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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book and especially enjoyed going into it with the idea that it was from the father's perspective. I don't think there is a lot of reality to this book other than the depth of emotion one feels at war. I think there's a common mentality coming out from the veterans of yesterday and today in that the exhaustion and emotional loss is just overwhelming. I thought Brooks created that image beautifully. The destruction of the self in the shadow of humanity's disgusting, destructive choice of slavery, tears more apart than can function. beautiful.
I really enjoyed this book and especially enjoyed going into it with the idea that it was from the father's perspective. I don't think there is a lot of reality to this book other than the depth of emotion one feels at war. I think there's a common mentality coming out from the veterans of yesterday and today in that the exhaustion and emotional loss is just overwhelming. I thought Brooks created that image beautifully. The destruction of the self in the shadow of humanity's disgusting, destructive choice of slavery, tears more apart than can function. beautiful.
I couldn't finish it. I didn't want her image of the March family clouding my own.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really loved this - especially after learning how the author based so much of it on real people.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This did not live up to my expectations of Geraldine Brooks. Her other works were much more captivating. The main character came off as a naive man who, while professing to care, was unable to understand the times he was in and the suffering of others. I do not think this is what the author intended.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In questo romanzo, pubblicato dalla Neri Pozza con il titolo “L'idealista” nel 2005 e vincitore del premio Pulitzer nel 2006, la Brooks tenta di dare una risposta alle domande e alla curiosità suscitate in ogni lettore, appassionato o meno, di “Piccole Donne” ...chi è quella figurata maschile sempre costante nei pensieri delle piccole protagoniste ma che effettivamente l'autrice americana non ha mai svelato? Chi è quel Signor March, tanto caro a Jo e le sue sorelle, che appare solo ad inizio e fine romanzo??
Da questa idea parte un romanzo che si basa su un'ottima ricostruzione storica, su questo la Brooks non si è smentita, ma che purtroppo non ha saputo coinvolgermi come speravo.
Mi è piaciuta l'ambientazione, siamo negli anni abolizionisti, e la grande capacità della scrittrice di trattare usi e costumi dell'epoca mi ha trasportato indietro nel tempo ma credo che il grande difetto di questo romanzo sia nel protagonista.
Il sig. March è un uomo dalle tante parole ma pochi fatti, un uomo verso cui ho provato sentimenti contrastanti, che mi ha catturata attraverso il racconto della sua giovinezza ma che nel corso della storia non sono riuscita ad apprezzare per i suoi sbagli e i suoi atteggiamenti ma non solo.
E' un romanzo molto distante dal quello della Alcott, è malinconico e triste, è un romanzo sicuramente particolare che però non riesco tuttora ad inquadrare, è un romanzo piacevole e che tutto sommato scorre abbastanza ma non ha quel non-so-ché in più!
Un romanzo che vuole celebrare il grande classico per ragazze ma che tenta anche di risvegliare la curiosità del lettore verso la storia di Louisa M. Alcott e la sua famiglia, in particolare verso il padre, figura su cui la Brooks si è basata per ritrarre il cappellano March, ma che purtroppo non ha funzionato.
Non so se siate degli estimatori di “Piccole donne” (io decisamente no) e la figura del padre vi incuriosisca, potrebbe piacervi come no, ma ho trovato questo romanzo troppo tiepido, mi aspettavo di più e speravo di essere rapita come mi era successo con “Annus Mirabilis” e invece niente, avevo troppe aspettative.
Da questa idea parte un romanzo che si basa su un'ottima ricostruzione storica, su questo la Brooks non si è smentita, ma che purtroppo non ha saputo coinvolgermi come speravo.
Mi è piaciuta l'ambientazione, siamo negli anni abolizionisti, e la grande capacità della scrittrice di trattare usi e costumi dell'epoca mi ha trasportato indietro nel tempo ma credo che il grande difetto di questo romanzo sia nel protagonista.
Il sig. March è un uomo dalle tante parole ma pochi fatti, un uomo verso cui ho provato sentimenti contrastanti, che mi ha catturata attraverso il racconto della sua giovinezza ma che nel corso della storia non sono riuscita ad apprezzare per i suoi sbagli e i suoi atteggiamenti ma non solo.
E' un romanzo molto distante dal quello della Alcott, è malinconico e triste, è un romanzo sicuramente particolare che però non riesco tuttora ad inquadrare, è un romanzo piacevole e che tutto sommato scorre abbastanza ma non ha quel non-so-ché in più!
Un romanzo che vuole celebrare il grande classico per ragazze ma che tenta anche di risvegliare la curiosità del lettore verso la storia di Louisa M. Alcott e la sua famiglia, in particolare verso il padre, figura su cui la Brooks si è basata per ritrarre il cappellano March, ma che purtroppo non ha funzionato.
Non so se siate degli estimatori di “Piccole donne” (io decisamente no) e la figura del padre vi incuriosisca, potrebbe piacervi come no, ma ho trovato questo romanzo troppo tiepido, mi aspettavo di più e speravo di essere rapita come mi era successo con “Annus Mirabilis” e invece niente, avevo troppe aspettative.
For the most part I really enjoyed this but I had my qualms (of course I did, it's Brooks and I always do...). My biggest issues were with how she wrote Marmee, and then in the afterword I read this-
"As with so many things in my life, this book owes its being to my mother, Gloria Brooks. I was about 10 years old when I read Little Women for the first time, at her suggestion. Though she recommended the book, she also counseled that I take it with a grain of salt. 'Nobody in real life is such a goody-goody as that Marmee,' she declared. Louisa May Alcott's real family was far less perfect, and therefore much more interesting, than the saintly Marches."
Now, even before reading this passage I knew why Brooks had written her the way she did and the depth of feeling and some of my favorite ideas in the end would not have come about if she had written Marmee the way that I prefer to see her. It's not that I really believe that she was as flawless as she seems in Little Women (just pretend with me for a moment that Marmee was a real person) but I still think she would have been above some of the thoughts that Marmee in March had. I definitely think that she would have been flawed and she would have been humble with a good understanding of those flaws but always striving to be her best. I think she would have had more honor, less likely to jump to conclusions (in that instance I think Brooks injected too much of the modern woman into her), more trust and less vanity. I DID enjoy how Brooks wrote her abolitionism and anger problem as a younger woman and how she struggled to overcome her temper through the years.
So, even though I really liked this if Geraldine Brooks were to write about Atticus Finch I wouldn't touch it. I don't think I could handle ALL of my idols being toppled.
"As with so many things in my life, this book owes its being to my mother, Gloria Brooks. I was about 10 years old when I read Little Women for the first time, at her suggestion. Though she recommended the book, she also counseled that I take it with a grain of salt. 'Nobody in real life is such a goody-goody as that Marmee,' she declared. Louisa May Alcott's real family was far less perfect, and therefore much more interesting, than the saintly Marches."
Now, even before reading this passage I knew why Brooks had written her the way she did and the depth of feeling and some of my favorite ideas in the end would not have come about if she had written Marmee the way that I prefer to see her. It's not that I really believe that she was as flawless as she seems in Little Women (just pretend with me for a moment that Marmee was a real person) but I still think she would have been above some of the thoughts that Marmee in March had. I definitely think that she would have been flawed and she would have been humble with a good understanding of those flaws but always striving to be her best. I think she would have had more honor, less likely to jump to conclusions (in that instance I think Brooks injected too much of the modern woman into her), more trust and less vanity. I DID enjoy how Brooks wrote her abolitionism and anger problem as a younger woman and how she struggled to overcome her temper through the years.
So, even though I really liked this if Geraldine Brooks were to write about Atticus Finch I wouldn't touch it. I don't think I could handle ALL of my idols being toppled.
WARNING: SPOILERS
This book is somewhat difficult for me to review; the writing and the story in and of itself is well done. I will comment that I am quite surprised that it won the 2006 Pulitzer. I have read many books quite similar in content, style and plot. These are enjoyable reads, but not remarkable; I don't find that Geraldine Brooks' take was worth more note than others. However, it was a good read and interestingly wove several contemporary figures into the story--Thoreau, John Brown, Ralph Waldo Emerson. If I were judging on that alone, this book would have earned four stars from me.
** SPOILERS**
However, this is a story of Mr. March, the father in Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel "Little Women". The book chronicles his journey through the same time period that Little Women portrays. This had so much potential to be a wonderful companion to the original novel. Brooks, though, took some liberties with her characterization that I was sorely disappointed with. After reading the Afterword and learning that she based the character on Alcott's father (which was compatible with Alcott's original vision, since the story was based on her sisters), I was more accepting of his radical abolitionist activity (which seemed out of character to me based on impressions from the original novel). However, the fact that he had an affair while away at war; and the personality she gave Marmee as a troubled, temperamental woman who needed to learn to control herself; were both so out of character from what I internalized from Little Women that it detracted considerably from the novel. I completely disagree with both these tangents, and for me--this made it a three-star book instead of a four-star book.
In my mind, People of the Book by the same author is far more deserving of an award-winning status.
This book is somewhat difficult for me to review; the writing and the story in and of itself is well done. I will comment that I am quite surprised that it won the 2006 Pulitzer. I have read many books quite similar in content, style and plot. These are enjoyable reads, but not remarkable; I don't find that Geraldine Brooks' take was worth more note than others. However, it was a good read and interestingly wove several contemporary figures into the story--Thoreau, John Brown, Ralph Waldo Emerson. If I were judging on that alone, this book would have earned four stars from me.
** SPOILERS**
However, this is a story of Mr. March, the father in Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel "Little Women". The book chronicles his journey through the same time period that Little Women portrays. This had so much potential to be a wonderful companion to the original novel. Brooks, though, took some liberties with her characterization that I was sorely disappointed with. After reading the Afterword and learning that she based the character on Alcott's father (which was compatible with Alcott's original vision, since the story was based on her sisters), I was more accepting of his radical abolitionist activity (which seemed out of character to me based on impressions from the original novel). However, the fact that he had an affair while away at war; and the personality she gave Marmee as a troubled, temperamental woman who needed to learn to control herself; were both so out of character from what I internalized from Little Women that it detracted considerably from the novel. I completely disagree with both these tangents, and for me--this made it a three-star book instead of a four-star book.
In my mind, People of the Book by the same author is far more deserving of an award-winning status.
Book #29 of the EBN Challenge at my libary.
Challenge Topic: A book about the military.
This book was set in the Civil War era and follows the life of John March, the absent father from the classic "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. March tells the story from his own perspective about what he saw and what he had to do during his time in the war.
Challenge Topic: A book about the military.
This book was set in the Civil War era and follows the life of John March, the absent father from the classic "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. March tells the story from his own perspective about what he saw and what he had to do during his time in the war.