The March: A Novel

Description

March is set towards the end of the American Civil War and follows General Sherman's epic march with sixty thousand Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas, one of the major manoeuvres to bring the war to its conclusion. THE MARCH ranges widely over a diverse set of characters - each of whom is brilliantly realised - so that we see the war through the eyes of both white-skinned Pearl (daughter of slave and slave owner) and General Sherman; a deserting confederate who sets himself up as a photographer; a ruthless army surgeon who enjoys his reputation as an amputator; and the two brothers of a brutal slave owner who find themselves in uniforms facing Sherman's forces. Doctorow's narrative brilliantly blends the intimate and the epic, sweeping the reader along the route of Sherman's notorious march and making us care deeply about each individual's fate.

E L Doctorow's work is published in thirty languages. Among his honours are the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award (twice), the PEN/Faulkner Award and the presidentially conferred National Humanities Medal. He lives and works in

* 'An entirely convincing recreation of a violent, frantic time, in which his cinematic technique of rapid, short scenes, works wonderfully' DAILY TELEGRAPH ** 'Brilliant historical work ... Mr Doctorow's writing is magnificent' ECONOMIST UK ** 'Thrilling and epic... Quite, quite wonderful' Amanda Vickery - BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review ** 'An astonishing piece of work, a masterpiece... has all the unpredictability of war' Anthony Horowitz ** 'outstanding' FT MAGAZINE