The March

A Novel

By: E.L. Doctorow

Narrated by: Joe Morton

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1864, after Union general William Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta, he marched his sixty thousand troops east through Georgia to the sea, and then up into the Carolinas. The army fought off Confederate forces and lived off the land, pillaging the Southern plantations, taking cattle and crops for their own, demolishing cities, and accumulating a borne-along population of freed blacks and white refugees until all that remained was the dangerous transient life of the uprooted, the dispossessed, and the triumphant. Only a master novelist could so powerfully and compassionately render the lives of those who marched.

The author of Ragtime, City of God, and The Book of Daniel has given us a magisterial work with an enormous cast of unforgettable characters–white and black, men, women, and children, unionists and rebels, generals and privates, freed slaves and slave owners. At the center is General Sherman himself; a beautiful freed slave girl named Pearl; a Union regimental surgeon, Colonel Sartorius; Emily Thompson, the dispossessed daughter of a Southern judge; and Arly and Will, two misfit soldiers.

Almost hypnotic in its narrative drive, The March stunningly renders the countless lives swept up in the violence of a country at war with itself. The great march in E. L. Doctorow’s hands becomes something more–a floating world, a nomadic consciousness, and an unforgettable reading experience with awesome relevance to our own times.

Enjoy The March? Listen to an interview with E.L. Doctorow on The Bob Edwards Show.

©2005 E.L. Doctorow (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

PEN/Faulkner Award Winner, Fiction, 2005

National Book Award Finalist, Fiction, 2005

2005 Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, Fiction

National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, Fiction, 2005

"In this powerful novel, Doctorow gets deep inside the pillage, cruelty and destruction, as well as the care and burgeoning love that sprung up in their wake....On reaching the novel's last pages, the reader feels wonder that this nation was ever able to heal after so brutal, and personal, a conflict." (Publishers Weekly)

wonderful

Joe Morton made all the difference in the world in enjoying this book. He made all the characters come alive. His delivery is making me listen to it again

Workmanlike novel

A competent novel that gave me insight into the myriad perspectives of people caught up in Sherman's March to the Sea. I was never truly drawn in, nor moved. I'm glad I read it, and am not tempted to read it again.

Takes a few chapters to get good

Good story. Starts off a little slow. Have to keep up with all the changing characters.

Enthralling!

What an amazing review of Civil War history, hearing voices from both sides of the war. I love when an author can develop separate character stories that all diverge together. A great listen!

Putting flesh on history

I loved this book. The story was absorbing and educating, giving us glimpses into the lives of people from all walks of life during a very traumatic period of history. From the great William Tecumseh Sherman to Will, a deserter from the Confederate army just trying to get home. The quandary of the newly freed slaves and the plantation owners who were left with nothing. The stories intertwined in surprising ways, ultimately ending in victory for the North and the death of Lincoln. Joe Morton was remarkable with the various voices of the characters, putting us in the middle of the story. A great ride!

Brilliant

A work for the ages. Doctorow is a master, one of our greats. Joe Morton’s reading is unparalleled. A detailed, intimate portrait of US History.

The Best

This is the best book I have heard or "read" since joining Audible. I think that the writing and the reading were excellent. For civil war history buffs, this is a must. I have tried others by this author and not been able to finish. I thought that the discussion of the many factors of the march and the war were very well done. I will look for other books by Doctorow now.

Doctorow at his Best!

Finished this book in 2 days. Doctorow's masterfully intertwines the stories of the people affected by the most Uncivil of wars. This is Doctorow at his absolute best!

Must listen for Civil War Buffs

I scoff up every historical novel about the civil war I can get my hands on, but this is the absolute creme of the crop. It's about the civil war, but its more about the people who fought it, from the drummer boy up to the generals. Don't miss this one. It is a wonderful experience.

Merely a B

I agree with another reviewer that although the book is pretty good entertainment as a listen, I could never have gotten through it as a read. I found the historical aspects interesting, but the characters and plot line were not compelling. It reminded me a little of a made-for-TV miniseries.