Interesting to compare with City of God, more straightforward and transparent. ( )

Doctorow is a fabulous writer -- he makes this war story bearable. He paints a gruesome scene as he traces the path of Sherman from the burning of Atlanta to the sea and up the coast fight rebel troops.

Historical, funny, incredible meaningful underlying themes, sad. What else do you need? ( )

The story of General William Tecumseh Sherman's campaign from Atlanta to the sea is an American epic, with elements of tragedy and heroism strongly intermingled - all the greater a story because it is a true piece of history from the conflict that had the greatest impact on the American nation and people. E.L. Doctorow's novel is but the latest attempt by writers of fiction to capture this narrative from the historians for their own genre.

Such an endeavor is not new to Doctorow who has based a number of his novels upon historical events, places, and times. In this work, as he has often in the past, the great event of Sherman's march becomes background and context within which his characters move, act, talk, and attempt to survive the experience of the march. The author's narration brings together individuals and stories from within the ranks of the armies contending with each other as well as from the civilian population, both white and black, through which the armies moved.

This is not "War and Peace" and the cast of characters is not vast, focusing on about a dozen individuals. Given that a number of them are clearly also iconic representations of the soldiers of both armies, the Southern civilians, and the freed or soon-to-be freed slaves - it is not surprising that the character development is sometimes uneven, but those individuals whose stories form the backbone of this novel are not so disadvantaged.

The result is a rather picaresque adventure for all of the characters lives are traced against the overall progress of the march. This focus upon the stories of these characters prevents the book from becoming the epic novel of the war, but it held my interest to the end, even knowing how the story ends. Doctorow offers something for everyone - skirmishes and battles; clashes between Sherman's foraging and marauding 'bummers' and Southern soldiers, militia, and civilians; slaves dealing with the approach of liberation and defining its impact on their futures; and the struggles of Confederate civilians to survive and find a new way of living in war's aftermath.

I do not think that this the great novel of the American Civil War, though it should rank among the recommended ranks of fiction on the war (though I'm likely to reread "Killer Angels" before I have another go at Doctorow). ( )

A Quick Doctorow Read: Those not familiar with Doctorow's style may have an initial problem with this book. Doctorow is infamous for paragraph-long sentences and multitudes of characters (both factual and fictional). Once the appreciation is realized that the author's style is more impressionist than photographic, The March becomes a moving picture in words and provides the reader a sensual experience, bringing the reader into the story as a participant in events, rather than an observer.

Having read and enjoyed some of his other works, Ragtime (The March's Coalhouse Walker's son featured as a key character), Billy Bathgate, Loon Lake and World's Fair, The March is far less `difficult' a read. Doctorow remains true to using words as Renoir brush-strokes, myriad touches of color that together make an amazing picture, but moves the story more quickly. The March is the blur of experience one might have had being part (or a victim) of Sherman's march to the sea.

This is a great read for Doctorow or Civil War fans.