I have always loved Little Women and this novel enriches the story through the journal entries of Margaret March (Marmee), the mother, from 1861 to 1868. It shows her as a strong woman who holds her family together through poverty, war, and death. She deeply cares for others, too, through charity work and the abolition movement. Highly recommended for lovers of Little Women.

Little Women was one of my favorite novels as a child. I read it countless times over the years and still have my own copy of it to this day.

Having already enjoyed Sarah Miller's Caroline (a fictional telling of the story behind Ma in Little House on the Prairie), I was really looking forward to reading Marmee and seeing the backstory the author creates for the beloved mother character in Little Women.

Following closely to the timeline of Little Women, the novel begins with Marmee, home in Massachusetts and raising her daughters, while her husband is a chaplain for the Union during the Civil War. While times are difficult, she continues her charitable works, worries about her husband, and guides her daughters through their teenage years.

Miller creates Marmee as an epistolary novel, told in Marmee's own diary entries. The novel relies on a passing knowledge of the Little Women story, but the entries tell a story that can be enjoyed without a comprehensive background. The journal-style gives a lot more insight into the character of Marmee, her love and devotion to her family and her faith, along with a creative back story to what happened prior to the initial novel.

I did not connect as well with this book as the original Little Women, but I enjoyed the read. The writing was a bit long-winded at times but this provided an interesting representation of Marmee and expanded on Little Women.

Actually 2.5 stars
Marmee is a retelling of Little Women told from Marmee March’s perspective. Marmee’s husband is fighting in the civil war which leaves her to raise four girls on her own. Marmee struggles continually with poverty. Told in diary format, the novel explores Marmee’s hardships.

Little Women is one of my favorite novels of all-time. I was excited to read this novel because I wanted to learn more about Marmee. I had always found her to be a strong woman in the story. However, I was disappointed in Mrs. Miller’s portrayal of her. I had always found Marmee to be strict but kind-hearted. Yet, in this retelling, Marmee was very mean-spirited. I found her to be very unlikable. Therefore, I did not see her as the Marmee that I had come to love from Little Women.

Overall, this novel is about family, hardships, and love. Aside from the main character, all of the characters seem similar to their original counterparts. Marmee was very slow and drawn-out. For fans of Little Women, there is nothing new in this novel that stands out. It is a rehash of events that occurred in this novel. I also didn’t like how this novel was told in a diary format. The writing was stilted and seemed very distant. Marmee was an excellent idea, but unfortunately Mrs. Miller could not pull it off. This is mostly because it is hard to imitate a classic like Little Women and make it stand on its own. After reading Marmee, it made me want to reread the original novel. I did like the historical details in this novel and thought that it was meticulously researched. Thus, fans of Little Women should definitely give this retelling a try. For me, it was mediocre and did little to supplement the original novel. I recommend this for fans of March, Jo & Laurie, and So Many Beginnings!

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

As a big fan of Caroline from Sarah Miller I was so excited to read Marmee and she did not disappoint.
It is always interesting to read stories that you grew up reading from the perspective of other characters and I think it hits a lot different when you grew up being the same age as the daughters when you read it and now being closer to the age of the mom.

I highly recommend this book to those who love historical fiction and just overall people who loved the original story of Little Women

This is the story of Marmee, the mother in Little Women. There are a few insights into her side of things from the classic story of Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg. I liked the idea of seeing the "behind the scenes" but I didn't really connect with her. Good storytelling but I just didn't quite get into it.

From my blog: Always With a Book

As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to read it…Little Women has always been a favorite of mine, the movie at least and I finally just read the book and absolutely loved it. And I adored this retelling of the story, from the mother’s perspective.

While I don’t think that you need to have read Little Women to enjoy this story, I do think that knowing the overall gist of that story – whether it be from the book or movie – will give you a better appreciation of this book. At least that’s how I felt. And maybe it’s because I had just read Little Women not too long ago and so it was fresh in my mind, but I felt I really got the little nuances of this book that much more. I loved that it was told in diary format, and is most definitely a more adult version of that story. It gets into the trials and tribulations, the struggles that Marmee was faced with during the war, while her husband was away. I loved that we get her side of things, her internal dialogue if you will, about how she saw things and how she didn’t always agree with the decisions her husband was making when it came to their family. This is a different view from that of the book or movie, which is all told from the girls’ perspective and it has left me wanting to pick up Little Women again, or perhaps watch one of the many renditions of the movie.

This was my first time reading Sarah Miller and it definitely will not be the last. I know her previous book, Caroline, was a retelling of the Little House stories told from Ma’s point of view and I absolutely want to read that! As far as retellings go, Marmee was everything I hoped it would be and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loved Little Women!

This is a neat book told from a varying point of view than we are used to from Little Women! I enjoyed this take on Marmee's story, and would recommend to those interested in the original or historical fiction.

4.5. I love how Sarah Miller brought Marmee's perspective so vividly to life. This was a beautiful retelling of Little Women, which is one of the best class novels you can pick up. It made me want to go back and watch all the films and reminded me of the amazing story by Louisa May Alcott. This new edition of a classic work is an enhancement. Marmee's perspective on "Little Women." To read her journal every day is an honor. Professor Bhaer is made to feel at home by Birte Hummel, who befriends Margaret March and teaches her German. Mr. and Mrs. March's close relationship is explored, as well as Civil War conflicts, emancipation and suffrage efforts, national politics, and more. Importantly, we get Marmee's feelings for her daughters and her dreams for them.

Thank you to #netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

I loved this book written from the point of view of Marmee, the beloved mother of the 4 March sisters in Little Women. It was totally believable and a fun read. What a great read!

Miller returns with another successful retelling of a beloved American classic. Her novel tells the story of Margaret "Marmee" March (the mother of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) as she navigates life and motherhood in the wake of the American Civil War. The novel is written in diary form, which allows for a more intimate look into the mind of this charitable family matriarch who turns out to be more than meets the eye. Miller's timeline and plot stay faithful to Alcott's original, and readers can expect many of the same characters. Where this adaptation shines is in its consideration of historical context and the political climate of the late 19th century. Miller's thorough research and attention to detail create a setting that is both immersive and enlightening. The end result has a level of realism and honesty worthy of an Alcott retelling. Miller's adaptation is as gut-wrenching and heart-warming as its inspiration. It's sure to please readers who grew up on Little Women and are now parents themselves.

To really understand this story, the reader should be familiar with Louisa May Alcott's book, Little Women. I loved that the author created such a relatable character out of Marmee. I found it hard to remember that these characters from Marmee and Little Women are fictional.

When reading Little Women or watching the movie, I never really gave much thought to the mother and how she grew up, although I remember finding her puzzling for fleeting moments. This tells her story, faithfully following the beloved classic, explaining some things and uncovering others. Margaret "Marmee" March was quite the interesting forward-thinking woman, and very strong. This is based on Louisa May Alcott's own family. Great read, nice to revisit a favorite classic, realize little things I had forgotten and discover things I didn't know.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#Marmee #NetGalley #SarahMiller #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction

Sarah Miller writes such gorgeous prose — I feel immersed in Marmee’s thoughts, and have highlighted so many lines of truisms. This book also had me looking up lots of historical facts about the Alcott family.

"Marmee" is one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. The life and depth that Sarah Miller manages to breathe into well-known characters is truly masterful. Louisa May Alcott's original Marmee is sort of a fringe figure of "Little Women." She is the heart of the March home, but we find ourselves learning virtually nothing about her personality, thoughts, her desires, and wishes throughout the novel. Miller does an incredible job of bringing all of these deeper personality traits to the forefront in "Marmee" in a way that feels so true to the original Margaret March.

It was so refreshing to see her inner thoughts as a flawed character instead of the sainted woman and mother her girls imagine her to be in "Little Women." Marmee struggles with pride, with her temper, withholding her counsel, just as much as the next human, and reading these struggles gave such heart to this novel. I was not prepared for the depths to which I would be moved by Miller's novel, but I can say, without hesitation, that I will never miss purchasing a novel that she releases. She is truly so talented and her work is such a joy to read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and to William Morrow for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of "Marmee" in exchange for an unbiased review.

What I really liked about this book was that it stayed true.. This had a very similar feel to Little Women, Marmee was deeper and more complex than portrayed in LW but she was still Marmee.. 3.5 Stars

Marmee by Sarah Miller is a wonderful story. The story kept my attention throughout the reading of it though I have read Little Women I forgot much of the story. Marmee was a very kind lady of her time. Read the story.

This novel is a re-telling of Little Women told from the mother's perspective, and I loved getting the story from that perspective. It really brings home how similar motherhood is throughout the years – waking up in the middle of the night to worry about the state of the world and how your children are doing. The mental load has always been hard.

I will admit that I am someone who is more a fan of the little women movies than the actual book because I find the book a little slow (I know, I know, it's horrible to prefer the movie). I found this book had what I considered a similar slow pace. The diary entry style was not my favorite.

However, I think if you are a fan of the original Little Women you will really love this book. And I enjoyed both the historical fiction parts of it set during the Civil War as well as learning about the shared bonds of motherhood throughout time.

This was my first time reading a book written by Sarah Miller and it was so delightful! As a lifelong fan of the Little Women story written by Louisa May Alcott, this book was the perfect companion. Written from the perspective of Marmee’s journal entries, it was a really neat way to experience the story we know and love from a mother’s perspective.

It was such a beautiful story to read and I felt like I was there in the March home. I am definitely going to check out Sarah Miller’s other books!

Thank you to Sarah Miller and the Book Girl Club Instagram page for gifting me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.