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What can I say, I'm a big fan of Geraldine books and I loved this. Great story, interesting characters and good writing. March tells the story of the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.
Mr March is an interesting character. He is a minister in the universalist tradition and so has basically kept the morality of Christianity removed from the power and hope that is in Christ. As the story proceeds we see this as he ministers to the dying and he realises that he really has nothing to offer. As he confonts the moral complexity of war and the behaviour of people around him, and ultimately his own failures and limitations he comes undone and he really never comes to terms with these things.
I loved the way Brooks handled the juxtaposition of of March's view of himself, the people around him and the events compared with those of the other characters. It was particularly illuminating when we see some of the events from Marmies point of view. While she is also passionate about social justice issues she is also a realist and I had to cheer late in the book when she concludes that she loves this ruined man. That is what love is all about seeing the flaws but loving anyway. ]]>
Melissa
read and liked
Audrey's
review of March:
"Brooks has a true eye -- and ear -- for this time period of American history. I particularly loved the references (and the underlying philosophy) of the Transcendentalists. The final few chapters, as presented in Marmee's voice as opposed to that of ...more "
"Brooks has a true eye -- and ear -- for this time period of American history. I particularly loved the references (and the underlying philosophy) of the Transcendentalists. The final few chapters, as presented in Marmee's voice as opposed to that of ...more "
Story wise I thought this was great, although heartbreaking. Sophie's back story was extremely engaging, I couldn't wait to hear more but most of the present part of story was tedious. A large part of the problem was how wordy the prose was, some sections seemed to go on forever and once I got to the end of them I was left thinking, so what was the point of all that? The other thing that really got on my nerves was the inclusion of Stingo's constant preoccupation with sex. Yes, it ties in with one of the final scenes but he could have done that without using so many pages ... actually chapters. Not a book I'm going to recommend to my friends and family. ]]>
I received this book as part of the Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program. A Man of His Word is set in an Amish community and begins with preparations for the marriage of Moriah Bayler to Levi. Levi has a twin brother Gabriel who is secretly in love with her as well. A marriage that begins in hope and excitement for Moriah ends with her abandoned and pregnant in a community where marriage is literally till death do us part. There is also a side romance involving Moriah's brother.
Most of the characters were rather clueless about relationships which was rather frustrating at times and of course the end was predictable, but that is standard for romance novels and part of the fun is seeing how they finally get their happy ending.
One thing I thought the author did really well was capturing the despair, sadness, shame and resignation of Moriah in dealing with her plight in the middle section of the book. It was also nice to get a little insight into the different culture of the Amish.
This is an easy, light read, great for when you just want to escape into a book for a relaxing afternoon. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: to-read
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