March by Geraldine Brooks Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of March
Book Review: An interesting blend of fiction and history
Summary: 5 Stars
When a friend recommended MARCH, I wasn't particularly interested, since LITTLE WOMEN was not one of my favorite reads. But I was drawn into this book from the opening chapter, and found it hard to put down. It deals with big questions: What constitutes freedom? Who is to blame for injustice and suffering? How do we deal with guilt? I loved the characters, partly because they are flawed and therefore more real. MARCH ranks in my top 20 reads of all time. A remarkable find!Book Review: Author of RETURNABLE GIRL
Summary: 5 Stars
I love historical fiction. Geraldine Brooks is a master. Very compelling story line. Anyone who loved Little Women will find this a real treat.Book Review: Badly Written Characters
Summary: 1 Stars
I was shocked today to learn this work had won a Pulitzer Prize! I read the book last week and was appalled at how badly Geraldine Brooks had written the characters of this novel. The things that March thinks - especially about women - are invariably unbelievable coming from a male, and especially a male of the period. March is a character from a modern Romance novel, not a thinking man from New England of the 19th century. I'm nonplussed that others have described this book as a good historical novel. Read Emerson, Thoreau, Henry Adams, the letters of Robert Gould Shaw, etc. You won't find the drivel that flows through this character's brain. And then there's Brooks' characterization of the "noble" slave who inspires such vervor in the Yankee. This whole relationship is embarassing in the extreme. March turns out to be a white man who is hot for the exotic Nubian. Go figure. I'm convinced that the only reason this work won a prize is that the literati tend to be so enamored of books that play upon other books in the canon. It is not because this is a great, or even good, book.Book Review: Battle Scars
Summary: 5 Stars
If you enjoyed Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, take yourself to the next level by reading this book. Be prepared however, that unlike Little Women which paints a prettier picture of the Civil War era, this book is gutted with grave rawness and moral dilemna that reflects more accurately this period in history. Nevertheless, Brooks does justice to Little Women by creating a believeable adult version of the characters while still holding true to the storyline of Alcott's timeless novel. Although I would recommend reading Little Women first to get this whole effect, it really isn't necessary. While Little Women gives you the perspective of innocent girls protected to some extent from the vulgarities of war, in March the moral dilemnas and the tumultuousness of the Civil War era are blatant and haunting. Mr. March is what I like to call a reckless progressive. A vegetarian preacher, he puts his ideals and those he seeks to save before himself and his family. Although noble, it is foolhearty, and as we find out, reflective of guilt. Although the March girls are seemingly protected from this trauma, largely in part due to Mrs. March, we do see the effects of this recklessness in the battle scars of Mr. March and in the toll it take on the March marriage. More importantly, the book was a grave reminder of the tragedy of war. Although, the Civil War is often immortalized in the minds of Americans as a war for freedom from slavery, we often forget that this freedom came at a huge cost for everyone, slaves included. Like all wars, we tend to forget these costs and remember only the glory and the heroism of winning. In March, we are reminded of the skirmish, the haphazardness, and the physical toll it takes. Although the union was viewed as liberators, the majority of northerners shared the view that the war was only to preserve the union. Many were apalled to think otherwise. It was only a few, the Marches included, who were in it because they reacted to the atrocities and evils of slavery. As a result, we see that the freed slave were often worse off and that there was no real plan in place to transition them. I believe we are still paying the price for this today. I also couldn't help to think of how history repeats itself. Does a haphazard war, in the name of freedom, that is seemingly without a clear plan sound familiar?Book Review: Beautiful Novel of a Familiar Character
Summary: 5 Stars
I was prompted to read "March" by Geraldine Brooks when the novel recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and I'm sure glad I did! It's a remarkable novel, beautifully written, interesting, educational, emotional, thought-provoking, riveting and it has that wonderful and comforting touch of the familiar because just about every woman and girl (and even some males!) in America already knows the March family.
I won't re-hash the plot; suffice it to say that Brooks offers us a unique view of the Civil War and one that will stay with the reader long after the last chapter. I'd love to see this novel taught in schools along with "To Kill a Mockingbird", I hope some forward thinking teacher will try it.
In addition to this exceptional story, I recommend "The March" by E.L. Doctorow, which was short-listed for the Pulitzer and provides another riveting look at the Civil War with vivid and varied characters from both sides and from both races and ways of life. And just one last, quirky recommendation; for a work of juvenile fiction that touches on the transcendentalists of Concord, Mass., (Alcott, Emerson, Thoreau) I recommend with joy "The Swing in the Summerhouse" by Jane Langdon. It was my first glimpse into that world and it's a story that is loved by at least two generations now.