Review-MARCH, by Geraldine Brooks

MARCH
Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Books
0143036661
January 31, 2006
304 pages, Paperback








I was introduced to Geraldine Brooks’ enchanting writing ability in her recent book CALEB'S CROSSING. (See Review). I have kept MARCH on my nightstand for several years with the intent to read it. My interest in the Civil War and Louisa May Alcott’s novel LITTLE WOMEN was what originally drew me to this book. My expectations as I began to read MARCH were high and as soon as I read the first few pages I knew this was another extraordinary novel by this author.

Alcott’s widely cherished classic, LITTLE WOMEN lends Geraldine Brooks the character of Mr. March, father and husband who was an absent father in Alcott’s story. Brooks styles an imaginative interpretation of his life as a young boy and later when he is marries  Marmee and they have a family of four girls.  Readers will recognize the scenes of Alcott’s story that are threaded in the plot as well as major historical events like Harpers’ Ferry and the clandestine efforts of the Underground Railroad. Brooks’ research and examination of diaries and other primary sources, provided a palette of the past that emerges in the scenes depicting chilling episodes surrounding the brutality of slave life, the primitive medical care and unsanitary conditions on and off the battlefield and how the Civil War altered all families lives forever.  

When the Civil War breaks out, Mr. March is a wealthy established citizen of New England who shares an idealistic passion and abolitionist views with his wife. As the frenzy of the crowds roar, he becomes energized with youthful enthusiasm. He believes he will make a difference and he impulsively signs up to serve as a chaplain. Marmee is surprised and concerned about his decision, but decides to hide her reluctance.  

The story begins in Virginia in October 1861 during the battle of Bull’s Bluff in Virginia.   It is written from March’s point of view as her writes home.  The reader is allowed to intimately insinuate into his thoughts and read his letters home to his wife.  He hides the the truth to shield his family from the war’s bloody grasp. Yet, the reader is privy to everything he experiences and believes. The images that unfold are raw, unedited and powerful. This book soars with sensitivity and resonating prose that lingers page after page. It is a beautifully written novel with multiple themes to reflect on. The language will lure you back again and again. Geraldine Brooks, is an originally inventive storyteller. It is easy to understand why MARCH received the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. 
Highly recommended. 


Geraldine Brooks Website
Interview about MARCH from Geraldine Brooks Website
Disclosure: I purchased the copy of this book.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Review-The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
Kelly O'Connor McNees
Amy Einhorn Books
G.P.Putnam's Sons-Penguin Group, USA
0399156526
352 pages
$24.95/$31.00(CAN)








I don't know why it took so long to review this book. I loved it. I read about Louisa May Alcott when I was a teenager and her story was one of wonder then. Kelly O'Connor McNees, shares my passion for the writer and admits that after reading Martha Saxton's Louisa May Alcott: A Modern Biography she became even more obsessed. I can't remember the biography that I read as a child. It was one of those biography series for young adults. I know my mom used to treat me to new books often and Alcott was among them.

I have read Little Women twice and have seen two versions of the movie. So, I was worried about reading a fictional story about the author. I quickly realized that my worries were for naught as The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott was a treasure. If anything it just enhanced my desire to revisit her biography as I noted the Saxton version on my wishlist.

McNees invents a story of the years when Louisa May Alcott lived in Walpole, New Hampshire during 1855. When she discovered that there were gaps in the historical information available during the summer of that year, her story began to materialize.
McNees shapes a character of Louisa May Alcott that feels genuine and at times you need to remind yourself that it is a historical fiction version. The life Alcott chooses to lead and the decisions she makes are believable because her personality is not compromised in this fictional story. Biographies depict her strength and views on women's roles and marriage which are played out in McNees' novel. Through the author's research she inserts familiar historical events to create a realistic setting for her story. The Fugitive Slave Act and the Anthony Burns trial, Women's Rights, Walt Whitman's publication of The Leaves of Grass, Nathanial Hawthorne's presence as a neighbor, all enhance the plausibility of the story. While her mother shows her support for Louisa's dreams, her father is disappointed. Louisa is driven to make money to survive as a single woman, making her own way.

If you love Little Women, and have a curiosity about Louisa May Alcott, please read a biography of her life. Once you have done that, treat yourself to Kelly O’Connor NcNees’ historical fiction story that honors her memory with warmth and imagination.

Disclosure: Sent to me by the publisher.



© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].

Teaser Tuesdays, March 30, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read. Open to a random page.
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Page 169... "I understand you had your fun with me while you could. I understand that you aren't who I thought you were, and now you want me to tell you it's all right."