MARMEE by Sarah Miller is a re-telling of Louisa May Alcott’s LITTLE WOMEN from the point of view of MARMEE, the much-admired and much-sainted mother of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.
I am one of those readers who was completely captivated by this book to the extent that I would have given it more than 5 stars if I could.
How I loved Marmee’s voice. The poor woman is so compassionate towards everyone, and her cross to bear is that she is married to a man who is just as compassionate as she. But instead of raiding the pantry as Marmee does, he raids his salary to help others, meaning that he sends his wife less and less each month. How is a single woman with her husband away at the front going to be able to feed and clothe six people? When her husband only sends 39 dollars (instead of his actual salary of $150), because he “knows” that she “will not mind” that he spent the remainder of his salary on boots, blankets and cloaks for his men.
Thankfully, Jo, Beth and Hannah (Marmee’s beloved maid-of-all-work who has been with her forever and knows all her secrets) don’t care how they look. But what is she going to do about Meg, who is expecting a silk parasol for her birthday? Or Amy, who requires finery AND art supplies?
Fortunately Marmee is extremely resourceful, but she could not have pulled off such a miracle without the kindness of her wealthy next-door neighbor, Mr. Laurenace.
And so we are off into the world of Little Women. We learn about Marlee’s dreams of a union between Laurie and Jo. Of her delight at Meg’s wedding to John Brooks. Of her equal delight when Amy is invited abroad on a European tour (and how she soothes Jo’s ruffled feathers before Amy appears.). We learn that Meg irritates her with her love of finery. That Amy irritates her with her snobbery. That she sees Beth ask an angel. And that plain-spoken Jo is the daughter she feels greatest kinship with.
It is fascinating to see the “backstory” of Little Women being so well laid out. We learn that Marmee has an even worse temper than Jo. And that she brought her family to ruin by a few ill-chosen words.
Marmee bears a constant load of pain, grief and regret, and yet she is a magnificent woman. If you loved the original novel by Louisa May Alcott, you will love this. Five stars.
