Happy New Year!
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 its portrayal 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 a favorite novel about immigrants?