March, Geraldine Brooks

March by Geraldine Brooks

(Tansley Reads Rating: 58%)

 

Ice Breaker

How do you feel about authors reusing other authors’ characters in their own stories?  Has there ever been a book where you feel you would have liked to have known more about a character?

Questions

1. What were your first impressions upon reading this novel?

2. The causes of the American Civil War were multiple and overlapping.  What was your opinion of this war when you first came to the novel, and has it changed at all since reading March?  Did you learn anything you that you hadn’t known before?

3. Some believe March’s enlisting was the result of putting principles ahead of personal obligations.  Do you believe he did this or did he react to the emotion of the moment when enlisting?  How did his attitude to the war change over the course of the novel?

4. When Marmee is speaking of her husband's enlisting in the army, she makes a very eloquent statement: "A sacrifice such as his is called noble by the world. But the world will not help me put back together what war has broken apart" (p. 210).  Do her words have resonance in today's world?  How are the people who fight our wars today perceived?  Do you think we pay enough attention to the families of those in the military?  Have our opinions been influenced at all by the inclusion of women in the military?

5. How did what happened with Silas Stone (soldier who drowned) affect Mr. March’s character? (guilt – how it affects him later in the book, can’t get over it)

6. What were the Colonel’s reason(s) for reassigning Mr. March to the contraband?

7. Some portions of the book are told in letters.  How reliable are letters in portraying what is happening? (if not mentioned ask about Zannah and her note)

8. Near the end of the book, Brooks switches narrators.  What is your opinion of this change and what does it bring to the book?

9. We get different impressions of Marmee throughout the book, depending on which character is describing her.  What are some of her character’s traits that stood out for you?

10. March's relationships with both Marmee and Grace are pivotal in his life. What are the differences between these two relationships and how do they help to shape March’s character.

11. What affect did Grace’s whipping have on March and his beliefs?

12. When Grace’s parentage was revealed and also what really happened with her half-brother … did you see that coming?

13. Who is the most morally ambiguous character in this book?

14. Do you think historical fiction enhances or distorts our view of history?

15. The war raged on for several years after March's return home.  How do you imagine he spent those remaining years of the war and what do you think happens with his wife and family?

Is there anything about the book that wasn’t covered that you would like to discuss?

Fast round: What was your overall opinion of this book?