Marmee: A Novel

From the author of Caroline, a revealing retelling of Louisa May Alcotts beloved Little Women, from the perspective of Margaret Marmee March, about the larger real-world challenges behind the cozy domestic concerns cherished by generations of readers.

Dazzling Marmee carries her own secrets and sharp edges in a story that will sweep you away and leave you wishing for more.   Patti Callahan Henry

In 1861, war is raging in the South, but in Concord, Massachusetts, Margaret March has her own battles to fight. With her husband serving as an army chaplain, the comfort and security of Margarets four daughters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amynow rest on her shoulders alone. Money is tight and every month, her husband sends less and less of his salary with no explanation. Worst of all, Margaret harbors the secret that these financial hardships are largely her fault, thanks to a disastrous mistake made over a decade ago which wiped out her familys fortune and snatched away her daughters chances for the education they deserve. 

Yet even with all that weighs upon her, Margaret longs to do morefor the war effort, for the poor, for the cause of abolition, and most of all, for her daughters. Living by her watchwords, Hope and keep busy, she fills her days with humdrum charity work to keep her worries at bay. All of that is interrupted when Margaret receives a telegram from the War Department, summoning her to her husbands bedside in Washington, D.C. While she is away, her daughter Beth falls dangerously ill, forcing Margaret to confront the possibility that the price of her own generosity toward others may be her daughters life.

A stunning portrait of the paragon of virtue known as Marmee, a wife left behind, a mother pushed to the brink, a woman with secrets.