An imagining of Father's life away from Marmee and the little women. I found the war parts both moving and authentic. For some reason was less interested in his letters home. Not sure why. A good read however. ( )

Asked on the book, Little Women, Brooks has animated the absent father, March, and told his story of those turbulent ti es. Idealistic, he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. ( )

Worthy of a Pulitzer Prize, well researched, well written and an good read. 4.4 ( )

I confess I went into this book grudgingly; I have zero interest in the Civil War. Battle narratives just aren't my thing. And yet, March gripped me. Mr. March of the Little Women family is off to serve as a chaplain in the Union army.

The book is told from both the POV of Mr. March and Marmee, aka Mrs. March. The writing is breathtaking. Brooks handles description evocatively yet with a subtle touch. "I had been there, on a spring morning, when the fog stood so thick on the river that it looked as though the bowl of the sky had spilled all its milky clouds into the valley."

Many parts of this book were quite difficult to read, as can be expected in a battle story. But this goes beyond that, watching the suffering of the enslaved and vulnerable. But those portions are an important part of the narrative. This novel is a great reminder that I can't immediately dismiss books because of the subject matter. It's clear why this novel won a Pulitzer! ( )

Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" is a hard act to follow, but Geraldine Brooks seems to do it seamlessly. She bases her Mr. March character on Louisa's father, since Louisa had based her characters on her own family, but Mr. March was away for the war effort, if you'll recall. So this seeks to fill HIS story. Well done. ( )