to go and read all the rest of her books now - I am particularly looking forward to reading her novel "Year of Wonders".
whitgilk's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alissakibler's review
Story did not capture my attention, kind of basic civil war “romance” where I did not love the main character.
dodoreadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
janmaj's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Maybe I need a reread of Little Women to appreciate this more. Good story about the Civil War and well-written but books written in first person aren’t my favorites.
kqk's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rachel_mft's review against another edition
I think I have to give up on this one. I have loved the other two Geraldine Brooks novels I've read, but this one just rubs me the wrong way. I think I'm morally opposed to authors appropriating other writers' characters for their own fiction. March is an imagining of the time the father in Little Women, Mr. March, spent in the Union Army during the Civil War (remember, in Little Women he's away in the war for the first part of the book). All of the scenes that depicted Marmee and the girls, and the Marches' courtship, just felt so false to me. So did the way Emerson and Thoreau were dropped in as characters. None of it rang true for me, so I'm setting it down.