The MarchThe March
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1864, the Union general William Tecumseh Sherman led sixty thousand soldiers through Georgia and the Carolinas, burning a path to the sea. E. L. Doctorow follows the march through many lives: a freed slave girl disguised as a drummer boy, a Southern judge's daughter, a brilliant army surgeon, two Confederate deserters and Sherman himself.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer and the National Book Award. It's a vivid panorama of war.
You'll love it if you liked
Cold Mountain
Ragtime
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War EraGood to know
It has many characters and moves between them quickly. There's war violence.
By the numbers
- Readers8 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics79 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller4 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #100 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #1110 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2051 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark
More by E. L. Doctorow
If you like this, read next
All the Light We Cannot See
The Book Thief
The Nightingale
The Help
Pachinko
Shuggie BainExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The March worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer and the National Book Award. It ranks #2,051 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The March about?
In 1864, the Union general William Tecumseh Sherman led sixty thousand soldiers through Georgia and the Carolinas, burning a path to the sea. E. L. Doctorow follows the march through many lives: a freed slave girl disguised as a drummer boy, a Southern judge's daughter, a brilliant army surgeon, two Confederate deserters and Sherman himself.
How long does it take to read The March?
About 9 hours (363 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The March won?
NBCC Award (Fiction) winner (2005).
What should I read after The March?
If you liked it, try Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow or Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson.