The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism

by Megan Marshall

Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody were in many ways our American Brontes. The story of these remarkable sisters and their central role in shaping the thinking of their day has never before been fully told. Twenty years in the making, Megan Marshall's monumental biography brings to new life the era of creative ferment known as the American Renaissance. Elizabeth, the oldest sister, was a mind-on-fire thinker. A powerful influence on the great writers of the era Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau among them she also published some of their earliest works. It was Elizabeth who prodded these newly minted Transcendentalists away from Emerson's individualism and toward a greater connection to others. Mary was a determined and passionate reformer who finally found her soul mate in the great educator Horace Mann. The frail Sophia was a painter who won the admiration of the great society artists of the day. She married Nathaniel Hawthorne but not before Hawthorne threw the delicate dynamics among the sisters into disarray. Marshall focuses on the moment when the Peabody sisters made their indelible mark on history. Her unprecedented research into these lives uncovered hundreds of letters never read before as well as other previously unmined original sources. The Peabody Sisters casts new light on a legendary American era. It is destined to become an event in American biography.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, American History, Feminism, Biography Memoir, Historical

602 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Megan Marshall is the author of The Peabody Sisters, which won the Francis Parkman Prize, the Mark Lynton History Prize, the Massachusetts Book Award in Nonfiction, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography and memoir. Her essays and reviews have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, and Slate. A recipient of Guggenheim and NEH fellowships, Marshall teaches narrative nonfiction and the art of archival research in the MFA program at Emerson College.

Her biography of Margaret Fuller is the winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Biography.

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sad to envision the everyday unfairness faced by these three enterprising women. Megan Marshall describes how Elizabeth assesses if it is appropriate for a woman to establish a bookstore, how Sophia accepts that she will never see Italy because she is not married and how Mary quietly waits, waits and waits... in disguised desperation for the man she loves. Elizabeth suffers whispering campaigns, digs on her appearance and from loneliness as her sisters find true love with the men for whom she provides the entre.

The Peabody women not only contend with a social structure which accepts unfairness to women, these family breadwinners face the downward mobility of their time. They compete with male teachers and artists who have an education from which females are excluded. The sisters' access to the synergy of a network is compromised by the mores of the time which destroys reputations for the least sign of familiarity with men who comprise the network. The progressive men in Elizabeth's circle may give her support, but it is always qualified. She could not succeed without these men. Each takes more than he gives with Bronson Alcott being the most egregious example.

The 3 Peabody brothers are not just lackluster but also irresponsible towards the family. The one who survives to middle age might just be the "Joe Six Pack" of his day. An appraisal of family dynamics considering communication patterns, paternal (lack of) nurturing and birth order would be interesting.

Elizabeth is clearly the star of the show. She is the one to whom the modern world can more closely relate. She dominates the biography as she probably dominated the lives of her siblings, a dominance both used and resented by her sisters. She is remarkably alone.

The ideas that Elizabeth and her transcendentalist friends proposed are now mainstream. Like all who are ahead of their time, they were met with both skepticism and outright hostility. I was struck by how the break from Calvinist self abnegation was the opening for what we call today, self-esteem. While I often wonder how Washington, Adams and Jefferson could relate to today's world, Elizabeth as presented by Marshall, would be more at home now than then.

For research and documentation, this is a 5 star book. I give it 4 because there are times when the documentation gets in the way of the prose making it too academic for the general reader. Also, the book abruptly ends. In a short chapter called "Epilogue May 1, 1843" the sisters' next 40+ years are summed up. I hope there is a volume 2. I'd like to know more of the sisters as the Civil War develops and unfolds.

Interesting that this was a runner up for the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. Prize winners in 2008 and 2007 are Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father and The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher respectively. Is it that this period of history has captured the reading and reviewing audience or has it captured the best writers of our times?

[Jennifer Wixson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love this book. As a woman I grew up learning his-story, and The Peabody Sisters (a must-read gift from a friend) tells the female side of the Transcendental movement in 19th century America. If you love Ralph Waldo Emerson and/or Nathaniel Hawthorne you need to read what Megan Marshall has to say about the inspiration and encouragement these important men of letters received from Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia Peabody.

Elizabeth, the precocious elder sister, became an author, publisher and religious reformer, perhaps the 1st in America to coin the term "transcendental" (borrowed from the English poet Wordsworth). Sophia, the youngest sister, despite a life of illness possible caused by mercury poisoning as a child, became a celebrated artist. Marshall claims that both Elizabeth and Sophia (at different times) were engaged to Elizabeth's prodigy Hawthorne -- Sophia ended up marrying him. Mary Peabody, the middle sister, a teacher and writer in her own right, became the head supporter and wife of legendary school reformer Horace Mann, a long-time friend of older sister Elizabeth.

The minutiae of her-story in this book is incredible, and makes the reader feel as though she was living vicariously in Salem, Boston, Concord -- perhaps as a close friend of the Peabody family (close enough so that you can see Henry David Thoreau planting beans and squash in the garden of the Old Manse in Concord, preparing for the arrival of the newly married Hawthornes). The end-notes are fabulous and photos perfectly placed, adding a personal and poignant connection to the tale. The Peabody Sisters is 5-stars for me, even though the book seems to end abruptly and certainly before I was ready for it to end. Perhaps Megan Marshall has a follow-up planned. I hope so. The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism

January 30, 2018
I downgraded my rating on this book from 5-stars to 4-stars because I recently stumbled upon the book, The Peabody Sisters of Salem by Louise Hall Tharp, which was obviously the basis upon which Megan Marshall built her book. There are so many similarities between the two books that it appears to me as though Ms. Marshall has simply updated Ms. Tharp's book, giving it a more modern feminist slant. I actually enjoyed Ms. Tharp's book better and knowing now that she did most of the heavy lifting (i.e. the research work) makes me want to shout, "Hurrah for you, Ms. Tharp!" It's probable that Megan Marshall gave Ms. Tharp credit someplace in her book; however, in my opinion she certainly didn't get the credit she deserves.

[Julie]

7.5/10

This is a creditable book by Megan Marshall on the lives of Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia Peabody, three very remarkable women in 19th Century America, who provided the tenor of that society as much, if not more than Emerson or Thoreau -- but who for the most part, as often happens in women's history, remained the unsung.

Much as I was looking forward to this, and much as I appreciate all the work done here, I need to be honest with myself: this never really "catches fire" in my imagination.

The undertaking might have worked better, in the end, if Marshall had dedicated one book to each of the sisters, for although this addresses the lives of all three, most of it is dedicated to exploring Elizabeth's, (the eldest) life. Arguably, she is the most talented, the most accomplished, the most intellectual of the three -- but the artistic sensibilities of the others are subsumed in her shadow and I feel we are left wanting.

Marshall's work is exhaustive and authoritative, and to prove it, she leaves us with 200+ pages of notes; 200+ pages which I think might have been better served had they been dedicated to filling out the sisters' histories, rather than providing proof of all her hard work. Not that references should be discounted, of course, but when the weight of a work rests on its end notes ...

I appreciated that she undertook the task at all, for it has the power of re-introducing us to three amazing women who "ignited American Romanticism". I do feel that the title is exact, and deserved.

Despite all the good parts, I was sorely tempted at one point to put it aside, for I found it too frustrating not being able to get more meat from the bones.

But I did read to the last word, and ironically was rewarded most delightfully by the last paragraph.

When Elizabeth died in 1894, at almost ninety, she was widely celebrated as the founder of kindergartens in America. A settlement house was established in her memory -- the Elizabeth Peabody House -- which still operates in Somerville, Massachusetts. The honors more than counterbalanced the gently satirical portrait painted of her as Miss Birdseye by Henry James in his novel The Bostonians. Elizabeth had outlived her fellow Transcendentalists; her "practical" Transcendentalism would survive them all.

Having just read all of Elizabeth's accomplishments, it was with a little stab of the heart that I remembered Miss Birdseye in James's novel:

She stopped on the sidewalk, and looked vaguely about her, in the manner of a person waiting for an omnibus or a street-car; she had a dingy, loosely-habited air, as if she had worn her clothes for many years and yet was even now imperfectly acquainted with them; a large, benignant face, caged in by the glass of her spectacles, which seemed to cover it almost equally everywhere, and a fat, rusty satchel, which hung low at her side, as if it wearied her.

Everything about this portrait stings of dinginess -- mind and spirit -- and yet to read about Elizabeth Peabody, the accomplished woman, nothing could have been farther from the truth. It makes me wonder why such coals were heaped on her head, by James.

I never did like The Bostonians. I'll have to re-read it, to remember it more justly, so I can now further downgrade it. : |

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Peabody sisters were three really remarkable women, unusually so for post-revolution Massachusetts. Their mother's family had been comfortably well-off, but lost it all when her father was accused of bungling a battle against the British in the Revolutionary War. Before all was lost however, Mrs. Peabody was allowed the run of her grandfather's library - giving her lifelong beliefs in the power and value of women's education. I can't emphasize enough how radical that was in late 18th century. She raised her three girls: Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia, with these same belief systems.
As the oldest of eventually six children, Elizabeth especially embraced her unusual education at her mother's knee, becoming a precocious child who read voraciously out of the libraries of any mentor who presented himself. She developed a forthright personality, not afraid to mingle in intellectual Boston. She began schools at a young age, often barely older than her oldest students. The second sister, Mary, was better-kept and prettier than Elizabeth, and would have faded into the background at these gatherings if she hadn't been prettier. The youngest, Sophia, was the artist of the family and was nearly invalided for much of the time with what the author speculates were terrible migraines. However, when well enough, Sophia was a talented artist. Again, social constraints of the time period - and the family's penury - kept Sophia from proper artistic training.
The fact that these women were so well educated for the time period was astonishing, especially that they were mostly self-taught, Elizabeth especially met all the great men of the age. Some of the intellectual discussions led to the development of Transcendentalism, a belief system that caused a huge rift in the common Calvinism left over from the Puritans, leading men such as Ralph Waldo Emerson to leave the ministry and become lecturers instead. Through these intellectual circles and lectures, the sisters met many of the great men and women of the age, such as Margaret Fuller (a writer, teacher, and publisher, like Elizabeth); the aforementioned Emerson; Horace Mann, the politician and educator; and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author.
Much time in the book is spent on the romantic lives of the sisters, and their often vying for the same man's attention, such as Elizabeth and Mary both enjoying "close" friendships with a grieving Horace Mann, or Elizabeth and Sophia both attracted to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Elizabeth especially struggled with whether to marry or not, as for a woman of that age, marriage meant the end of any intellectual or career aspirations b/c of the demands of motherhood. Therefore, Elizabeth never married, possibly b/c her younger sisters married the two gentlemen that Elizabeth was especially interested in? Sophia married Nathaniel Hawthorne, and - fter pining after him for many years - Mary eventually married Horace Mann, who went on to a distinguished career in politics, after establishing guidelines for a Massachusetts school system.
And Elizabeth? Elizabeth Peabody has gone down in history as the woman who invented Kindergartens. Not a bad legacy.
This book took 20 years for the author to research and write. The notes are voluminous, and the biography is dense with information. This slowed my reading, as I really wrestled with understanding some of the concepts that Elizabeth and her friends were exploring in their letters and meetings. I hate to do it for such a deeply-researched book, but I can only give it three stars, b/c it got so slow from the plethora of information presented.

[Susan Amper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A combined biography of Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia Peabody. Sophia married Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mary married Horace Mann (educator). I really enjoyed it; it had a fun combination of literary info and gossip. It was a good way to tell a biography. I even read all the notes.
I know a few things about the 19th c. and boring dead white males. It's nice to be reaffirmed in my belief that behind every one of them is a once vibrant dead white woman.
I did not know that Eliz. Peabody was such an intellectual. I find it not surprising at all to learn that R. Waldo Emerson lifted her ideas for his sermons (I never have liked him) and also William Ellery Channing. I was also not aware of her own ideas about transcendetalism and how foresighted and on the cutting edge she was.
The stuff about Hawthorne was great. I love that he romanced both Elizabeth and Sophia and could not entirely give up on E.P. because she was good for his career. Looks like she was good for the careers of lots of people. It's too bad Poe didn't set up shop in Boston or Salem; she could have found him a job or patrons as she did for Hawthorne.
Very readable. I recommend it.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meticulously researched and at times too painstakingly detailed story of three extremely talented, intelligent, and mostly self-educated sisters, who participated in the beginnings of the Transcendentalist movement in 19th century New England and went on to meaningful careers in educational reform, art and literature. One sister became the wife of Nathaniel Hawthorne and another the wife of Horace Mann, and the eldest was famed as one of the most learned American woman of her time. I felt that I really learned so much from this reading perhaps because their lives, their associations, and their milieu were so carefully and thoroughly described. On the whole, it was an enjoyable read. However, I was dismayed that after nearly 500 pages and an extensive Notes section, the story stopped with the three sisters still in their late thirties with over half their lives yet to live, with their extended careers, new marriages, and their future children barely, or not, mentioned. I wish the book had covered their entire lives, although I suppose this was not the author’s purpose, but rather to detail their early development and struggles with poverty, lack of educational opportunities for their gender, and their remarkable breaking of social barriers. They really were quite brilliant women.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this biography of the three Peabody sisters. Because I've been a fan of the Transcendentalists for years, I knew a little about them, but this large book explored their lives and ideas in detail. Great writing, thorough research, and some wonderful illustrations made the book a delight. Besides the sisters themselves, there was plenty here about Thoreau, Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, and others in their circle.

[Cindi (Utah Mom’s Life) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I preordered this book and picked it up from the book store the minute it arrived. I even paid full price. I loved it. Loved it. The Peabody sisters were fascinating women and led amazing lives. Marshall tells their story beautifully.

[Emily Rosenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re not an American Studies scholar, you’ve likely never heard of the Peabody sisters. Even if you are an American Studies scholar, there’s a good chance you just know of Sophia Peabody as the woman who married Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mary Peabody as the woman who became Horace Mann’s second wife. The Peabody Sisters, by Megan Marshall, seeks to change all that, discussing three women who were at the forefront of intellectual, religious, and educational movements.
The sisters were born to a formerly prominent Massachusetts family after the family had already its fortune and sunk a few rungs in respectability. There had already been a scandal involving playwright Royall Tyler, the parlor was shabby, and the girls’ mother, Eliza, was running a school to try to make ends meet. Making ends meet would be a running theme throughout the girls’ lives while their father and brothers seemed to flub one commercial venture after another. Elizabeth was the first to open a school, although Mary would eventually be the more involved in educational reform.
The Peabody sisters came of age in a time when women of brilliance were constrained by social norms. Elizabeth, especially, had difficulty finding outlets for her incredible intelligence, and so she became the intellectual helpmeet of an impressive array of men: Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mann, and Willian Ellery Channing, to name a few. Marshall offers ample evidence that Elizabeth Peabody most likely surpassed several of these men in intellectual capacity, but they rose to prominence while she was relegated to the role of female second-fiddle.
Then there’s Sophia Peabody, who has so often been portrayed by historians as a neurasthenic invalid who Nathaniel Hawthorne saddled himself with. That she was a talented artist denied opportunities due to her sex never seems to be all that important. Marshall makes a strong case that Sophia Peabody’s medical problems probably had a biological basis in the medication she was given – both as a child and as an adult – in addition to the psychological forces at work on her artistic mind.
Marshall beautifully walks the line between excellent research and sensible analysis. The book is quite readable and engaging, yet she never reaches beyond fact to make the narrative more compelling, as was the case in The Tin Ticket. I felt convinced because all of Marshall’s analysis was well-grounded in her research and fully documented. This book does much to fill out the picture of American Romanticism with some of the most important women who have been shunted to the sidelines of history. It’s long, very long, but I didn’t begrudge Marshall the months of nighttime reading it took because it was incredibly well-written and interesting.
I put down the Steve Jobs biography to read this book. It was a far, far better use of my time.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such mixed feelings about this one, which I read for my Boston history class. On one hand, it's so nice to have a history book centered on multiple women and their lives and experiences. It's also a great window into the Transcendentalist movement in Boston, and life in general in the first half of the 19th century.

On the other hand, it is stupidly, obnoxiously gossipy. This book is quite long, and yet it ends with the marriage of one of the sisters (Sophia, who married Nathaniel Hawthorne, and though the youngest of the three, the first to get married). The sisters lived for decades after that, and did many interesting things, and yet that is where the author chose to end the book (other than the brief afterwards). The author mentions taking a really long time to write the book, and perhaps it is a case of having gotten in too deep to realize what is and isn't important, but seriously... she spent ages detailing the scandal of their maternal grandmother's affair, the fact she had an affair child, and that her affair partner wound up marrying one of their aunts (not the one he fathered). Meanwhile, the author couldn't be bothered to write about some of the most important accomplishments of the Peabody sisters (such as Elizabeth opening the first English language kindergarten), except for a brief mention in the afterward. This needed much better editing, and perhaps some different areas of focus.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, very readable biography about three women I had known almost nothing about until I decided to read this book after it was suggested on a quilting blog. Barbara Brackman, a prominent designer of reproduction quilting fabrics, recently released a new line called "The Old Cambridge Turnpike." In her blog, she spoke of the remarkable number of prominent intellectuals who lived along the turnpike in the days when Transcendentalism was beginning to flower. The Peabody Sisters were just a few of the brilliant, creative individuals who were caught up in this "Flowering of New England." I'm very happy to have learned about them, and look forward to reading more about them in the future. This is a perfect book to read during Women's History Month.

[Christine Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exceptionally readable non-fiction accounting of a family of sisters I can't believe I never heard of. They stand in the background of America's literary and philosophical giants--Nathaniel Hawthorne, Horace Mann, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each woman establishes herself in a different sphere, leaving influences in education, art, and philosophy. Despite the length and research, the story of each sister moves smoothly from one to another--the narration draws the reader into the events of their lives. Really fabulous book!

[Victoria Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book about the remarkable Peabody sisters. Megan Marshall is a terrific writer; I know it's a cliche to say so, but she brings these historical figures to life and makes them real and accessible to us. Mid-19th century Boston was a very rich environment for literary and artistic types, and the Peabody sisters were at the center of it all. Juicy fun, a fast read, and you can feel virtuous for brushing up on your American history while you enjoy yourself.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. A fascinating, highly readable account of the lives of Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody. They were interesting, highly educated women who knew, married, and otherwise interacted with a long list of notable nineteenth-century New Englanders. Really worth reading.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super enjoyable, easy to read, and I learned so much from it. Such an interesting and famous cast of characters are in this book!!! However, the sisters steal the show as intended. I was very inspired by Elizabeth, she was definitely something special in my opinion.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louisa May Alcott lead me here. I knew little of anything of these sisters, and now I know a lot more about the Unitarians and Transcendentalists too. Interesting reading!

[Laura McNeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bombshell after historical bombshell:

then, as now, nothing was sexier than a lanky grieving widower. Horace Mann—yes! Horace Mann—was a sexy grieving widower.

Women who were sick all the time were dubbed “bed cases.” Women who were bed cases fell in love with their doctors.

You could be paid for COPYING an oil painting because in early American times, no one had any art to put on the walls.

Then, as now, bookstores were a terrible way to make money. Emerson—yes! Emerson!—did not like to waste money on books, even in his friend Elizabeth Peabody’s bookstore. So her bookstore failed.

And perhaps most memorable of all, Nathaniel Hawthorne courted two sisters, both of whom loved him, and when he realized he was in love with one and not the other, he wrote letters to both of them, which they read side by side on a train.

Please, someone, make a film about the love triangle of Sophia and Elizabeth Peabody and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

[Nicola Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, all I can say is, this is how you write a Pulitzer-winning biography. A colossal and compelling read about three sisters I knew nothing about. I am in awe at the research and presentation. If you enjoy reading about hugely intelligent and artistic women, you could do no better than this book. The three Peabody sisters excelled in all their passions: teaching, painting, sculpture, learning, publishing and, of course, writing. Their social circle included the Emersons, Horace Mann, the Hawthorns and a host of other big names that vied with one another to better their thinking, their religion and their way of life. This was the birth of American Romanticism and each of the three sisters played their part but, perhaps, special mention should be reserved for Elizabeth, the oldest. Her energy and hunger for knowledge, self-confidence and genius is simply inspirational. Highly recommend it.

[Erin Cadwalader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the tale of three sisters who were critical to early New England literature, politics, and the Transcendentalist movement. They say history is written by the winners, but it's mostly written by men still, about men, and this tells the story of the woman that influenced and helped advance the careers of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Horace Mann, and many others. I hope Megan Marshall is working on a follow up and I look forward to it. Her style is scholarly, yet that of someone who understands the social dynamics of complex families. It was a great page turner and I yearn to learn more about these sisters.

[Carol Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many talented women erased from history! The 3 Peabody sisters in 19th-century Boston were incredible auto-didacts. Not allowed to enter any college, they taught themselves languages, philosophy, art etc and were super-accomplished. But deprived of professions, they had to exercise their ambitions indirectly. What a waste of intelligence and competence until women got the vote! Very informative and engaging book.

[HerbieGrandma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read about these amazing sisters, especially Elizabeth. Nice record of changing times and American Romanticism. Well written, not a quick read but worth it.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long, but well done.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the first biography I've read where I didn't already have a sense of the subject's life and importance prior to reading the book. For such a biography, the salient question is always "why am I spending so much time reading about these peoples' lives?", and Marshall takes an interesting approach here where instead of trying to convince you that the Peabody Sisters' various contributions to American educational reform or the Transcendentalist movement were noteworthy enough to merit a biography, she simply presents the lives of these sisters as-is and trusts in the intrinsic interestingness of their lives to keep the reader engaged. In fact, all of these 'societal impacts' feel almost downplayed because we so expect them to be raised up to a level of prominence for the reader, while Marshall instead presents them simply as details that make up the lives of these sisters. When Elizabeth becomes the first woman to open and run a bookshop in the US, for example, it's framed as it probably felt to Elizabeth herself at the time-- a way to try and make some money while staying connected to the literary scene.

This approach works brilliantly because these sisters led such interesting and engaging lives that one would enjoy reading about them even if they hadn't contributed anything of note to society. In these lives there is everything-- the struggle for independence and distinction from brilliant siblings, the attempt to integrate oneself into societal circles where women (and the poor!) have been kept out, the conflict between 'settling down' to marriage and pursuing one's ambitions... all of these come together within the context of an early 19th century New England that is brought to life through meticulous research. Apparently it took 10 years for Marshall to write this book, and the result definitely rewards that time.

[James Bechtel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Marigold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating "her-story" of Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia Peabody, who were born into a genteel but poor family in the 19th century. Megan Marshall spent 20 years researching and writing this book, and it shows--it's a great book! Drawing from letters, journals and writings of their contemporaries, the sisters and their social circle come to life as you read. Elizabeth was a brilliant and multi-lingual intellectual who was never afraid to get involved in conversation with the highest minds of her time; she drew into her circle men of extraordinary learning such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Mann, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott and William Ellery Channing. She was a writer, teacher and editor. In fact she supplied material for many of these men, who, in keeping with their times, took from her more than they gave. It stings a bit to find out that some of the great American Romanticists may have drawn (or even less politely, stolen) their ideas from a woman I hadn't heard of until this year! Mary was the just slightly less brilliant sister, a writer and great teacher. Mary fell in love with Horace Mann - who started off as a very close friend of Elizabeth's - and hid that love for 10 years, before finally getting to marry him. She & her husband were educational reformers, & Mary was a supporter of the anti-slavery movement and the rights of Native Americans. Sophia was the artist of the family - a natural at drawing and painting, a sculptor, and a highly talented copyist of major works of art. She was taught by her sister Elizabeth so she read and spoke languages including Latin, Greek, Hebrew and French. Sophia was an invalid for much of her early life until marriage, suffering from extreme migraines and nervous complaints, which may have stemmed from early treatments administered by her father, a dentist, which included dosing with mercury. As with Horace Mann and Mary Peabody, Sophia was introduced to Nathaniel Hawthorne by Elizabeth, who was friends with him first. Elizabeth appears to have been a woman men were attracted to because of her brilliance and wit, her understanding and fearlessness, her ambition and drive - but they didn't want to marry her, maybe because of the same qualities! Sophia and Hawthorne fell in love and after several years were married.
I was struck by so many things while reading this. It must have been an amazing time to be a woman and an intellectual woman, in New England - where brilliant conversation among both sexes was encouraged and nurtured, as long as certain boundaries were observed. At the same time, the struggle to earn a living - particularly for an unmarried woman - constantly overshadowed life. People moved around a great deal, and were often dependent on friends who could offer lodging. Can't make a living in Boston? Move to Salem. Salem no good? Move to Maine. Maine is bad? Move back to Boston. All that moving back & forth must have been exhausting! And though women were relatively free to pursue the life of the mind in this time and place, they didn't have access to the kind of education men had. Elizabeth was largely self-taught. And, marriage was still expected and without doubt the best way to establish some financial security - so the pressure on all the sisters must have been enormous, but Elizabeth never married & Mary & Sophia did so much later than many women of their peer group. And finally, what was it like to have such an exceptional mind - as Elizabeth had - and find that men still patronized you, took your ideas for themselves, and then asked your help in publishing their works?! I wonder if Elizabeth secretly despised any of the men who were supposed to be her friends.
I would have liked to read more about the sisters' lives after Mary & Sophia married. I know they lived through the Civil War & that would, I'm sure, be interesting to learn about. Maybe there will be a sequel!

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan Marshall basically lived with the Peabody sisters while writing this book (as much as someone can live with a trio of sisters who've been dead for more than 100 years), and it shows in her writing. She delved into their correspondence, their personal journals, their friends' letters to other friends about the sisters, news stories, census reports. And then she took all of this and turned it into the compelling story of three sisters at the center of a huge philosophical shift that took place in New England in the first half of the nineteenth century.

What's really interesting to me was how big an influence the Peabody women had on the men whose names are usually associated with the period: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Mann, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Theodore Parker, William Ellery Channing. I wasn't exactly surprised by this---I'd already read Megan Marshall's biography of Margaret Fuller---but it's still jarring to see just how easily otherwise enlightened men could brush off the accomplishments and intellectual lives of the women around them, and how readily so many women accepted their limited role in society.

I heard on the news today about some story of poor judgment (at best) on the part of a public figure in Boston, and the commentator said, "Why are we not taking to the streets about this?" I have the same feeling when I read about the Peabody sisters. Why aren't the women studying with Elizabeth Peabody and meeting in her book shop rising up and throwing off the restrictive roles their society has handed them? I can speculate about the reasons---all very good ones, too---but it still doesn't quite make sense to me how the granddaughters of those who fought to make the United States into an independent country didn't fight more dramatically on behalf of their own independence.

The other thing that I found interesting was the negative impression I was left with of Emerson, Mann, and Hawthorne. They so obviously used the intelligent women around them, toyed with their affections, pitted sister against sister, and still the sisters defended these men and fought amongst themselves (in a very genteel, epistolary, nineteenth-century way, but it was fighting nonetheless). It's just another reminder, I guess, that although men are placed on pedestals by the writers of history, they are still human beings. Once again, not surprising, just disappointing.

In addition to being an intimate story of the sisters as individuals and of their sisterhood, this is also an excellent history of the Unitarian church. I've often wondered how we got from Calvinism to Unitarian Universalism in fewer than three centuries, and this book helped me make sense of it for the first time. It also sheds light on some of the ongoing friction points within the denomination.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became interested in reading this biography because I had learned about the American Romanticism period in school but it wasn’t covered much other than who some famous male writers were during the time. I wanted an in depth book about these 3 women and was so excited when I found Ms. Marshall’s work. Ms. Megan Marshall spent 20 years researching and writing this book, and it shows--it's a great book! Drawing from letters, journals and writings of their contemporaries, the sisters and their social circle come to life as you read. I was struck by so many things while reading this. It must have been an amazing time to be a woman and an intellectual woman, in New England - where brilliant conversation among both sexes was encouraged and nurtured, as long as certain boundaries were observed. At the same time, the struggle to earn a living - particularly for an unmarried woman - constantly overshadowed life. People moved around a great deal, and were often dependent on friends who could offer lodging. It was astounding learning about that time period in America.

When I first read it in 2006, I probably would given this novel a 4 star rating. Perhaps I've become a less patient reader or have read too many biographies because my rating has now become a 3 star rating after my reread. I’ll be honest and say I had to use a page count goal to keep reading forward. There were some very dry in spots throughout the book for me, but the last 75 pages made the book absolutely better. The ending probably saved this book from becoming a 2.5 star rating now that I think about it.

[Jaylia3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t resist books about sisters, I've read more by and about the Mitford sisters than I’d care to admit, and this thoroughly researched book about the Peabody sisters has all the charms that the best of such books can offer--fascinating personalities, in-depth observations of their family dynamics, and an intimate window into the history of their time. It’s just as informative and moving as author Megan Marshall’s more recent book on Margaret Fuller. Those two books complement each other since they are both about women who were leading thinkers and influential players during the pre-Civil War era when American Romanticism and Transcendentalism were flowering, a time mainly dominated by men.

Money was always an issue for the Peabody family, but that seemed to push each of the sisters to excel. Elizabeth had a voracious intellect and her ideas helped inspire the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, and Bronson Alcott. She published their early works, urged them to curb their individualistic philosophies to connect more with others, and has had a lasting impact by promoting the benefits of kindergarten. Mary was a compassionate reformer who married statesman and educator Horace Mann. Sophia, though sickly, was recognized as a talented artist and she married novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. The book’s tone is sympathetic, but honest, and the sisters come to life on the page to such an extent that it made me feel like I know them.

[Kerry Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book and Kris, Jen, Meg and I had a very successful first book club meeting about it! This book was ultimately a very intimate and fascinating look at Boston area America during the birth of Transcendentalism and women's role in that birth. These three women, each with a distinct personality, did so much with their lives in a time when women usually only did one thing (get married and have babies) that it puts us modern women to shame. And what a circle they were involved in: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Horace Mann, William Ellery Channing, Theodore Parker, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, Thoreau, Emerson - they were there for it all! If you have any interest in this time period whatsoever I highly recommend this book!

[Annemarie Donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to meet this author when she came for a photo shoot at the Old Manse, where I was working at the time. She is a brilliant woman, a passionate research, and a beautiful author. We are so lucky she worked as long and as hard as she did to create this book.

Three sisters, Elizabeth the eldest would become the mother of kindergartens and a reformer of public education, Mary who would marry Charles Mann and assist him in driving the improvement of American curriculum, and the youngest, Sophia who would marry Nathaniel Hawthorne, father of American Gothic Literature. Neither of these men, Hawthorne nor Mann would be who they were without their phenomenal wives and their driven sister Elizabeth. Possibly, America wouldn't be what it is today without them either.