The little women of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel were mostly without their father who was away at the Civil War. In March author Geraldine Brooks imagines the adventures of the absent father who joined the Northern Army as a chaplain. Before leaving, he had cast his family into poverty by giving his wealth away in support of abolitionist John Brown. So the March family in Concord, MA struggled to keep body and soul together while Dad went off to fight for the Union and the abolitionist cause.
March is wonderfully imagined and drawn. Brooks is subtle and nuanced in her portrayal of March as an idealist who worries about his courage, his worth, and what role he should be playing in life. A strong underlying theme in the story is the lack of communication between Mr. and Mrs. March. In our book club we talked about how the experiences each had endured during their prolonged separation would impact the marriage. It was clear that March would be returning home a profoundly different man.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment