From the author of Caroline a revealing retelling of Louisa May Alcott's beloved Little Women
from the perspective of Margaret Marmee March about the larger real-world challenges behind
the cozy domestic concerns cherished by generations of readers. Dazzling... Marmee carries her
own secrets and sharp edges in a story that will sweep you away and leave you wishing for more.
- Patti Callahan Henry In 1861 war is raging in the South but in Concord Massachusetts
Margaret March has her own battles to fight. With her husband serving as an army chaplain the
comfort and security of Margaret's four daughters- Meg Jo Beth and Amy-now rest on her
shoulders alone. Money is tight and every month her husband sends less and less of his salary
with no explanation. Worst of all Margaret harbors the secret that these financial hardships
are largely her fault thanks to a disastrous mistake made over a decade ago which wiped out
her family's fortune and snatched away her daughters' chances for the education they deserve.
Yet even with all that weighs upon her Margaret longs to do more-for the war effort for the
poor for the cause of abolition and most of all for her daughters. Living by her watchwords
Hope and keep busy she fills her days with humdrum charity work to keep her worries at bay.
All of that is interrupted when Margaret receives a telegram from the War Department summoning
her to her husband's bedside in Washington D.C. While she is away her daughter Beth falls
dangerously ill forcing Margaret to confront the possibility that the price of her own
generosity toward others may be her daughter's life. A stunning portrait of the paragon of
virtue known as Marmee a wife left behind a mother pushed to the brink a woman with secrets.
