SRP

Book 7 March, by Geraldine Brooks, (audiobook)--In this novel Ms. Brooks attempts to recreate Louis May Alcott's famous family, the Marches, from Little Women, and to tell the story of the family's absent father. Mr. March, was away from the family during most of the famous novel, down in the south supporting the Union troops during the Civil War. It has been many years since I read Little Women, and I will admit that many of the details I don't remember. For instance, in my memory, Beth dies from scarlet fever while her father is gone, but I could be wrong about that. I also don't remember specifically what Mr. March was supposed to be doing with the Union Army. This telling of Mr. March's story did not ring true to me. I can't pin point exactly what in the narration felt wrong, but something did. The first problem I had was that Mr. March was a vegetarian. That seemed like something that Louisa May Alcott would have mentioned had she intended the absent father to be one. I am sure that vegetarianism was rare enough in the 1860's that the children would have noticed a difference in their family's diet and would have commented on their lack of meat and animal products in their diet, or would have commented on the fact that with their father away they were at liberty to eat meat. In the author's defense, she based the Mr. March character on Louisa May Alcott's father, who was, according to the afterword, a vegetarian.This was my most obvious point of dissatisfaction, but there were other issues, I just can't put my finger to them. The other issue I had was that Beth was alive when her father came home, she had recovered from scarlet fever. Am I forgetting something? Overall, I was left dissatisfied.

This novel does make me want to re-read Little Women though.

Knitting news, I have finished the short row shaping for the right side of the tank/top that I am making. Sorry for the poor picture quality, I forgot the camera card for my camera so I used my cell phone.