Historical Fiction Annotation:
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Title: March
Genre: Historical fiction
Publication date: 2005
Number of pages: 280
Geographical setting: Southern United States and Massachusetts
Time period: During the civil war 1860s with flashback to earlier times (1840s or so)
Plot summary: This book is sort of an alternative take on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It follows the father of the March family when he went to help with the war effort by serving as chaplain to the troops. The book opens on the Battle of Ball's Bluff and from there it follows Mr. March around the southern U.S. After the battle, March is assigned to a plantation owned by Ethan Canning who is harvesting cotton with newly freed slaves who work for wages. March is there to help Canning but ends up helping in other ways by teaching the freed people their "letters" and other subjects like geography which they were previously forbidden to learn for fear they might memorize maps or escape routes. There are many letters from March home to his family interspersed with the narrative of the story which helps to connect the book to its inspiration, Little Women. Part of the book is also told via flashbacks to when March was a young peddler from Connecticut travelling through the South and when he met his wife (an abolitionist) in the North. Mr. March faces the horrors of war all throughout the book: slavery, crop burning by rebels, kidnapping, and disease.
Subject headings: Historical fiction, Civil War, Slavery, Religion, Underground railroad
Appeal: This book is very historically accurate which makes it heart wrenching. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy its accuracy, but also the quality of the story. Fans of Little Women will enjoy this alternative take on the classic novel.
Three terms that describe this book: Lyrical, truthful, hopeful.
Three relevant fiction works and authors:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: Without this book, March wouldn't have been written. This work is considered a classic and is the other side of the March book. It is not necessary to have read Little Women before March (I didn't) but after reading March, readers might want to explore the book that started it all.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Another work of historical fiction, this classic also takes place during the civil war. Fans of March will enjoy the southern plantations featured in both works. This book has more focus on romance than March does, but is also an epic tale much like March.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier: This book parallels March in that the protagonist also recovers in a civil war hospital, waiting to be reunited with his love. Mr. March spent a great deal of time in a makeshift civil war hospital which was a gruesome part of the book. Fans who are interested in the accurate descriptions of hospitals in civil war time will also enjoy Cold Mountain.
Three relevant nonfiction works and authors:
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs: Written in 1861 by a fugitive slave, this work was aimed at white women who were failing to grasp the severity of slavery. March features many slave and freed slave character with vivid depictions of what life was like for them. This true account will help to cement in the reader's mind the horrors of slavery and the hope that abolition held.
Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott: Alcott spent six weeks as a volunteer nurse during the civil war and this book is based on her letters sent home during that time. This book is a nice tie in with March in that it is also by Alcott like Little Women, and it accurately depicts day to day activity in a civil war hospital setting which readers can compare to March for accuracy.
Matthew Brady's Illustrated History of the Civil War by Benson Lossing: Matthew Brady is the most famous civil war photographer. He captured photographs of soldiers alive and dead. This work is a great visual companion to March. Readers will be able to see actual soldiers and politicians who were involved in the war, making it easier to picture the events in March.
What a timely recommendation, Arianna! I wonder if this title will have increased book sales because of the recent success of the Little Women movie? I read this quite a while ago and my memory tends to be foggy on books, so it was nice to read your annotation for a refresher. Nice selection of read-alikes! Cold Mountain and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl are two worthy reads, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book! It is always intriguing to me when books are companions/inspired by other great novels. It brings more balance to understanding the whole story of the original book. However, with books like these, it is important to read the original first to really understand what is happening. Is this the case with March? Does a reader have to have read or seen Little Women to fully understand it?
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read Little Women and I really liked March. It did make me want to read Little Women a little more than before however.
DeleteI loved Little Women and also like reading books that are a series. It brings closure to the story or elaborates on the characters from the original story. I always wondered more about the father when reading Little Women in that he was always part of the story but not physically there until the end. This is a nice way to bring us his story. This will definitely go on my to read list. Great read a-likes. I've read Gone with the Wind and it's sequel Scarlet. Thanks for the annotation.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this book even existed but you definitely piqued my interest! Fantastic summary and readalikes. Full points!
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