#91 - March

Book No: 91
Title: March
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2005
Obtained: 2008/Paperbackswap
Completed: 12/29/08
No. of Pages: 280
Rating: 3/5*****

Most of us are familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s classic tale of Little Women. In that story the Little Women and their mother speak of their absent father, who only makes an appearance late in the book, when he returns from his ministry of troops fighting in the Civil War. Using this as a jumping off point Brooks writes the story of Mr. March and his story during that year he served the troops in Virginia.

I’m a big fan of Geraldine Brooks, I loved both Year of Wonders and People of the Book. I was therefore a little surprised that I did not love this Pulitzer Prize winning book. The story is not badly written, Brooks is an exceptional writer. The problem was the character of March, who appears to be generally naïve and a bit inept. I found the story of his courtship of Marmee unbelievable and the depiction of my beloved Marmee as a bit of a shrew hard to reconcile. The only time the story really came to life for me was when March is hospitalized (this is the illness mentioned in the original book) and Marmee comes to his bedside and the voice of the story changes to hers. Although not the Marmee I had always pictured, she still had more life and passion than March has throughout this book. In fact the only time I really felt anything for March was in the last chapter of the book when he is again reunited with his family. Although not the ending I hoped for it was the only time I felt any sympathy for his character.

I struggled to finish this book, it is a short 280 pages yet it took over a month for me to finish it, as I had no urge to pick it up between readings. A disappointment, but I will read more of Ms. Brooks books, since People of the Book was written after this and I loved it.