Books › March
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2006
March
First published 2005 · 464 pages
A haunting, beautifully written exploration of the moral compromises of war and the heavy cost of idealism.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like unearthing a cache of long-lost letters, each page steeped in the heavy, melancholic atmosphere of a nation and a man at war with themselves. The pace is steady and reflective, allowing the lush, period-authentic prose to fully immerse you in the psychological toll of conflict. It is a deeply earnest and somber experience, exploring the painful chasm between lofty ideals and the brutal realities of survival. The mood is haunting yet intimate, capturing the ache of absence and the quiet fractures within a marriage tested by distance and trauma. It will deeply satisfy readers who love historical fiction that interrogates beloved classics, offering a poignant, beautifully crafted journey through the shadows of American history.
- Mood
- melancholic
- atmospheric
- haunting
- poignant
- Tone
- earnest
- reflective
- somber
- intimate
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- moral compromises of war · gap between ideals and reality · weight of absence · complexities of marriage · loss of innocence
- The writing
- Lush, period-authentic, and meticulously crafted, echoing the cadence of nineteenth-century letters.
- The arc
- Moves from idealistic fervor to profound disillusionment, culminating in a fragile, scarred reconciliation with reality.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate deeply researched historical fiction that interrogates classic literature and explores the psychological toll of war.
Content notes
- war violence
- slavery
- racism
- trauma
- illness
About the book
An extraordinary novel woven out of the lore of American history—by the author of the Year of WondersFrom Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March, and crafted a story "filled with the ache of love and marriage and with the power of war upon the mind and heart of one unforgettable man" (Sue Monk Kidd). With"pitch-perfect writing" (USA Today), Brooks follows March as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. A lushly written, wholly original tale steeped in the details of another time, March secures Geraldine Brooks’s place as a renowned author of historical fiction.
Description from Open Library.
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Year of WondersGeraldine BrooksA haunting, beautifully rendered portrait of a community pushed to the brink and a woman forging her own salvation in the crucible of a plague.
Little WomenLouisa May AlcottA warm, fireside embrace of a story that celebrates the messy, beautiful, and bittersweet journey of growing up alongside those who know you best.
The Great AloneKristin HannahA sweeping, emotionally grueling portrait of a family unraveling in the beautiful but deadly isolation of the Alaskan wilderness.
The invention of wingsSue Monk KiddA sweeping, deeply interior historical journey that traces the intertwined destinies of two women fighting for freedom against the suffocating constraints of the 19th-century South.
Cold MountainCharles Frazier, NarratorA sweeping, elegiac odyssey through a scarred landscape, driven by the quiet endurance of the human spirit.
American WarOmar El AkkadA harrowing, dread-soaked descent into the anatomy of radicalization, set against the backdrop of a fractured, climate-ravaged America.