I have been nervous about reading March by Geraldine Brooks, even though I have enjoyed her previous novels, as I have such a strong attachment to Little Women and I feared Brooks’ vision wouldn’t agree with mine. I am happy to report that other than minor differences, Geraldine Brooks has delivered an excellent, moving story of how a man of conscience experienced the Civil War over the course of one year. The author draws on her own experience as a war correspondent to vividly describe both battle scenes and conditions in a realistic way. Through the eyes of Peter March, we are able to picture the small events and narrow views of one man’s war experiences. As a chaplain he is mostly dealing with the wounded , the sick and the dead. Being a man of such strong anti-slavery convictions and being totally against violence, he spends a lot of his time wrestling with the morality of war and his own guilt. Not be able to accept even the most casual racism that was prevalent even on the Yankee side, he soon found himself transferred from the regular army to a captured Plantation to deal with the education of ex-slaves. I was a little taken aback with Brooks view of Marmee, but as I read deeper into the book, her interpretation grew on me and seemed right. I haven’t read Little Women in years, but I now realize, that the Marmee depicted in that book is too good, too saintly to be real. This author saw beneath the veneer and gave the women flesh and blood. In the end I loved this story of a naïve dreamer going to war and having to face his own shortcomings, and learning the lesson of what is important in life. March by Geraldine Brooks deserves it’s Pulitzer Prize, and is a book I am proud to have share the shelf with the original Louisa May Alcott novels about this family.

Interesting. Wish I had re-read Little Women before reading this book.

Brooks' novel is an intriguing exploration of the inner turmoil that occurs within the idealistic and pacifistic March when faced with the realities of a war in which he believes to be for the larger good. A substantial fleshing out of the character who has a very small role in Little Women, Brooks based the character largely on Louisa May Alcott's own father, Bronson Alcott. an intriguing character study that recognizes the harshness of war regardless of its lofty goals. The novel also explores how difficult it is to truly understand any other individual, as is brought to light in the few chapters from Marmee's perspective. A beautifully detailed historical novel with luxuriously rich prose but also a novel of interest to anyone interested in exploring the beloved characters from Little Women from an alternate perspective.

What happened during the Civil War to the father of the Little Women. Historical Fiction at it's best.

Interesting melding of the fictional Mr. March and the historical Bronson Alcott. Marmee doesn't fare so well -- she comes off as a bit of a termagant, which is a change from her portrayal in "Little Women" but still somewhat one-sided. The action is lurid but plausible, given the realities of the American Civil War.

One of my absolutely favourite novels of all time. Mesmerizing, and beautifully written.

Point of view is that of the missing father from Alcott's "Little Women", although the character is framed more like the biological father of Louisa May Alcott. Main character makes his fortune then in mid life, in 1862, joins the Union Army where both his faith and world collapse. I love the way Geraldine Brooks does historical fiction, taking factual historical happenings plus great liberty of fiction. She is a wonderful writer.

Geraldine Brooks is one of my favorite authors. Read one of her books and you'll be hooked!

I found March by Geraldine Brooks a compelling civil war novel. Brooks’ characters have such voice and depth that they stay with the reader. Told through the eyes of Mr. March, the absent father from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, the story opens battle side complete with injury, phlegm and turkey vultures. The reader is immediately drawn into what will haunt March throughout; the struggle of how much of his war experience he can share with his wife and family. The experiences he has as a young peddler paint and colorful and hopeful picture of life that only seems to improve as he becomes an accepted figure in Concord’s prominent social circle of Emerson and Thoreau. Meeting Margaret “Marmee” before her “little women” is excellent. As their lives unfold beneath the struggles of the civil war, the ideals and principles they shared and valued are tested in the confines of their marriage. Even though this is categorized as Historical Fiction, I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction and family sagas

I marvel at Geraldine Brooks's creativity. Her writing is superb. I really liked this book.