I just added another item to the bookshelf. Part of the big "purge" is to read the the borrowed books and return them to their rightful owners. E.L. Doctorow's The March, is one of those. I normally am not drawn to Civil War titles, but this one was very unique. Doctorow's style is very different.
The story of Sherman's march north is told through the eyes of its victims on both sides. Little vignettes are developed. There is the relationship between Confederate belle, Emily Thompson and the German born Union surgeon, Wrede Satorious. Young Pearl and her "stepma'm/owner" Mattie. Will and Arly who jump from side to side trying to make it out alive. The devastation of this war always saddens me. And the sheer scope of this presentation did little to make the reader feel any hope. We all know how it ends, but Doctorow does a stellar job of making you feel the immense hopelessness of those caught in this point in time.
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