This is a masterpiece—an original, imaginative, inspired masterpiece. That is the only way to describe this extraordinary Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Geraldine Brooks.
Published 137 years after Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," this is the story of Mr. March, who was
…more largely absent from Alcott's timeless classic as he was serving as a chaplain in the Civil War. The first part is written from Mr. March's point of view, while the second part is written initially from his wife's point of view when she is in Washington caring for her extremely ill husband and then switches back to him. (You will see a new and somewhat shocking side of Marmee!)
While Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy learn how to become kind, caring ladies while living in their small New England village—visiting the poor, mending their bonnets, taking walks, writing letters and playing small, harmless pranks on each other—their father is sent to Virginia to serve as a war chaplain where he witnesses horrific and gruesome brutality that will forever change who he is and how he views the world. This, along with some of his actions, will threaten his and Marmee's marriage in surprising ways no innocent reader of "Little Women" could imagine.
The contrast between the two books—"Little Women" and "March"—could not be more extreme. The one shows us sweet, genteel, mannerly girls who love greatly and seek to do good as they learn how to live moral, upright lives. The latter shows us the other side of life that is occurring at the exact same time but one that is brutal, dark, violent, cruel, vicious and evil.
And here is the sheer genius of "March": Brooks writes in the style and language of the 19th century, even though she is a 21st century author.
A Reading Recommendation: This is very much a companion book to "Little Women," albeit one that Louisa May Alcott never envisioned. I highly encourage you to read (or more likely reread) "Little Women" before reading "March." There are numerous nuances, details and references to the little women living in New England that will have far greater meaning for you as a reader of "March" if "Little Women" is fresh in your mind. (less)
Power Reviewer
