Why would Emily Dickinson entrust her literary legacy to her poorly-educated Irish maid, Margaret Maher?
This month we discuss Emily’s House, a recent novel about Margaret Maher, an Irish maid in the Dickinson home, and her relationship with Emily.
Margaret saved Emily’s writings for posterity.
Without Margaret’s wisdom, Dickinson’s poetry would have turned to ashes in the kitchen fire at the Dickinson home.
Why should you read this novel instead of a biography of Emily Dickinson or her maid, Margaret Maher?
In Emily’s House, readers see through Margaret’s eyes the ethnic prejudice she faces as well as how her relationship with Emily and the Dickinson family develops.
The author, Amy Belding Brown, relies on the reminiscences of Emily’s niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi. These documents show the close relationship Emily has with her sister-in-law, Sue. Most older biographers based their books on the better-known but less accurate papers of Mabel Loomis Todd, Emily’s brother’s mistress.
Margaret, the outspoken, temperamental young Irish maid, and Emily Dickinson, the blueblood, shrinking violet seem unlikely friends, but Emily’s House reveals not only their vastly different backgrounds and perspectives on life, but also how their friendship transcended these differences.
This novel is set in two time periods:
1869 (when Margaret started working as a maid at the Homestead, the Dickinson home in Amherst,)
1916 (when the property is sold)
Emily’s father coerces Margaret into working as a maid at the Dickinson home. The family treats her as inferior because of her Irish heritage. Over the years, she earns Emily’s trust, ultimately becoming a friend as well as a servant to Emily. Margaret makes a promise to Emily that will break her heart to keep.
Major Characters:
Margaret Maher– the protagonist, a temperamental Irish maid who serves the Dickinson family
Emily – the shrinking violet poet coddled by her father
Vinnie – Emily’s devoted younger sister
Patrick – Margaret’s love interest, a wanderer and ardent Irish patriot
Sue Dickinson – wife of Emily’s brother, Austin, and close friend of Emily
Mattie D (Madame Bianchi) – Sue’s daughter, Emily’s beloved niece
Mabel Loomis Todd – villain of this story, the mistress of Emily’s brother, Austin
My sympathy for Margaret develops as the Dickinson family exploits and discriminates against her.
Patrick, on the other hand, may have had a good heart, but his character lacked adequate honesty and loyalty to qualify as an appropriate match for Margaret.
Emily may have been a literary genius, but her character didn’t have the chance to develop fully because her family, especially her father, coddled and over-protected her.
Strength:
Margaret’s position as the protagonist enables readers to see Emily’s world through the eyes of a poor Irish immigrant, as well as giving a sense of the privileged lives of the Dickinson family.
Weakness:
The author’s portrayal of Emily’s sister, Vinnie, struck me as a bit unrealistic, with little of the jealousy and conflict common between sisters.
Content review:
Despite their Puritan heritage, Emily and her family members exhibit moral failings, including ethnic prejudice and sexual immorality. These vices appear in Emily’s House, making the novel unsuitable for some readers.
I recommend Emily’s House to readers who enjoy a good story with a few surprising plot twists, enriched both by itsportrayal of Margaret’s experience as an Irish immigrant (which gave me a better understanding of what some of my ancestors faced) and by its insights into Emily and the Dickinson family.
Reader, can you recommend afavorite novel about immigrants?
I hope you’ll find good cheer in this season! As my contribution, I’m reviewing a recent novel,The Last Bookshop in London, an inspiring story of the power of books, courage, friendship, and hope as London endures the Blitz during World War II.
London, 1939. Grace, a young woman from a small town in Norfolk, arrives in the big city, desperate for a job. She lands a temporary position at a run-down bookstore, but she’s not a reader and has little interest in books. Then the Blitz, Germany’s effort to bomb England into submission, begins. Britons’ responses often put them in conflict with each other, even as people needed to unite to survive this dire threat to their nation’s existence.
How much of this story is based on facts vs. fiction?
Author Madeline Martin answers this question in a blog post:
“Aside from the characters and Primrose Hill Books itself, everything is as true to history as was possible for me to make it. Even the location of the bombings and when they occurred (with one exception) are exactly how they were recorded in history.”
How did the author come to understand her characters’ world?
She used the following sources:
Books
Personal eyewitness accounts
Photos taken before, during, and after the war
Videos and sound bites
Characters: (a few of the many)
Grace, the protagonist – young and naïve at the start, the story’s events force her to make choices that help her mature
Mr. Evans – owner of Primrose Hill Books, his depression adds to Grace’s doubts about working at the bookstore
Mrs. Weatherford – Grace’s host in London, a support to Grace. In the face of tragedy, she must find new strength and purpose.
George Anderson – Grace’s love interest, he’s a lover of books who joins up to fight the Germans.
Mr. Stokes – an Air Raid Precautions warden partnered with Grace to monitor blackout compliance during the Blitz. His attitude and beliefs challenge Grace.
Jimmy – orphan who hesitates to trust anyone after his parents are killed in the Blitz.
Strengths: The well-crafted plot, telling details, and sympathetic characters combine to create a page-turner that’s both entertaining and educational.
Weakness:Happy endings for the surviving characters leave readers on a positive note, but they seemed a bit unrealistic after the tragedies of World War II and the Blitz.
Content review: Descriptions of death and injuries, but no profanity or physical intimacy.
I recommend The Last Bookshop in London. This novel’s time setting could have made it depressing. Instead, Madeline Martin skillfully weaves a plot that doesn’t avoid the terror and death of this harrowing time, but ends in personal transformation and national unity.
When you hear the word Scotland, what comes to mind?
Kilts, bagpipes, Braveheart, Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, or Bonnie Prince Charlie?
This month, we go deeper, featuring two novels with roots in Scotland:
My review of Turn of the Tide, an award-winning novel by Margaret Skea
A new novel, The Apostates, by V.E.H. Masters, third in the Seton trilogy
My Review:
Turn of the Tidefocuses on one of Scotland’s historic feuds, the violent conflicts in the Ayrshire region between the Cunninghame and Montgomerie clans. The author follows the journey of Munro, a minor estate-owner with ties to the Cunninghame clan, as he negotiates relationships between the two clans during the 16th century.
Although the vividly-portrayed setting stands as a major character, Munro’s maturing as a character plays the key role in the novel. Throughout the story, events draw him toward one clan and then the other. The stakes increase with each choice, and the suspense builds to a riveting climax.
Characters: (just a few of the many)
Munro – the protagonist, he’s torn between his ties to the Cunninghame clan, his wife’s judgments, and his own instincts
Kate – Munro’s wife, a woman with good instincts
Archie – Munro’s younger brother, he struggles to find his place in life
Sybilla Boyd – friend to Munro’s family
King James VI of Scotland – young king who tries to reconcile feuding clans and use them to his advantage
Earl of Glencairn – head of Cunninghame clan, he tries to raise his clan’s standing with the king
William, Master of Glencairn – his position as the Earl’s eldest son and heir allows him to get away with poor judgment and behavior
Hugh, Master of Braidstane – son of a Montgomerie estate-owner
Alexander Montgomerie – a poet and courtier to King James VI, he helps Hugh and the Montgomerie clan ascend in the king’s esteem
Strengths:
The author’s broad, descriptive sweep covers much territory: family backgrounds and conflicts, locations, festivities, and customs. Her detailed portrait immerses readers in this era. Strong, distinctive characters drive the surprise-filled plot.
Weaknesses:
Many characters people this story, some referred to by their titles or residences, creating possible difficulties for the reader in remembering who’s who. (A list of Main Characters before the story begins is helpful.) The Scottish vocabulary words can be challenging at times to understand from the context. A glossary is located at the end of the ebook, if readers are willing to interrupt their reading to find it.
Content review:
This novel doesn’t shy away from the rough side of life in this era, including violence (toward women, enemies, other clans)
I recommend Turn of the Tide to readers who aren’t bothered by violence and enjoy a compelling plot set in an unfamiliar time and place, filled with both action and introspection.
Announcing:
The Apostates, by V.E.H. Masters, 3rd volume in the Seton trilogy (1st volume, The Castilians, was reviewed here in February, 2022)
It’s 1550 and Bethia has fled Antwerp, with her infant son, before the jaws of the inquisition clamp down, for the family are accused of secret judaising. She believes they’ve evaded capture but her husband, Mainard, unbeknownst to her, is caught, imprisoned and alone. Reaching Geneva, Bethia hopes for respite from a dangerous journey, but it’s a Protestant city state which tolerates no dissent – and she’s a Catholic…
My Upcoming Novel:
Some of my readers have asked about its progress. I’ll pass along details as soon as I have them—soon, I hope!
Suppose you nurtured a passion for your future and studied for years to prepare for it, only to have your father veto your choice!
What would you do?
In 1865, Vita, the teen daughter of a Massachusetts physician, dreams of following in her father’s footsteps, but he adamantly opposes her plan because of her gender.
The Physician’s Daughter, by Martha Conway, skillfully navigates this drama and the creative ways Vita pursues her ambition in an era when women have limited control over their destinies.
After Vita learns of women who have succeeded in becoming physicians, she devotes herself to joining their ranks.
In addition to external challenges, she confronts self-doubt as she realizes her ability to memorize medical facts is only one element in the skillset of a successful physician.
Vita must also deal with her family’s expectations that she will marry and settle into a traditional lifestyle. Her plan to marry but still pursue a career in medicine runs into problems, and the story reveals how she deals with them.
Characters:
Vita, the protagonist – elicits my sympathy for her plight and her smarts, even if her emotional intelligence develops slowly.
Jacob – a damaged veteran of the Civil War, he’s an interesting blend of old-fashioned and modern ideas (for his era), which makes him a challenge for Vita to understand.
Mitty – Vita’s mother, wife of Dar – I sympathized with her position in life, but I found her lacking as a support for Vita’s aspirations
Dar/ Dr. Tenney – Vita’s father, an old-school physician, dubious of women’s capabilities, he’s deeply affected by his son’s death near the end of the Civil War. When Vita brings up her desire to attend medical school, he responds with, “You think you can replace your brother? You hope to profit from our loss, like a turkey vulture? No one can take the place of my son.”
Freddy – Vita’s beloved brother, he dies at the end of the Civil War
Amelia – Vita’s younger sister, she’s very traditional and doesn’t support Vita’s dreams.
Strengths:
The Physician’s Daughter is an engaging portrait of life and women’s struggles in the Civil War era.
Weakness:
The portrayal of Dr. Tenney, Vita’s father, showed no sympathy for Vita; even before his son’s death, he never showed humanity or love toward Vita.
Content review:
The Physician’s Daughter includes descriptions of war wounds and intimacy within marriage.
If you enjoy reading about the Civil War era and howwomen in bygone times have struggled to overcome discrimination, this novel will inspire and appeal to you.
Reader, what novels about women have inspired you?
When we need a break from the daily news, Jane Austen and her times provide a welcome respite. Her novels are well known by many, but Jane tried to keep her own life private. Miss Austen, a recent novel by Gill Hornby, provides insights into Jane’s life through that of her younger sister, Cassandra, and their family.
Cassandra (henceforth referred to as Cassy) is the main focus of this novel. Because she and Jane stayed close throughout their lives, their stories intertwine throughout this novel.
Readers familiar with the Austen family will dive effortlessly into this novel, while those of us less conversant must allow time to learn or refresh our memories about the family members and their personalities.
Long before I finished reading Miss Austen, the story attracted and held my interest. Because I didn’t know much about the Austen family, I found the plot twists suspenseful. The author reveals much about Jane’s and Cassy’s lives and emotions through Jane’s letters (imagined by the author). The constraints the female characters faced saddened me, but I enjoyed watching these women develop, interact, and change over time.
Major Characters:
Cassy – Jane’s younger sister; devoted (excessively?) to her family throughout her life; the author fills in details about Cassy’s life and feelings through Jane’s letters
Jane – the only sister and closest friend of Cassy; she was a novelist whose writing never received its proper recognition or reward during her short lifetime; the author skillfully portrays the sisters’ differences and how they complemented each other
Mrs. Cassandra Austen – mother of Jane and Cassy, an opinionated and domineering woman, perhaps an example of an antiquated perspective on life
Isabella – sister of Tom Fowle, Cassy’s fiancé; she was initially cool to Cassy; the development of their relationship was a highlight of the story
Mary Lloyd – the second wife of James Austen, a brother of Jane and Cassy; her dogmatic, non-empathetic personality made her Cassy’s nemesis
Strengths: In addition to an engaging plot, Miss Austen offers an in-depth look into the Austen family, the distinctive personality traits of each member, and their family dynamics.
Weakness: I’d appreciate more clarity about how many of the characters were historical and how accurately they were portrayed. Mrs. Cassandra Austen and Mary seemed almost caricatures, with few redeeming features shining through.
Content review: clean, with no violence; perhaps most interesting to readers of young adult age or older.
My take: I recommend Miss Austen to readers interested in learning more about Jane Austen through the eyes of her sister and interactions with her family members. If you also enjoy a story that slowly develops characters and their relationships, this is the novel for you.
Reader, what’s the most surprising thing you know about the Austen family?
Where does Ukraine find such courage and toughness to stand up for months against Russia’s invasion?
I’m no expert on Ukraine, but we can understand a nation’s current behavior better by learning about its past through the eyes (and words) of people who lived through that time.
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv, a recent novel by Erin Litteken, offers a compelling fictionalized story of a Ukrainian family, offering a window on the dealings of Stalin’s Soviet Union (Russia’s name then) with Ukraine in the 20th century (certainly an influence on the events of 2022).
This time-split novel begins in two times and places:
Wisconsin, 2004: Cassie, a Ukrainian-American, and her young daughter, Birdie, move in with Cassie’s Ukrainian grandmother, Bobby, after Cassie’s husband dies suddenly. Cassie struggles to understand her grandmother’s peculiarities, even as she grieves her husband’s death and faces the challenge of a possible new relationship.
Ukraine, 1929:Dictator Joseph Stalin begins to create collective farms and control agriculture in the Soviet Union by eliminating kulaks (prosperous peasants). Katya, her family and community try to maintain their lives and values as their situation grows worse by the day.
Characters:
They’re developed well, each with a unique perspective, strengths, and flaws.
Their interactions create anengaging story that kept me reading.
I especially related to Katya, one of the protagonists, who struggled between her desire for justice and her need to stay silent to survive.
Strengths:
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv, Erin Litteken’s debut novel, is a page-turner, providing a vivid portrayal of life in a fictional Ukrainian village around the time of Ukraine’s Holodomor (the Great Famine created by Stalin).
Weakness:
As the granddaughter of a Ukrainian refugee, the author understandably sympathizes with her Ukrainian characters. However, the novel would come across as more balanced if the Russian soldiers and collaborators showed more doubts about their actions, remorse, and perhaps a hint of compassion for their victims.
Content review:
This novel describes horrific cruelties inflicted by Stalin’s soldiers and local collaborators, so I suggest it to mature readers.
I recommend The Memory Keeper of Kyivto readers who wish to understand this period in Ukraine’s history, and who aren’t put off by descriptions of violence and cruelty.
Reader, can you suggest other books about Ukraine?
