Like many people, I had a brief phase where I was really into Little Women. So when an author finds a new approach to the story I get the obsession, the compulsion to revisit the plot and structure. The brilliance of the original story as that it captured a very specific set of women in a very specific time of social change. We saw the world around them shifting at the same time that they are going through personal change. It makes sense, then, to do the same with newly freed women during the Civil War. We occasionally get stories of Black folks during reconstruction, but this may be the first I've seen that captures the uncertainty of life for people during the war, the drive to establish themselves as citizens with rights and capable of running their own lives.The characters deal with every day concerns as well as large social issues. Since we know the general thrust of the plot, Morrow is able to give the characters plenty of room to develop and express themselves. A solid story and a good listen in audio form.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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