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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, War
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
medium-paced
Geraldine Brooks gives us the "other side" of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women - following the story of the patriarch of the March family.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not gonna lie, I really didn’t like this book at first. I was uncomfortable with the portrayal of Mr. March and kind of bored with his attraction to an enslaved woman. Things started to look up when Marmee came into the picture and she was a real person, not the overly perfect woman from Little Women. And then the whole story just became fascinating, with Mr. March’s adventures as a chaplain and teacher to freed Black people. I learned a lot more about John Brown and contraband people and the conditions of DC during the war…it was really good.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
This is my third Geraldine Brooks novel, and I just LOVE her. It was really interesting observing how she wrote from a male perspective (Mr March). I know she wrote from a male perspective in The Secret Chord - but due to that narator's limited contact with women, it really wasn't as interesting. What was even better was the switch in perspective to Mrs March in the last 40 pages of the novel. The miscommunications and misunderstanding between the married couple was amplified by this writing choice. I loved Grace Clement's character, and I loved her relationship with Mr March - who idolised her as an embodiment of his ideals, but she essentially, did not need him.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
I read this book many years ago - I remember it was "Little Women" told from the perspective of the family patriarch. It was a good book...but it did diminish the original a little bit for me. Obviously, "Little Women" is a pretty rosy view of the March family; every family has a darker side, and we should not assume that just because they were abolitionists who fought for the Union that they were not, in their own way, racist. However, they were definitely progressive for their time (this is also if you read about Louisa May Alcott - her family was lightyears ahead of their time).
Anyway, I digress - it was a good book and I have fond memories of reading this book 15 (or so) years ago.
Anyway, I digress - it was a good book and I have fond memories of reading this book 15 (or so) years ago.