The American Civil War historical period has recently spawned many fascinating books, both fiction and non-fiction. Doris Kearn Goodwin's “Team of Rivals” and James L. Swanson's “Manhunt: The 12-Day Search for Lincoln's Killer” are two of the critically acclaimed and best-selling non-fiction books.
E.L. Doctorow's latest fictional historical novel is “The March,” the story of General Sherman's march through Georgia, South and North Carolina, as seen through the eyes of several different characters.
The book is similar in tone to Doctorow's most famous novel, “Ragtime,” which became a popular movie and Broadway show. Coalhouse Walker, from “Ragtime” even makes a brief appearance in “The March.”
“The March” won the National Book Critic Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a New York Times Bestseller. It is nominated for a Quills Award as well. It was also confused by some with the similarly themed novel “March,” the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Geraldine Brooks, which is the story of Mr. March's involvement in the Civil War. Readers may recognize the name March; he is the father of the fictional March sisters from Louisa May Alcott's “Little Women.” Both were published last year.
“The March” grabs the reader right from the start. We meet John Jameson and his family, wealthy Georgians racing to flee their plantation as Union General William Sherman and his troops are proceeding to burn their way through Georgia on the way to victory in the Civil War.
Left behind were Jameson's slaves, including Pearl, the beautiful daughter of John Jameson. What were the freed slaves to do? Where should they go? Many of them grouped together and followed the Union troops, much to the concern of General Sherman. He now not only had responsibility for the thousands of troops under his command, he had responsibility for hundreds of slaves. They had to be fed, medically cared for and transported, all while he had to fight a war.
Arly and Will were two men held in a Confederate prison. They spend much of their time changing sides; they pretend to be Union soldiers and join the Union troops when it works to their advantage; Confederate soldiers when that suits their purposes. Arly eventually takes the identity of a photographer following the Union troops to commemorate the war.
Colonel Wrede Sartorius is a surgeon pressed into Union service. He is a stereotypical surgeon; disciplined, efficient, more curious about the men under his medical care as cases rather than people. He comes across as unfeeling, even to Emily Thompson, a wealthy Confederate refugee who ends up working with Sartorius as a nurse. Their move towards a tentative relationship in the middle of war is touching and sad.
I was disappointed that the character of Emily seemed to just disappear in the middle of the book. She was an intriguing person, and important to the storyline. I wanted to find out what happened to her, and her disappearance left Pearl as the only female main character.
Pearl is taken under the wing of Lieutenant Clarke, a good man. Pearl, a young light-skinned black girl, was able to disguise herself as a Union drummer boy for a time. She was torn between living with the white Union soldiers and living with the freed slaves who were following the soldiers.
Doctorow does a wonderful job weaving the characters in and out of each other's lives. He brings a fresh perspective to the real people, such as General Sherman. He holds the reader's interest in all of the characters and examines how war drastically changes the lives of everyone it touches; from the soldiers fighting the battles to the displaced men and women of the South, to the newly freed slaves.
One of the facts of war is that, while it is horrible and repellent, many technological advances take place during wartime.
Doctorow reminds the reader of these advances. More efficient weapons are created, but so are better communication techniques. Photography came into popular use during the Civil War.
Many medical advances have occurred during times of war. War creates a chaotic situation for medical staff, and out of that chaos comes invention.
Doctors and nurses will do anything to save the lives of soldiers and civilians. Because they deal with a large volume of traumatic cases, they experiment on the spot. We see that even today in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
War is hell, and “The March” reveals how true that is. Doctorow is a masterful writer, and he shows us how war affects everyone it touches. We see his characters grow and change in the space of a short time under terrible conditions. His writing flows gracefully, and this is a book that you can't wait to finish. I give it four and half stars.
I had a recommendation from Rosemary Radley. She is reading “Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins. Written in 1859, it is described as a Victorian Gothic horror crossed with psychological realism. Rosemary is the second person to mention this book to me in the last few weeks. There must be something to that; I'll have to check it out.
Be sure to send me your recommendations. I'm happy to pass them on.
Auburn native Diane La Rue's lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have suggestions, e-mail her at laruediane2000@yahoo.com
The book is similar in tone to Doctorow's most famous novel, “Ragtime,” which became a popular movie and Broadway show. Coalhouse Walker, from “Ragtime” even makes a brief appearance in “The March.”
“The March” won the National Book Critic Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a New York Times Bestseller. It is nominated for a Quills Award as well. It was also confused by some with the similarly themed novel “March,” the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Geraldine Brooks, which is the story of Mr. March's involvement in the Civil War. Readers may recognize the name March; he is the father of the fictional March sisters from Louisa May Alcott's “Little Women.” Both were published last year.
“The March” grabs the reader right from the start. We meet John Jameson and his family, wealthy Georgians racing to flee their plantation as Union General William Sherman and his troops are proceeding to burn their way through Georgia on the way to victory in the Civil War.
Left behind were Jameson's slaves, including Pearl, the beautiful daughter of John Jameson. What were the freed slaves to do? Where should they go? Many of them grouped together and followed the Union troops, much to the concern of General Sherman. He now not only had responsibility for the thousands of troops under his command, he had responsibility for hundreds of slaves. They had to be fed, medically cared for and transported, all while he had to fight a war.
Arly and Will were two men held in a Confederate prison. They spend much of their time changing sides; they pretend to be Union soldiers and join the Union troops when it works to their advantage; Confederate soldiers when that suits their purposes. Arly eventually takes the identity of a photographer following the Union troops to commemorate the war.
Colonel Wrede Sartorius is a surgeon pressed into Union service. He is a stereotypical surgeon; disciplined, efficient, more curious about the men under his medical care as cases rather than people. He comes across as unfeeling, even to Emily Thompson, a wealthy Confederate refugee who ends up working with Sartorius as a nurse. Their move towards a tentative relationship in the middle of war is touching and sad.
I was disappointed that the character of Emily seemed to just disappear in the middle of the book. She was an intriguing person, and important to the storyline. I wanted to find out what happened to her, and her disappearance left Pearl as the only female main character.
Pearl is taken under the wing of Lieutenant Clarke, a good man. Pearl, a young light-skinned black girl, was able to disguise herself as a Union drummer boy for a time. She was torn between living with the white Union soldiers and living with the freed slaves who were following the soldiers.
Doctorow does a wonderful job weaving the characters in and out of each other's lives. He brings a fresh perspective to the real people, such as General Sherman. He holds the reader's interest in all of the characters and examines how war drastically changes the lives of everyone it touches; from the soldiers fighting the battles to the displaced men and women of the South, to the newly freed slaves.
One of the facts of war is that, while it is horrible and repellent, many technological advances take place during wartime.
Doctorow reminds the reader of these advances. More efficient weapons are created, but so are better communication techniques. Photography came into popular use during the Civil War.
Many medical advances have occurred during times of war. War creates a chaotic situation for medical staff, and out of that chaos comes invention.
Doctors and nurses will do anything to save the lives of soldiers and civilians. Because they deal with a large volume of traumatic cases, they experiment on the spot. We see that even today in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
War is hell, and “The March” reveals how true that is. Doctorow is a masterful writer, and he shows us how war affects everyone it touches. We see his characters grow and change in the space of a short time under terrible conditions. His writing flows gracefully, and this is a book that you can't wait to finish. I give it four and half stars.
I had a recommendation from Rosemary Radley. She is reading “Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins. Written in 1859, it is described as a Victorian Gothic horror crossed with psychological realism. Rosemary is the second person to mention this book to me in the last few weeks. There must be something to that; I'll have to check it out.
Be sure to send me your recommendations. I'm happy to pass them on.
Auburn native Diane La Rue's lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have suggestions, e-mail her at laruediane2000@yahoo.com
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