I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was very quickly absorbed into the story of these four March women and their experiences in the Roanoke Island Freedpeople's Colony starting in 1863. Morrow does an amazing job of incorporating the characters we know and love into "remixed" characters that are also wholly new and unique. The stylized prose echoes the style of the 19th century, and the historical details really pull you into their world. But if you are looking for a story that strongly parallels the original, this isn't it--though I still highly recommend checking it out! There are many changes to the story, the interactions between the characters, and most crucially, the situations they face, and this is exactly how it should be. And while the book does deal much more with the politics of the time than the original, the charm and heart and humor is never lost or buried under the characters' societal struggles.
Not only does Morrow not shy away from the implications of being freedpeople in the 1860's, but she deftly builds a story from that truth that both uncovers the ugliness of it but never feels simplistic or as if she is taking a side. The characters' feelings about their situation vary, as they must have for the people who lived in that colony, and their responses to their situation vary just as much. It's so real, so true, and very, very important. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but I also think that well-meaning white people like myself should prioritize it as a must-read. Just as in the original, the characters' voices tell us many truths of life, but these are truths so relevant to our world today that this book feels absolutely necessary.
Not only does Morrow not shy away from the implications of being freedpeople in the 1860's, but she deftly builds a story from that truth that both uncovers the ugliness of it but never feels simplistic or as if she is taking a side. The characters' feelings about their situation vary, as they must have for the people who lived in that colony, and their responses to their situation vary just as much. It's so real, so true, and very, very important. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but I also think that well-meaning white people like myself should prioritize it as a must-read. Just as in the original, the characters' voices tell us many truths of life, but these are truths so relevant to our world today that this book feels absolutely necessary.