The Other March Sisters
In their captivating historical novel The Other March Sisters, Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker shift the spotlight from the ambitious, outgoing Jo to her sisters Meg, Beth, and Amy.
While Jo is in New York pursuing her writing career, her sisters defy social and family expectations to become their own authentic selves. Meg’s growing awareness of the numbers of women who are dying in childbirth leads her to a dangerous but fulfilling path. Sweet Beth discovers her passionate nature in a forbidden love. And Amy, thought to be frivolous and shallow, takes a stand for her art and the unconventional man she has always loved.
Tension builds as chapters rotate their focus among the three sisters, each doing the hard inner work of developing self-knowledge and deciding to claim her right to be herself. Historical yet timely, the book—through synchronistic events, candid conversations, and insightful reflections—shows how each sister comes to take a stand on controversial topics including women’s equality, the right to choose in love and work, the right to make decisions without men’s approval, and the right to full control over her own body.
The coauthors’ writing styles differ somewhat, serving to highlight what makes each sister, and her struggle for authenticity, unique. With its moving portrayals of the effects of the restrictions and limitations imposed by outside expectations, as suffocating as the corsets demanded by the fashion of the day, the book makes the struggle, and the triumph, of each woman immersive.
The Other March Sisters is an engaging historical novel that adds dimension and depth to the original tale, reveling in each March sister’s audacious courage.
Reviewed by
Kristine Morris
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
