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I had a hard time deciding between "I liked it" and "really liked it." While reading it, I was pretty engrossed - It's a compelling story, whether you read it for the Civil War context, the Little Women connection, or the love story between March and Marmee. I varied in my perspective, and liked it more or less at times because of that --
As a Civil War novel: I can't comment on the accuracy or her representation of the war, but I felt like the sense of time and place were painted well. Actually, I thought the afterward (full of background on Louisa May Alcott and her family) was the most enlightening part! I am a bit of an eye-roller when it comes to historical fiction, and did have to remind my seething self that the characters are simply spouting conventional wisdom of the time period. This was particularly grating when abolitionists were infantilizing the "children of Africa" or the slave-owners were justifying their position. It's hard to read, even as a history.
As a connection to Little Women: You don't get too much of a tie to the original work, just glimpses through letters and references. It's satisfying to let your own memories of Little Women filter through the text, though, and to have another perspective of the strife of the family.
As a love story: So frustrating! But in the book club tradition, this frustration made it rich for discussion. Members varied widely in their opinion of March, from a self-righteous jerk (me) to a man willing to stand up for what he believed. Despite the sacrifices he foisted upon his family (me again). The lack of understanding between two people so in love makes this a great read, provided you enjoy slamming the book across the room in agony once in a while.
As a Civil War novel: I can't comment on the accuracy or her representation of the war, but I felt like the sense of time and place were painted well. Actually, I thought the afterward (full of background on Louisa May Alcott and her family) was the most enlightening part! I am a bit of an eye-roller when it comes to historical fiction, and did have to remind my seething self that the characters are simply spouting conventional wisdom of the time period. This was particularly grating when abolitionists were infantilizing the "children of Africa" or the slave-owners were justifying their position. It's hard to read, even as a history.
As a connection to Little Women: You don't get too much of a tie to the original work, just glimpses through letters and references. It's satisfying to let your own memories of Little Women filter through the text, though, and to have another perspective of the strife of the family.
As a love story: So frustrating! But in the book club tradition, this frustration made it rich for discussion. Members varied widely in their opinion of March, from a self-righteous jerk (me) to a man willing to stand up for what he believed. Despite the sacrifices he foisted upon his family (me again). The lack of understanding between two people so in love makes this a great read, provided you enjoy slamming the book across the room in agony once in a while.