March by Geraldine Brooks

One of my most favorite books is Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. I've read this book probably close to ten times, and I also really love the movie version with Susan Sarandon, Wynona Ryder and Christian Bale. When I first saw the Pulitzer prize-winning book March by Geraldine Brooks in the bookstore, I knew I had to read it! The central character in March is none other than the father of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

Mr. March (or just "March," as he is called throughout the book) is a man of many principles. He does not eat meat, he does not believe in the institution of slavery, and he does not believe it is ever right to kill another man for any reason. From the time he was 18, and first witnessed the whipping of a young slave woman, March was in strong opposition to slavery. Not only did he preach out against it himself, but he encouraged those with influence to speak and act against slavery. After he married Marmee (Margaret Day), the two of them opened their home as a safe place in the underground railroad. However, when the war begins, March feels compelled to join the army, even though he is against the act of war. He serves as a chaplain to the soldiers of the northern army. What March does not realize when he leaves his home, wife and daughters is that not only will he witness the terrible atrocities of war, but he will be forced to make decisions that go completely against what he believes.

March is obviously written by a different author and for a different purpose than Little Women. From reading Little Women, I imagined Mr. March to be a quietly strong man who is kind and good--much like the male version of Alcott's Marmee. While he does exhibit these characteristics to some extent, Brooks' Mr. March is very flawed. He acts very cowardly and selfishly on several occasions and makes poor decisions that cause harm to those around him. However, if he were perfect, his character would be unbelievable, and in some of the wartime situations he faces, there is no good outcome possible.

Brooks cleverly weaves bits of the stories from Little Women throughout the novel. She also tells of how March and Marmee meet and fall in love. I really like the Marmee of Brooks' imagination. While March narrates the majority of the book, Marmee narrates the last section. She is spirited, intelligent, and passionate about what she believes is right. The younger version of Marmee is a bit too passionate at times, and her temper gets the better of her more than once.

In the afterward, Brooks says that she based Mr. March on Louisa May Alcott's father, Bronson Alcott, who was a bit of a radical in his time. I cannot quite make up my mind about Mr. March--I think I am just having a difficult time reconciling the father that I imagine from Little Women, with the man of Brooks' story. Overall, I really enjoyed March. However, if you are looking for prequel to Little Women or more of the same story, I would caution you that the two novels are quite different.

Date completed: September 20, 2008

# of pages: 280

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

For this review, I thought I would use a different format. I am borrowing this from Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf.

Title and author of book? The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? historical fiction

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending! The year is 1553. Hannah Verde is a 14 year old Jewish girl who has recently escaped the Spanish Inquisition with her father after her mother was burned at the stake for heresy. She dresses as a boy and helps her father run his printing press, while both she and her father have learned the ways of the English Protestants to keep a low profile. However, one day, two men make a visit to their bookshop, and Hannah's life takes a huge turn. The men discover that she has the "Sight" and can see the future, and she is asked to become young King Edward's Holy Fool.

Hannah learns quickly that she must pay close attention to all that is going on around her, but not draw too much attention to herself. She soon finds herself enmeshed in the intrigue of who will be the next monarch of England. After King Edward's death, and the short reign of Jane Grey, there is a bitter struggle for the throne between Mary and Elizabeth--half sisters and daughters of Henry VIII. During the constant plotting for the throne, the English citizens don't know if they should be Catholic or Protestant, and they don't know if they can trust their neighbors and own family members not to spy on them. The struggle goes on for several years, and though Hannah loves Mary, she is entranced by Elizabeth's beauty, energy and tenacity. Hannah finds herself spying for one side or the other time and time again, and she knows her life is constantly at risk.

Besides the fear of being arrested for treason and the constant terror that her Jewish heritage will be discovered, Hannah has another worry. She is betrothed to Daniel, a young man she hardly knows. She doesn't want to give up her independence to be a housewife and to live a life she considerous pure drugery, but she feels safest when she is with Daniel. Should she leave the court and be safely married--to live a life of cooking, cleaning and babies, or should she stay and be of help to the Queen in her time of need, OR should she spend time with Elizabeth, learning what she can from the rising princess?

What did you like most about the book? I read the majority of the book in a weekend--it was difficult to put down! There was not a dull moment in 500 pages!

What did you like least? This is no fault of the author's, but I didn't know enough about the history. I had to stop several times to get on the internet and look up the Tudor family tree, as well as tidbits of information about the people who were mentioned in the book.

Which of your readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why? Anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially Tudor history--it is easy get caught up in the time period and the constant plotting for the throne. I know there are many fictional elements in the book, but the amazing part to me is that so much of the story actually happened! If you enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl, I think you will like The Queen's Fool even more.

What did you think of the main character?: I found Hannah to be my biggest complaint of the book. She was forced to spy for all sides, but I hoped she would show more strength of character and simply pick one side and stick with it instead of being so wishy-washy.

Any other particularly interesting characters? I don't know how accurate the description was of Queen Mary in this book, but she was not portrayed like I remember from my history classes--as "Bloody Mary." At the least, reading the book and seeing how difficult her entire life was leading up to her reign sheds a bit of light on who she was.

What did you think of the ending? I am happy with the way this particular story ended, although I NEED to read more about what happened next in the real story.

Date completed: June 15, 2008

# of pages: 500

4/5 stars

Read Annie's great review, and if you've read and reviewed this book, please let me know, and I'll include your link.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The narrator of this unforgettable story is Death. Though he should not focus on the lives of humans he passes by while performing his never-ending work, he cannot help but pay attention to Liesel Meminger. She is a young girl living in Germany during World War II. As the story opens, she is being taken by her mother to live with foster parents. Though her new parents are complete strangers to her initially, she soon comes to love them. Hans, her foster father, helps her learn to read, and Liesel discovers deep love for words and books. Since there is a war raging, there is very little money for food, much less to buy books, so Liesel finds a way to aquire the new reading material she desires--she steals it! Sometimes her good friend Rudy is the lookout during these book raids. There are many very serious dangers that Liesel faces other than getting caught stealing. Besides the fact that there is a young Jewish man hidden in her basement, there are bombings that destroy entire city blocks. Will Death have to take the soul of this young girl whom he has taken an interest in?

First of all, let me say that the entire tone of this book caught me completely off guard. Going into it, I knew that Death was the narrator and the story was told during World War II. I was totally expecting it to be dark and depressing from start to finish. However, Death is NOTHING like I expected! On the first page, he says:

I am in all truthfullness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic,

though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no

matter my protestations.I most definitely can be cheerful.

I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's.

He is so incredibly observant and uses such vivid imagery in his colorful descriptions. (I have found myself thinking of what color I would use to describe certain people and situations the last few days.) I could write for a long time about what an interesting narrator Death is and how amazing Markus Zuzak's figurative language is, but the writing can speak much better for itself, so I am just going to write a few passages that stood out:

As the book quivered in her lap, the secret sat in her mouth. It

made itself comfortable. It crossed its legs (246).

There is air like plastic, a horizon like setting glue. There are skies manufactured

by people, punctured and leaking, and there are soft, coal-colored clouds, beating

like black hearts (309).

...I am always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their

beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both (491).

A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR

I am haunted by humans (550).

I love reading about people who risked their own lives to help others (even if they are ficional). It is so easy to like Liesel, her kind-hearted parents and her best friend Rudy. However, the entire time I was reading, worry kept creeping into the back of my mind, because why would Death be narrating if everything ended all happy and warm fuzzy? I'm not going to give away anything, but I highly recommend this book. Be prepared to re-read some passages because of the beautiful writing, and know ahead of time that you WILL find yourself emotionally involved.

# of pages: 550

Date completed: April 28, 2008

5/5 stars

The Widow of the South--Robert Hicks

Carrie McGavock was a sad woman mourning the loss of 3 of her children. Everyone, including her husband, thought she had lost her mind, as she would sit in her dead children's rooms all day every day-mending their clothes and drifting in her memories. However, what happened on November 30, 1864, shook her out of her melencholy and self-pity for the rest of her life.

Very close to the end of the war, the "bloodiest 5 hours of the Civil War" were fought in a battle close to the town of Franklin, Tennessee. The McGavock house was used for a hospital for many wounded and dying soldiers. Carrie and her servant/friend Mariah spent weeks caring for the soldiers-nursing some back to health, and easing many others to their deaths. There was one soldier in particular who seemed different from the rest. Carrie struck up a close friendship with him that soon evolved into love.

Though the war ended several months after this battle, Carrie's entire outlook on love, life, and death were changed forever. Instead of trying to forget the horrendous things she witnessed and the many men who died in her own house and backyard, she became the keeper of the cemetary where they were buried. She wrote letters to the families of the soldiers who died; she welcomed families who came to visit the graves. Some called her an angel, but she just felt that she was doing what she should.

Robert Hicks did a great job researching the story of Carrie McGavock. I especially enjoyed reading the Author's Note at the end that included the facts of the novel--along with pictures! I did not realize how much of the story was true until I finished it. If I am ever in Tennessee, I would try to find the time to visit the plantation and cemetary.
Though the novel was well written, it was not a book that I had a hard time putting down. The characters all seemed distant, and it was hard to "get into" what was happening. All in all, I feel good about reading it because I learned a few things I did not know about the Civil War!

Rating: 3.5/5
# pages:418
Date completed: April 21, 2008