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jennthelibrarian's review
2.0
Utter snoozefest.
I listened to and tried reading this book, and Chiaverini might as well have written a nonfiction book instead of a fictional account of the Women's March.
Which was only like 15 pages of the book.
I skimmed the last 20 pages because I couldn't take it anymore.
It's clear Chiaverini did her research on this book, because it was facts, facts, facts, facts, facts. I'm impressed with her level of attention to historical detail, but it did not make for good reading.
I listened to and tried reading this book, and Chiaverini might as well have written a nonfiction book instead of a fictional account of the Women's March.
Which was only like 15 pages of the book.
I skimmed the last 20 pages because I couldn't take it anymore.
It's clear Chiaverini did her research on this book, because it was facts, facts, facts, facts, facts. I'm impressed with her level of attention to historical detail, but it did not make for good reading.
maryfaithreads's review
3.0
3.5 maybe?
This book started out so promising for me. The first few chapters gave me visions of rating this 5 stars. I guess things changed a little bit. I did enjoy this book and feel like I learned a lot. However, I wouldn't consider this a typical historical fiction novel, even one that is based deeply in facts. It was more like reading a nonfiction book that had been lightly fictionalized to make it more interesting. There were sections that just felt like info dumps. However, it was meticulously researched. I think any negative feelings I had for this book were because I was expecting something different from what it actually was, so that's on me. It was a good read, and a beautiful reminder of the women who were willing to give up everything to gain the vote.
This book started out so promising for me. The first few chapters gave me visions of rating this 5 stars. I guess things changed a little bit. I did enjoy this book and feel like I learned a lot. However, I wouldn't consider this a typical historical fiction novel, even one that is based deeply in facts. It was more like reading a nonfiction book that had been lightly fictionalized to make it more interesting. There were sections that just felt like info dumps. However, it was meticulously researched. I think any negative feelings I had for this book were because I was expecting something different from what it actually was, so that's on me. It was a good read, and a beautiful reminder of the women who were willing to give up everything to gain the vote.
karnaconverse's review against another edition
3.0
More than 5,000 women marched down Pennsylvania Avenue on March 3, 1913 and more than a quarter of a million participated as spectators. Their destination was the White House; their message for President-elect Woodrow Wilson was that of women's suffrage and the need for a constitutional amendment.
Inspired by the actual event, Chiaverini lays out this story of the march in alternating chapters that highlight the individual, combined, and competing efforts of National American Woman’s Suffrage Association parade organizer Alice Paul, librarian Maud Malone, and journalist/activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
I listened to the audiobook but felt "The Women's March" read more like nonfiction than fiction. I couldn't help but compare its structure and tone to [b:The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote|40765598|The Woman's Hour The Great Fight to Win the Vote|Elaine F. Weiss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551461640l/40765598._SY75_.jpg|57247753], Elaine Weiss's narrative nonfiction account of the 1920 Tennessee legislative session— and its role as the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment. That book includes a bibliography and is highly footnoted and indexed. Reviews of this book note that it is not footnoted nor does it include a list of sources the author used in her research or her suggestions for further reading. For these reasons, reviewers have been quick to question what is fact and what is fiction. In the Author's Note at the end of the book, Chiavenini writes about the "artistic license" she took as a historical fiction writer—which I support—but one point in particular* has caused me to change my four-star rating to a three. That said, each of these three women were important to the fight for women's suffrage and we should be as familiar with them as we are with Susan B. Anthony.
2023 selection: Plymouth Church Faithful Readers
*Spoiler alert: it's not clear that Maud Malone actually participated in the march.
Inspired by the actual event, Chiaverini lays out this story of the march in alternating chapters that highlight the individual, combined, and competing efforts of National American Woman’s Suffrage Association parade organizer Alice Paul, librarian Maud Malone, and journalist/activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
I listened to the audiobook but felt "The Women's March" read more like nonfiction than fiction. I couldn't help but compare its structure and tone to [b:The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote|40765598|The Woman's Hour The Great Fight to Win the Vote|Elaine F. Weiss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551461640l/40765598._SY75_.jpg|57247753], Elaine Weiss's narrative nonfiction account of the 1920 Tennessee legislative session— and its role as the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment. That book includes a bibliography and is highly footnoted and indexed. Reviews of this book note that it is not footnoted nor does it include a list of sources the author used in her research or her suggestions for further reading. For these reasons, reviewers have been quick to question what is fact and what is fiction. In the Author's Note at the end of the book, Chiavenini writes about the "artistic license" she took as a historical fiction writer—which I support—but one point in particular* has caused me to change my four-star rating to a three. That said, each of these three women were important to the fight for women's suffrage and we should be as familiar with them as we are with Susan B. Anthony.
2023 selection: Plymouth Church Faithful Readers
*Spoiler alert: it's not clear that Maud Malone actually participated in the march.
alhelton's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
marbooks88's review
3.0
Told from 3 diverse voices this story explores the women's suffrage movement in the United States and features appearances from well known women in the movement..
marielle68's review against another edition
Hardly any dialogue, no character development or emotion. Just a summary of events.
archivesgeek's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
qmm1503's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookedonbooks2020's review
4.0
The Women's March by Jennifer Chiaverini tells the story of 3 women who stand up for their convictions and the importance of the right for women to vote. As much as I love the Elm Creek Quilts series, I always look forward to the author's newest historical fiction offerings. The Women's March is the latest novel to shed light on the importance of women in history and was a very interesting and informative read.
Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title.
Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title.
cathydavies's review
3.0
I wasn't in the right mood for this book this month so I felt that it dragged on a bit. I would have preferred focus on one persons story rather than three or four different women even though I realize that the objective of the book was to show how their stories intertwined.