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83rd out of 2,624 books
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March
From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March, and crafted a story filled with the ache of love and marriage and with the power of war upon the mind and heart of one unforgettable man (Sue Monk Kidd). With "pitch-perfect writing" (USA Today), Brooks follows March as he leaves behind ...more
Paperback, 280 pages
Published
January 31st 2006
by Penguin
(first published 2005)
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It's not that I don't like any historical fiction, I just think that it's a really hard thing to do right, without simplifying everything. Nah, I really just hate historical fiction. And I think that March is a perfect example of historical fiction gone wrong.
1. I hate it in historical fiction when... the author seems to cling to one or two details in history and repeat them over and over again. In this book, the author seems intent on measuring everything in rods, no matter how sho...more
1. I hate it in historical fiction when... the author seems to cling to one or two details in history and repeat them over and over again. In this book, the author seems intent on measuring everything in rods, no matter how sho...more
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I now know, having perused Geraldine Brooks' website, that March won the 2006 Pulitzer prize for fiction. I had not noticed that it had received such acclaim when I pulled it from the shelf at our modest library, but now, having finished the last page, I am not surprised it did. It is good. Brooks' is an authentic voice. Her extensive reading of primary sources, particularly the writings of Bronson Alcott, that was the inspiration for L.M. Alcott's father figure in Little Women, gives Brooks a h...more
This is one of the most Pulizer-worthy novels I've read in a long while. The novel tells the previously untold story of the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. In Little Women, the reader only gets to know Peter March through his letters sent home to his family from the Civil War. Of course, in the interest of sparing his family the details of war, his letters are more cheerful than his reality. Geraldine Brooks uses the novel March to tell of Mr. March's early life as a traveling...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Well.. I finished the audiobook last night and I must say that I really did enjoy listening to the narrator's voice - it was really nice and warm. But the book itself..
I think Brooks' writing style is fabulous, I really enjoyed that. The beginning of the book was relatively gripping, but I got increasingly irritated with the main character March. For one he remained the very naive yet proud dreamer throughout the entire book, and while I found it endearing at first, he did not develo...more
I think Brooks' writing style is fabulous, I really enjoyed that. The beginning of the book was relatively gripping, but I got increasingly irritated with the main character March. For one he remained the very naive yet proud dreamer throughout the entire book, and while I found it endearing at first, he did not develo...more
Laurel Bradshaw
rated it
Review from Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Brooks's luminous second novel, after 2001's acclaimed Year of Wonders, imagines the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. An idealistic Concord cleric, March becomes a Union chaplain and later finds himself assigned to be a teacher on a cotton plantation that employs freed slaves, or "contraband." His narrative begins with cheerful letters home, but March gradually reveals to the re...more
Starred Review. Brooks's luminous second novel, after 2001's acclaimed Year of Wonders, imagines the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. An idealistic Concord cleric, March becomes a Union chaplain and later finds himself assigned to be a teacher on a cotton plantation that employs freed slaves, or "contraband." His narrative begins with cheerful letters home, but March gradually reveals to the re...more
In March, Geraldine Brooks imaginatively writes a back story for Little Women, turning a beloved children's novel into an adult tour-de-force. She takes on many of the critical social issues facing Americans in the early nineteenth century and weaves them into the lives of the fictitious March family. The mostly absent father from Little Women takes center stage and confronts the prevailing moral crisis of the day-slavery and the abolitionist response to it. Real historical figures are introduce...more
I wanted desperately to like this book! And I sort of did! "Little Women" is one of my wife's favs, and I'm a sucker for Civil War novels (all five billion of 'em). But this book, though elegantly written, struck me as too schmaltzy and too overly preachy to enjoy. It was also a wee bit predictable as a Civ War novel. Brooks made sure to hit the Twelve Points of the True CW Novel: (1) interracial romance, (2) old urbane southern woman with power, (3) the meat and stench of the field ho...more
Ok, to be honest - I couldn't finish it! I've completely lost faith in the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It's becoming like a Grammy award for pop music (see Mariah Carey and Celine Dion). This book is pretentious and short-sighted from page one. Come on, a vegetarian, Unitarian, abolitionist, transcendentalist, book-lover from the North is just one HUGE cliche that, frankly, probably did not exist during the Civil War. I know that Louisa May Alcott's parents (as that is the subject of this ...more
This is the story of Peter March, the absent father of Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth of Little Women. Clever, poignant, informative, inspiring, heartbreaking, interesting and historical, Brooks takes Louisa May Alcott's famous Little Women, and writes a parallel story about their father's experience during the same year. Little snippets are taken from Little Women, and it's as though you can see that famous play happening in the background in each scene. Sort of like Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, only mo...more
The problem with March is that it's tied in to a beloved children's story. While this might have been a terrific marketing ploy, (fan fiction often is, since it offers immediate context and recognition,) it created two very different stories. The first: a reworking of one absent and one present (and much loved) character in a famous work of fiction. The second: a story of a pacifist who went to war in one of the bloodiest and most tragic conflicts in our nation's history.
The first s...more
The first s...more
This book is a book based on the Mr. March of Little Women. I wish I had re-read Little Women before I read this. I liked it, and it made me think of some civil war issues, but didn't love it.
When the book switched from being March's voice to Marmee's voice, I actually felt the voice was more likable--although it bugged me when it happened!
When the book switched from being March's voice to Marmee's voice, I actually felt the voice was more likable--although it bugged me when it happened!
Carly
rated it
Recommends it for:
Fans of Little Women and people who hated Little Women
Recommended to Carly by:
Susan N. from Monday Night Book Group
We read this for our May book discussion, and I'm now passionately interested in Louisa May Alcott and her father. The story of Mr. March's service in the war was engrossing, leaving questions about the price of war, the meaning of service and family, and truth.
I struggled with whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand, it was written by Geraldine Brooks and she's a great author. I like her style of writing and I love the honesty she puts in to every book. I felt like this book portrayed the Civil War era fairly realistically and boldly, and I appreciated that. But on the other hand, since it was written about the March family from Little Women, it was hard to reconcile the characters she created with the characters I had already created ...more
I respected Geraldine Brooks as a journalist and a writer of non-fiction for many years before she started writing novels and I’ve long meant to read this novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2006.
Having only recently re-read Little Women for the first time in many years, this seemed the ideal time to tackle a book which draws on that novel for its inspiration. Brooks notes in the afterward to the novel that Little Women is concerned with the way a year lived a...more
As one might expect, this book is a lot more adult than Little Women. The jury's still out on how I feel about that. Part of me (childishly) loves that Marmee and Mr. March as depicted in Little Women are wonderful and basically flawless. That myth is entirely dispelled in March. Honestly I know it's unrealistic for the Marches to be perfect, but reading Brooks's take on what they went through was just sad. I thought the writing was very good and the issues addressed were important. There was a ...more
When I finished this book, I was satisfied with the story but impatient with the character of March, who seems to caught up in his own weakness and cause. A navel gazer to the nth degree who, even after his wartime experiences, never has a clue to the feelings or hopes of others and remains buried in hypocrisy. He seeks redemption while hiding his actions and thoughts, in direct contrast to what he preaches as a religious leader and discards the needs of his family from the beginning when he s...more
I was so excited to read this, since I love Little Women so much! I was thrilled to think of the possibilities that are gained from seeing the stories through the eyes of Mr. March, their father.
However, I was sorely disappointed. The story was not written in the same spirit or style as the original, which can be expected with a different author. However, the main character did not have the morals and character that you would hope, gleaning from an optimistic book like Little Wo...more
However, I was sorely disappointed. The story was not written in the same spirit or style as the original, which can be expected with a different author. However, the main character did not have the morals and character that you would hope, gleaning from an optimistic book like Little Wo...more
This story gave a really interesting portrayal of a part of the Civil War we don't hear a lot about. The author takes liberties with the character of Mr. March whom she compares to Louis May Alcott's own father. It was a quick read and was really interesting but I'm still trying to figure out if I like the fact that Ms. Brooks took such a beloved and classic American book and turned a character from it into something more than Alcott meant for him to become.
So, I got a real bang out of this novel of Historical Fiction. Does that make me a middle-aged woman?
A fascinating peek behind the curtain at the Alcott family, (under the fictionalized name of March) the novel clips along at an easy pace and Brooks handles the shocking brutality of civil war atrocities with the same deft skill she employs in expressing the warmth and tenderness we like to associate with our memories of Alcott's own, Little Women. Since no one is around to confirm ...more
A fascinating peek behind the curtain at the Alcott family, (under the fictionalized name of March) the novel clips along at an easy pace and Brooks handles the shocking brutality of civil war atrocities with the same deft skill she employs in expressing the warmth and tenderness we like to associate with our memories of Alcott's own, Little Women. Since no one is around to confirm ...more
Michelle Lemaster
rated it
Recommends it for:
Civil War enthusiasts, Little Women enthusiasts, lovers of good writing!
Amazing detail from the Civil War period. Historical fiction in its best form. Because of its connections to Little Women, I've decided that it too is a must-read!
I have now finished March (whew! Just in time for our gathering Monday!). I really like the inclusion of Marmee's perspective in the latter half of the book. The afterward was also very enlightening. I really liked learning that Brooks modeled Mr. March himself after Loisa May Alcott's own father-- much in the w...more
I have now finished March (whew! Just in time for our gathering Monday!). I really like the inclusion of Marmee's perspective in the latter half of the book. The afterward was also very enlightening. I really liked learning that Brooks modeled Mr. March himself after Loisa May Alcott's own father-- much in the w...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I loved Little Women as a kid, accepting it at face value. It was every little girl's dream family, an absolutely flawless mother and sisters who were too good to be real.
So it was fascinating to read Geraldine Brook's novel about their father's experience during the Civil War. She actually based it on Louisa May Alcott's father, a well-known radical and educator.
The best part of the book came when she changed voices and we finally got to hear an angry and bitter Marmee...more
So it was fascinating to read Geraldine Brook's novel about their father's experience during the Civil War. She actually based it on Louisa May Alcott's father, a well-known radical and educator.
The best part of the book came when she changed voices and we finally got to hear an angry and bitter Marmee...more
This is a must read for anyone that is a fan of Little Women. It is a startling portrayal of the Mr. March - who, if you recall, went off to the Civil War. The passages describing the horrors of slavery and war will stay with you for such a long time. Brooks intertwines the great thinkers of the day - Thoreau, Emerson, etc. - who were neighbors of the Alcotts in real life and if you are familiar with their writings, you will smile at the references to Walden Pond and Concord!
At t...more
At t...more
As someone who grew up completely enamored with the story of Little Women, this book supplied a wonderful adult perspective of the father, Mr March -- his relationship with Marmee and their children, and how his personal struggle and commitment to ending slavery changes all of their lives. The backdrop of the Civil War, life in Concord (with Emerson and Thoreau), and the struggle of the abolitionists makes this more than just a mere character study -- you will quickly see why this is a Pulitzer...more
I really really loved this book. I thought what Brooks did with the point of view (from Mr. March) was brilliant. I also loved the justaposition of the letters home and the realities of war which he never revealed. Beautiful and compelling.
Everyone knows the story of Little Women but what about the story of their father, Mr. March?[return][return]I did NOT like this book, it ruined Little Women for me! Pulitzer Prize- should have known it would have been pompous, preachy and pathetic. Mr. March was not a likable character at all, I could not sympathize with his plight at all. He was a coward and his actions were not noble. He wanted to teach slaves to read yet seemed to do it to feel better about himself not because it was the rig...more
I thought March would be fun for our book club because, as a group of chattery reading women, I figured that we were the types of girls who had read Little Women growing up. Plus, it had just won the Pulitzer Prize, which I thought gave it some measure of critical authenticity. I guess that the group agreed, because we picked March for our next read. Still, how stressful to be the follow-up to East of Eden! Poor Ms. Brooks! How can you ever compete?*
The book consists of an imagining ...more
The book consists of an imagining ...more
Geraldine Brooks imagines the wartime experiences of Mr. March, fictional father of the Little Women - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. She set "March" within the time constraints of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" in which Mr. March goes off to the Civil War and stays in touch with his womenfolk by letter. Working within that constraint, Brooks used her war correspondent background, Bronson Alcott's extensive personal writings, and the Civil War obsession she absorbed from her h...more
By throwing the dreamer John March into America's Civil War, Brooks explores in detail how one man struggles to live honestly, let alone live, through wartime. Her second novel is "a moving and inspirational tour de force," says the Los Angeles Times critic Heller McAlpin, and he's certainly not alone. Reviewers were almost universally won over by, and emotionally invested in, this memoir-like tale. Brooks doesn't hesitate to plumb the morally gray complications of war; in fact, many c
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Geraldine Brooks (born 1955) is an Pulitzer Prize-winning, Australian-American journalist and author.
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“You go on. You set one foot in front of the other, and if a thin voice cries out, somewhere behind you, you pretend not to hear, and keep going.”
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