Mr. Emerson's Wife: A Novel

by Amy Belding Brown

In this novel about Ralph Waldo Emerson's wife, Lidian, Amy Belding Brown examines the emotional landscape of love and marriage. Living in the shadow of one of the most famous men of her time, Lidian becomes deeply disappointed by marriage, but consigned to public silence by social conventions and concern for her family's reputation. Drawn to the erotic energy and intellect of close family friend Henry David Thoreau, she struggles to negotiate the confusing territory between love and friendship while maintaining her moral authority and inner strength. In the course of the book, she deals with overwhelming social demands, faces devastating personal loss, and discovers the deepest meaning of love. Lidian eventually encounters the truth of her own character and learns that even our faults can lead us to independence.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Romance, Biographical Fiction, Adult Fiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Amy Belding Brown is the bestselling USA Today author of EMILY'S HOUSE, FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW and MR. EMERSON’S WIFE. A Vermonter and history nerd, she was infused at an early age with a New England outlook and values. She loves stone walls, sugar maples and old cemeteries, and her favorite hobby is nature photography. She’s never happier than when she’s reading a stack of 19th century letters or exploring old church records. She has taught composition and creative writing to college students and life-story writing to senior citizens, made quilts, raised four children, been a tour guide at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House Museum in Concord, Massachusetts, taught pre-school, made cloth dolls, created wall hangings on a hand loom, baked homemade bread, written poetry, and painted New England landscapes. Oh, and she’s also been a pastor’s wife for 43 years.. A graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, she received her MFA from Vermont College and now lives in rural Vermont with her husband, a UCC minister and spiritual director.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waldo's always irritated me, but this book seriously made me hate him more, while mitigating my dislike of Thoreau. A great book about an interesting woman, plus it features Scarlet fever, which is one of my favorite diseases. A must read for anyone who's ever wished they could go back in time and give Ralph Waldo Emerson a throat-punch.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read metaphysical writings by Emerson and was excited about getting to know the man from behind his philosophies. A man of great discipline, spending most of his time in his study room. After the death of his first wife and both brothers, he loses his faith in God and devotes himself to metaphysics.

This is a story of Lydia Jackson, a woman of 33 with independent mind and simplicity. She attends a reception for the popular young philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson in Plymouth where she lives in 1835. Just a few weeks later he proposes and convinces her that it’d be a marriage of equals, “…not be bound by the old conventions.” Their house in Concord becomes a place of likewise minds, discussing philosophy and education. Soon after, the trials of marriage send Lydia into dark moods. She finds solace in young family friend Henry David Thoreau.

Lydia’s passions and ambitions dissipate as soon as she gets married. There is a mention of Lydia getting involved in anti-slavery movement, but this is it. The house of likewise minds quickly turns into the house of love triangles.

This story has a strong start, but then turns into a historical romance. I’m not into romances. If this is what you like, then you may have a different feeling about this story.

P.S. Highly recommend The Flight of the Sparrow by this author.

[Yelda Basar Moers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because I love the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, two of the most famous Transcendentalists (Transcendentalism was a 19th century movement that focused on spirituality and nature and away from organized religion). So when I saw this book, a historical novel about the real life love triangle between Emerson, Thoreau and Emerson's wife Lidian Jackson, who was an intellectual and thinker in her own right, I was intrigued!

Emerson and Thoreau's lives were incredibly intertwined. Thoreau lived on Emerson's land when he wrote Walden; Emerson in fact owned the land of Walden Woods and Walden Pond. Thoreau lived in Emerson's house and helped Emerson's wife with chores, house work and taking care of the kids. Thoreau and Jackson became close and affectionate, while Emerson focused more and more on his writing, lecturing and work. Both men had deep discussions and conversations about nature, spirituality, and slavery. They were all staunch abolitionists (including Jackson!). The author Amy Belding Brown really brought the small town life of 19th century Concord, Massachusetts, where they all lived, alive (she herself actually lives in the town)! Emerson and Thoreau are two of my favorite writers, so it was such a treat to have their lives reimagined and come alive in these pages. I loved the story and was completely immersed in it, mainly how Thoreau and Jackson grew close and how that in turn made Emerson and Thoreau have a falling out. Mostly what I learned was how incredibly interwoven the lives of these men were, in family, friendship, love and work. For there would be no Emerson without Thoreau, and no Thoreau, without Emerson!

[Susan Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the last few words, I slowly closed Mr. Emerson’s Wife and felt a welling up inside of emotion. I was so tied to the character of Lidian Jackson Emerson that I felt they were her emotions too.

This is how Amy Belding Brown’s book hit me. I lived inside of Mr. Emerson’s Wife for the last couple of weeks, crawling inside the head, the skin and the heart of Lidian Jackson Emerson. I loved Mr. Emerson as she loved him, felt the bitter disappointment and anger of promises not kept, and swooned over Henry David Thoreau, sensing the touching of souls as he and Lidian grew closer to each other.
A growing appreciation for words

There are times when I am so grateful I am a slow reader! Although this book could be read very quickly, it shouldn’t be. I savored every line, for the first time really appreciating the art of writing and how beautifully words could express thoughts, feelings and actions.

The value of words has been on my mind a lot lately. In my spiritual reading, I read how Jesus Christ is known in the gospel of John as The Word. In a book by Fr. Alexander Schmemann called Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, the Orthodox priest writes about idle talk and how words can be as equally life affirming and devastating, and how we as humans are the only creatures gifted with the ability to make words. It’s an awesome gift that carries a solemn responsibility.

Books like Mr. Emerson’s Wife fill me with desire to savor more words, and to commit more words to paper (and computer). I am eternally grateful to Meg North who suggested on her blog that aspiring writers should have their trusty notebook and favorite pen with them at all times. I do (in fact I have separate notebooks for different things I’m researching, and each has its own favorite pen). I love composing on the computer but there’s something very organic and cool about writing with a pen and getting the smudged ink on my fingers.

But I digress. I’d like to offer some final thoughts on Lidian Jackson Emerson and her relationships with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as imagined by Amy Belding Brown (with a lot of historical facts to back up her theories).
Among my top favorite books

Mr. Emerson’s Wife is the most emotionally engaging book I’ve ever read and ranks right up there with my other top 3: Gone With the Wind, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Little Women. Gone With the Wind was a sweeping epic with fascinating characters and a take on the South by a true southerner which challenged some of my perceptions about the pre and post Civil War South. It was the most fun I’d ever had reading. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the right book at the right time as my children were the same age as Harry, Hermione and Ron (and my Stephen is like Harry). That synchronicity will unfortunately never happen again. And I reveled in the domestic spirituality, sisterhood and semi-autobiographical nature of Little Women.
An honest commentary on marriage

Mr. Emerson’s Wife moved me so because Brown made Lidian, Waldo and Henry leap off the pages straight into my mind and heart. They truly were flesh and blood people to me, navigating the complexities of marriage, friendship, life, death and love in Victorian New England. Brown wrote an honest and balanced commentary on marriage which not only applied then, but applies today. Despite the fact that I’ve enjoyed an unusually happy marriage for the last 32 years, I could still keenly identify with some of the trials that Lidian went through with Mr. Emerson (as she called him). The world still revolves around the man on occasion in this ‘enlightened’ age. Yet, because of this book, I felt compelled to remark to my husband how truly lucky I was to have him as my lifelong companion; I came to appreciate our marriage even more.
Awakened feminism

This book awoke in me a renewed care and concern for women and their place in the world. The political nature of feminism today long ago turned me off to women’s issues (particularly the obsession with Pro Life/Pro Choice – I am Pro Life). When I was a young mother, I felt left behind by feminists, feeling undervalued as a mother and wife. While reading Mr. Emerson’s Wife, I sensed that my eyes were opening, seeing things around me (even in my own family) that told me the battle for women’s rights (particularly in the area of health) is far from over. I feel a much stronger obligation to guide my 22 year old daughter in the right direction, making sure that she is tending to her education and her development. Fortunately she already has a strong sense of herself and does not base her entire existence upon having a man in her life (even though she is in a serious relationship with a wonderful young man).
Lidian’s struggles

Lidian struggled with a brilliant and revered husband who was often cold and indifferent (and yet entertained the vivacious Margaret Fuller on regular occasions, inviting her to live in their home, and taking long walks at night with her, both lost in discussion). She competed with the memory of a young, beautiful and saintly first wife whom Emerson spoke of frequently in a voice filled with grief and loss. Her own excellent mind and creative energies were subjugated to her husband’s whims and demands with little regard to her needs. Suffering much injustice, her frustration at times was very high (especially when she had to hold her tongue) and I felt that frustration keenly. A successful marriage, of course, does take two and Brown subsequently, does not place all the blame on Emerson as Lidian could wield a sharp tongue and could be demanding and unforgiving in her own way. She also made the mistake of being lost in her children at the expense of her husband. Marriage is, if anything, a delicate balance.

Lidian and Waldo experienced several devastating losses in their married life, beginning with the death of Waldo’s younger brother Charles, Henry’s brother John, and culminating with the loss of their first-born son Waldo at the tender age of 5. Grief can sometimes bring couples together but in this case, it drove them apart. Emerson’s reaction to grief was to shut down and shut out the world, losing himself in intellectual and philosophical pursuits, while Lidian needed to express her feelings. This along with other things caused her to turn to Henry David Thoreau for consolation and friendship.

Thoreau came across as a much warmer man than I had imagined even though he was also equally brilliant, complex and contradictory. I had always thought of him as so solitary that he never formed really close relationships but he obviously did. And rather than give away too much of the story, I leave you to find out for yourself by reading this wonderful book.
Ready to read more

I am not ready yet to leave the world of Emerson, Thoreau and Fuller and plan on reading more about each of them. I am intrigued by Emerson’s motivations for abandoning traditional Christianity and the ministry in favor of developing his own way (which did not necessarily lead to God). And I’m getting more and more interested in Thoreau and what makes him tick. I am grateful to any book that deepens my desire to learn.

Finally, as I continue to read Louisa May Alcott’s Moods, I am struck by the irony of how that book is also about one woman loving two men (men based on Emerson and Thoreau). Unfortunately Moods now rings a little hollow as the characters are not so deeply developed and the writing is strained and over-thought. I will still finish Moods but I don’t expect it to affect me in the same way. I only wish Louisa had discovered her realistic writing style when she wrote this story.

Be sure and visit Amy Belding Brown’s website – she details how she wrote the book and shares stories about the many influential (and unsung) heroines of Transcendental Concord.

[Mahayana Dugast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a powerful treatise on love, marriage, what constitutes adultery, resilience, and the public personae mask we put on vs the simple human being, with fears common to all:
- lack of self-confidence, fear of not being enough, fear of not being loved for who we really are.
None of which escapes anyone, no matter how famous.
A powerful, masterfully written novel.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook is included in my Audible membership, and this time it was a good choice. It relates the relationship between the Emersons from its beginning, and also imagines the relationship between Lidian and Henry Thoreau. An enjoyable and interesting read.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing novel. Well researched and well-imagined. Amy Belding Brown imbues Lidian Emerson with reality and vibrant pulsating life. She was intellectually and emotionally way ahead of her time, yet staunchly inhibited by her religious orthodoxy and the expectations of behavior for 19th century women. I only wish that (the real or imagined) letters from Henry David Thoreau to Lidian Emerson were still in existence. One wonders if such love letters ever existed. Brown's writing brings the honored Transcendental philosopher poets, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, vividly to life. You can feel their human qualities in their every movement and glance. They showed remarkable strengths and intensely focused passions. They had remarkable insights, and were devoted to a new way of being with friendship and human discourse elevated to new heights. This book exposes their wisdom, frailties, humility, courage, and dreams. Reading this book has inspired me to begin reading the complete works of Henry David Thoreau - essays, novels, poetry. Thoreau is a human being that I would love to have been with - to simply be silent, listening to birds in the woods, picking wildflowers, and walking by the lake at sunrise.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not, in recent history, read anything so profoundly disturbing. If it weren't the March selection for the book discussion group I've been attending I would have put it down before I was half done.

I only had a layman's knowledge of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists before starting this book. After reading it, I have no desire to read anything of Emerson's -- or about Emerson -- ever again. I realize that everyone is a product of their time -- no matter how enlightened they think they are. I also realize that this book is fiction, and so might not be at all accurate with regard to how the Emersons got along. Nonetheless, Emerson's passive-agressive neglect and emotional abuse seem perfectly consistent with the personality of someone who thought himself above the ordinary pursuits of the world.

As I read this, I kept thinking how tragic it was that such an independent woman should have been taken in by the intellect of Emerson -- taken in enough to change her views about ever getting married. That she found herself shackled to the role of housewife. That she felt that she didn't have any choice. All of it, so very, very tragic

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the last few words, I slowly closed Mr. Emerson’s Wife and felt a welling up inside of emotion. I was so tied to the character of Lidian Jackson Emerson that I felt they were her emotions too. It would be easy to read this novel fast, but don't! Savor the beautiful language of the novel.It is reminiscent of the great writer's of the early 19th century. I love the book for its story, too, and the fleshed out historical characters, but the way that a book is written is everything. This is the 2nd novel that I've read by Ms. Brown. She knows how to write historical fiction.

[Arapahoe Libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful debut novel featuring the portrait of a marriage between an independent, fascinating woman and one of America's greatest philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's an extraordinary read in which the author brings the 19th century to life, and takes an imaginative leap combining fiction with factual history.

Once married, the intelligent and passionate Mrs. Emerson discovers her husband's secret obsession. After years of hurt and loneliness she moves beyond duty and ultimately succumbs to temptation with Emerson's dashing protégé, Henry David Thoreau.

This is a truly engaging story in which the reader finds sympathy and affection for most of the characters. Ms. Brown writing gives the wife a poetic voice and skillfully presents her with grace and strength in her feminine consciousness. This one comes highly recommended!

[Eileen O'Finlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Emerson's Wife was a real treat. Amy Belding Brown has a lyrical quality to her writing. She has a way of getting at the emotions of characters that allows the reader to easily enter their thoughts and feelings.

I have long been a fan of the Concord literati having read much by Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, and others of their circle. Mr. Emerson's Wife not only delved deeply into the lives of Lidian Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, but also drew in many others who were important figures in their lives. Bronson and Louisa May Alcott, Mary Moody Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Ellery Channing, and many others make appearances. Brown handles their cameos with perfection. Their presence on the pages never feels contrived, but rather quite natural as though they belong there, just as they did in real life. The same is true of the telling of real life events. All flowed naturally throughout the story. As I was familiar with many of the characters and events that took place in real life, reading this book felt like becoming reaquainted with old friends.

I do not know the reality of some of the main plot points. I believe some of them have been speculated on by biographers and literary historians, but not known for certain. However, as this is a work of fiction, Brown has the option of creating a story using certain speculations as fact. This she does with poetic beauty. My only complaint is that the story shows Ralph Waldo Emerson in a rather unflattering light. However, if this is the truth about him, then so be it. After all, Brown is writing fiction, but fiction that uses as its main characters people who really lived. Like all of us, they too had their flaws as well as their virtues. To be fair, Lidian is not portrayed as a perfect specimen, either. I think this is one of the things I like best about this book. It portrays real people who've been placed on a pedestal for a long time as thoroughly, wonderfully human.

[Karyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn into the story of Lydia (Lidian) Jackson from the very first few pages. It's rare that a book grips me so tightly, so I dove head-first into this novel and relished every second. It took me roughly two and a half days to get through this book, and only because I had a family to take care of in between reading sessions.

Lydia (renamed Lidian by her husband, Ralph Waldo Emerson) is a strong woman with strong convictions. Still unmarried in her early 30s, she has no interest in shackling herself to a man, since marriage is such an unequal institution in the 1830s. However, Emerson convinces her that as intelligent, thinking people, they can make a new style of marriage, one in which the husband and wife are equally yoked. Yet things don't work out quite the way the Emersons plan, even with the best of intentions.

This is such a fascinating peek into the life of Lidian Emerson, a woman who has been nearly lost to history. It is, of course, fiction, but it's easy to imagine that Lidian may have been this strong, intelligent woman with her own ideas on how to manage her life. It is also enjoyable to see all the famous people who make cameos in this novel, including Henry David Thoreau, Bronson Alcott, and his daughter Louisa May Alcott. It makes me want to travel back in time to 1830s Massachusetts to sit in on one of Emerson's dinner parties attended by such titans of American philosophy and thought.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book mainly because of my interest in the writings of Thoreau and Emerson. It was quite intriguing to see them come to life in this fictional way. Brown was careful to frame the entire story around factual events such as the forest fire Thoreau caused and the many visitations to Bush by important thinkers. It is very well written. My only problem is the affair Lidian had with Henry in this novel. Most of us in the Thoreau Society believe strongly that Henry's relationship with her was close but purely platonic. Brown could have built up this aspect instead the sexual one she used.

[Amy Renshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story of a brilliant, independent woman of the 1800s and the complexities of being married to the famous writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The author created an engaging love story, full of family challenges and interactions with other writers like Henry David Thoreau and the Alcotts.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fully fictional story about a relationship between Lydian Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Tedious to get through.

[Carol Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discord in Concord. An inside-look at the Great Man Ralph Waldo Emerson through the eyes of his wife. They say no man is a king to his wife, and this is particularly true for the Sage of Concord. From biographies of him you don’t know what his wife was like except as a domestic server and child-bearer. This imaginative focus on her perspective shows Emerson as self-absorbed, selfish, charming and charismatic to everyone except his wife. Thoreau comes off as loving and caring, attuned to Lydian Emerson’s moods and needs.
Hard to differentiate truth from fiction, but portraying this couple as human beings, with all their virtues and flaws, is a service.

[Barbara Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the story a fascinating portrayal of the inner lives of Emerson and Thoreau, beyond what is factually known. The story is told from Lidian’s ( Emerson’s second wife) point of view and the reader is truly and almost seamlessly immersed in the culture and times of 1800’s New England. The furnishings, dishware, clothing, food, weather, natural environment, living arrangements, employment, transport and travel conditions, childbearing, childcare, illness, abortion, slavery, death, morals, faith - all these and more are woven into Lidian’s narrative on her MARRIAGE… which goes beyond to include the legal status of women, expectations for wives, love, infidelity, and hope.

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that touches on transcendentalism, Emerson and Thoreau.

[N.J. Mastro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books you don't want to see end. I became enchanted with Lidian Emerson immediately. I have to admit, prior reading about her had left me with the impression of her as a drab, mousy, sickly woman. I couldn't have been more wrong. When featured beyond the shadow of her husband Ralph Waldo Emerson, she shines in her own right. I was blow away by her sensuality. And I loved reading about Henry David Thoreau. Here again we see a very famous figure in a new light that softens some of his edges. I would also add that Belden's writing stands on its own. Her prose is engaging. I felt like I was present in every scene. Even if the story had not been about such famous and intriguing people, I would have loved it. Recommended for people who love reading about actual historical figures and who love a story in which love is doomed from the start.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by an educator at Orchard House (Alcott's home), I was instantly intrigued--after all, I'm a musuem educator! I'm always cautious of books that take very famous people and imagine the rest of the story. Occasionally, I am horrified (though I rarely stop reading--it's that whole accident on a freeway syndrome). However, this book was fabulous. A wonderful psychological study of a woman who marries late in life to a genius--and finds that marriage to Emerson is not at all what she or he expected. There's lot of name dropping, but it's not forced--since everyone who was anyone in the mid-19th century hung out in Concord in Emerson's house. I do wonder about one of the major twists in this book involving Thoreau (don't want to spoil it), but based on the little I know about the Concord people, the book rang true. Of course, an expert would probably have a heart attack. Read it for the stuff about marriage and sacrifices.

[JoAnne Pulcino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful debut novel featuring the portrait of a marriage between an independent, fascinating woman and one of America's greatest philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's an extraordinary read in which the author brings the 19th century to life, and takes an imaginative leap combining fiction with factual history. Once married, the intelligent and passionate Mrs. Emerson discovers her husband's secret obsession. After years of hurt and loneliness she moves beyond duty and ultimately succumbs to temptation with Emerson's dashing protégé, Henry David Thoreau. This is a truly engaging story in which the reader finds sympathy and affection for most of the characters. Ms. Brown writing gives the wife a poetic voice and skillfully presents her with grace and strength in her feminine consciousness. This one comes highly recommended!

[Northshire Bookstore · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you find yourself yearning for the days when you first read the great 19th century authors, you will want to immerse yourself in this story. I suppose if there are women out there who are still looking for their soul mate, they will be able to take heart in the poignant and expertly rendered tale of Lydian Jackson Emerson and the great intellectual and emotional fever that infected both men and women of the time. Absolutely stunning historical fiction. -- Karen F.

[Paula Cappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much that I read it once a year. Lydia Emerson's life, her marriage to Ralph Waldo Emerson, her perspectives on work and women in the 19th century are more than just fascinating. Brown really brings you to Concord with these characters. I look forward to reading more of Brown's work but, honestly, reading this book every year is like living in Concord at the height of its literary achievements. Few novels bring me to tears. This one did.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the novelized account of one woman's life, Amy Belding Brown captures the dilemma of all who expect to makeover marriage in their own style. The language and pace of the book recreate an era without becoming unnecessarily stilted to a modern ear. Of course, filling in the "cracks" - the authors own words - left me wanting to explore the work of those who held to a more factual account, such as Delores Bird Carpenter or Ellen Tucker Emerson.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t like books that make me root for married people to have affairs. I feel manipulated by this whole story and wasn’t a big fan. That said, my two stars was for the knowledge I gained about three interesting people from history and their lives; as there were some events which were based on facts included in the book.

[Karen Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took awhile to get into, but it was worth the wait. Fictional account of the Author Emerson and his wife, along with their friendship to Thoreau. Explores what it was like married to a brilliant man. Read it, if you like historical fiction based on real life.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to be intrigued but mostly I was bored.

[Lorraine Tosiello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well-written, thoroughly researched fictional imagining of the relationship between Lidian Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. I liked the skill the writer had of revealing to us so very clearly the New England customs and mores of the time. I liked reading about the life of a housewife of the time, the kitchen garden, the baking, the transportation, the social conventions.

I adore reading about the Transcendental Circle of Concord. I agree with the writer that Emerson was a cold fish, that his greatest claim to fame lies in his discovery and mentorship of Thoreau. What made me bristle, though, was the depiction of Lidian Emerson. From page one she was not a woman one wanted to root for. She was depicted as judgmental, preachy, overly emotional, needy. I could not align the author's portrait of Lidian with the one I had conjured through previous reading: a gracious, witty, independent woman, who supported her husband emotionally and intellectually and managed his home to provide the comforts necessary for him to do his philosophical work. Yes, she was a jealous woman, yes she was rigidly spiritual, but she was also sarcastic and iconoclastic enough to write the humorous and biting "Transcendentalist Bible", which was completely neglected in this story.

Because I love it, I will add it for you here, and you can judge for yourself if the woman depicted in the novel would have written such a piece. I think not, she would have quivered and doubted herself and fear it would ridicule her husband and draw negative attention to herself and would never have produced this...but the real Lidian did!
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engwe...

My favorite line from the real Lidian: Showing how very much she loved her husband, recognized his faults, and was ready to gently rib him about them:
Loathe and shun the sick. They are in bad taste, and may untune us for writing the poem floating through our mind.

So, read this smart book and decide for yourself if it could possibly portray Lidian Emerson as she really was.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I have never been a fan of the Transcendentalism Movement (the idea that men can be truly self-reliant and inherently become their own "god"). However, since I have visited Walden Pond, seen Henry Thoreau's cabin, toured Louisa May Alcott's home (and read a biography of her father, Bronson who was also active in this movement), I was intrigued by the premise of this book. I have no way of knowing how much of this is actually true (the author's notes at the end did nothing to inform me, other than saying her personality was imagined/created, unfortunately). I would assume there is some element of truth to the situation (Lydia/Henry) as derived from her letters. In any case, it was an interesting, although disheartening read.

Lydia married Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson because she was captivated by the thought of marrying someone so well known, and whom her family loved (and encouraged her to marry), in a moment of emotion after years of declaring she had no desire to marry. There were NUMEROUS red flags leading up to the marriage itself, but she chose to ignore them all, mentally explaining them all away. And then...she laments her life of being trapped in a loveless marriage- when she should have refrained from entering into it to begin with. She is distraught with "belonging" to her husband, with no legal rights, as a piece of property. "My sex was more constricting than any corset." She felt hopeless, which ironically led to her making decisions that plunged her to greater sorrow.

It was my first experience with Lydia Emerson, and I appreciated being able to get to "know" her a little bit through this author's perspective.

[Mike Shoop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brown's novel about Lydia (Lidian) Jackson Emerson is based on actual events and really immerses the reader into the mid-19th century Concord of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. I found Lidian an interesting character, an educated, intellectual thinker of her own, but always overshadowed by her brilliant husband, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and constrained by the expectations of the society she lived in. Disappointed in her marriage, neglected by Emerson, she forms an attachment to Thoreau, but fights the attraction she develops, until one day... Never been a huge fan of Emerson or Thoreau, and neither comes off well in this novel, but Lidian herself doesn't always either: all three are portrayed as flawed humans who made mistakes, faced disappointments and challenges, hurt one another, and sought long lasting love and commitment. Covering mainly the decades from 1835-1865, Brown's research really shows as she weaves a satisfying story about an extraordinary woman of principle caught up in an astounding circle of men and women in the years leading up to the Civil War--people like the Alcotts, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others who made lasting contributions to the American literary landscape, all the while searching for her own freedom to fulfill her own life's promise. A thoughtful, beautifully written book.