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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This is an excellent book about Mr. March, the father of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," and what he did during the Civil War when he was away from his family. But it's about so much more than that - the horror that was the Civil War, bigotry, hypocrisy, infidelity ... You name the emotion, this book has it. It won the Pulitzer Prize. I can see why.
March is definitely worthy of its Pulitzer. Although I am still a big fan of Little Women, Brooks makes the character Marmee more real and human. I enjoyed this "war" novel and recommend it highly!
Completes the retelling of a classic story task for the Read Harder challenge 2015.
I enjoyed this book SO much more than Little Women. I think if I hadn't just read Little Women as a precursor to this one, I would have been somewhat ambivalent towards this one. I mean, I still would have liked it, but when I started reading March after so much frustration reading LW, it was a huge relief. Finally! Characters with faults and doubts and honest feelings!
From skimming over reviews it seems like people who absolutely loved LW were disappointed with this book, but as I was not one of those, I thought it was well done and that it added a lot of really interesting backstory and dimension to Mr. and Mrs. March. I don't know that I would have granted it a Pulitzer, but it's definitely worth the read.
From skimming over reviews it seems like people who absolutely loved LW were disappointed with this book, but as I was not one of those, I thought it was well done and that it added a lot of really interesting backstory and dimension to Mr. and Mrs. March. I don't know that I would have granted it a Pulitzer, but it's definitely worth the read.
Mr. March was really preachy and opinionated. It's exhausting living with (or reading about) a know-it-all so that grafted on my nerves. It took me a bit to get into the story, but I did. Three stars for the effort to fit in with Alcott's book and use the life of her father for the main character.
I would never have picked this novel up of my own accord. I rarely, if ever, read historical fiction and actually find myself actively avoiding anything to do with the Civil War (books, movies, documentaries, etc...). I had also never read Little Women, which I feared would put me at a disadvantage in reading this book. But I am now so pleased that I did.
This story of the missing father from Little Women, March explores the year that this abolitionist acts as a Union army chaplain during the war. What I enjoyed the most were the moral complexities that were illustrated through March's character. I felt that it provided such an authentic and troubling depiction of what we typically consider a "just" war.
My only real complaint was that the switch to Marmee's point of view near the end of the novel made me feel less compassionate toward March. He actually started to really irritate me when seen through Marmee's eyes; his convictions began to seem less honorable and more selfish. The voice of these chapters also were not clearly enough differentiated from March's voice, which pulled me from the novel's dream a bit. But overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
This story of the missing father from Little Women, March explores the year that this abolitionist acts as a Union army chaplain during the war. What I enjoyed the most were the moral complexities that were illustrated through March's character. I felt that it provided such an authentic and troubling depiction of what we typically consider a "just" war.
My only real complaint was that the switch to Marmee's point of view near the end of the novel made me feel less compassionate toward March. He actually started to really irritate me when seen through Marmee's eyes; his convictions began to seem less honorable and more selfish. The voice of these chapters also were not clearly enough differentiated from March's voice, which pulled me from the novel's dream a bit. But overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
While I was working in Cashiers, this seemed to be one of the most loved books in the library. People would rave about it, the library book club enjoyed it, and it was often among the historical fiction novels we'd suggest as part of our Reader's Advisory duty. But gosh, did it take me a long time to get through it. I initially started this and Little Woman at the same time, thinking that I had to have a foundational knowledge of Alcott's book in order to understand this one, despite the fact that I had been told I wouldn't need it to enjoy March. Well, I finished Little Women, and I hated it. I think that made an impact on my reading of this book.
I found that I liked this one less than the other novels I've read by Brooks. Perhaps it was the Civil War setting that just didn't appeal to me or it was the insufferable title character. When Grace Clement told him to stop his unending self-flagellation, I just about cheered. Enough already I, too, thought. Still, Brooks has a gift for rich prose, turning elegant phrases that strike at the heart of her subject matter. It was engrossing and tedious all at the same time, illuminating the social mores of the period. And boy, does she ever do her research. Not my favorite Pulitzer winner, but I will continue to suggest this for fans of historical fiction novels.
I found that I liked this one less than the other novels I've read by Brooks. Perhaps it was the Civil War setting that just didn't appeal to me or it was the insufferable title character. When Grace Clement told him to stop his unending self-flagellation, I just about cheered. Enough already I, too, thought. Still, Brooks has a gift for rich prose, turning elegant phrases that strike at the heart of her subject matter. It was engrossing and tedious all at the same time, illuminating the social mores of the period. And boy, does she ever do her research. Not my favorite Pulitzer winner, but I will continue to suggest this for fans of historical fiction novels.