Geraldine Brooks - March

Pros: Lyrical prose; brilliant and audacious re-imagining of characters; historical details

Cons: Some war scenes graphic and disturbing; the re-shaping of Marmee's character

The Bottom Line: A beautiful, haunting novel that imagines a crucial year in the life of a beloved but shadowy character in American fiction.

Review: At the mid-way point of Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women, there's a touching scene where the girls -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy -- welcome home their weary father from the war. They gather around him on Christmas Day, so delighted to have him ...

Pros: 'The rest of the story...' told through the eyes of the father from Little Women

Cons: Graphic in descriptions and language. Some may object to the co-opting of literary characters.

The Bottom Line: A realistic and sometimes harrowing look at the Civil War through the eyes of Alcott's absentee father.

Review: For over 50 years, the daughters of Marmee and Mr. March have been a centerpiece of children's literature. Often first introduced to girls in their pre- or early-teen years, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy present a picture of poverty in wartime which is mitigated ...

Pros: References & expands on beloved characters from "Little Women" and L.M. Alcott's real-life family.

Cons: None. Characters are shown for who they are, flaws and all. Very realistic.

The Bottom Line: A Pulitzer Prize winner, this book will keep you involved from cover to cover. Plenty of human interest here. Characters you grew up with.

Review: Many of us recall reading Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" as children. Louisa cast herself as Jo March, and her family made up other characters in the delightful story of a woman and her 4 daughters left at home while their father was off to war ...