Mr Emerson's Wife [Paperback]

Amy Belding Brown (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (2005)
• ASIN: B000OTAW4Q
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Transcendental Fiction, May 18, 2005

By 

Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mr. Emerson's Wife (Hardcover)

In the 1830s, Ralph Waldo Emerson was known throughout New England as a captivating lecturer and writer, as well as an eligible widower. Lydia Jackson heard him speak in her hometown of Plymouth, and she felt honored and almost unworthy when the great man afterward engaged her in personal conversation. Any number of women would gladly have exchanged places with her. But it was *she* whom Emerson sought out and *she* to whom he proposed marriage. (And *she* of whom he also demanded a name change and a move to Concord, but that's beside the point...)

Theirs was to be an intellectual match of equals and a real partnership, which was an unusual and ambitious undertaking for the time. But after the arrival of their first child, Waldo and Lidian fell into the traditional roles that marriages generally adhere to. For Lidian, the experience resulted in feelings of abandonment and unappreciation. She was often the last to know Waldo's travel plans for lecture tours. She became jealous of every female guest who spent time in parlor discussions with her husband -- with or without good reason -- especially Margaret Fuller. This was *not* the fulfilling life she had imagined.

And so, wanting more, she turned to a close family friend for conversation, caring, and concern - Henry David Thoreau. History has shown that the two were friends. In this novel, they become a bit more intimate, with Lidian being the instigator. In the 21st century, we're not surprised by this kind of turn of events, for we read similar headlines about celebrity marriages and third-party affairs on the front covers of grocery store rags. Those of us who are Thoreau fans would like to think that he would have been above that kind of behavior. And Lidian too, for that matter. They were *Transcendentalists*, for heavens sakes!

I was prepared to hate this book because I knew I disagreed with the Lidian-Henry relationship it describes. But I can't hate the book. It is a work of fiction, after all. I think it's otherwise a fair and valid portrayal of Lidian's life as Mr. Emerson's wife. Too frequently we hear about Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his second wife fades into the background, if she's mentioned at all. Reading this novel will provide a little more perspective into the daily life of the most influential man in 19th-century Concord. The moral of the story is: be careful what you wish for.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning historical fiction, June 8, 2005

By 

Gail Burk (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Emerson's Wife (Hardcover)

I stayed up until almost 2:00 A.M. reading this book! What a gem! Beautifully written, exquisitely etched characters -- it's like being time-machined into an enchanting yesteryear and rubbing shoulders with the Emersons, Thoreaus and Alcotts!

Guess it would be classified as "historical fiction" but the book seems to effortlessly cross that thin, often shadowy dividing line between fiction and biography! What a perceptive and beautifully told account of Lidian (Lydia) Jackson Emerson -- a truly magnificent woman but one who, today, so few know. Obviously the author did meticulous research and it works --- step by step, Lidian is drawn out of the historical closet into the light.

I was particularly struck by what Ms. Brown wrote in the "Author's Note" -- that the book "explores the 'cracks' in the historical record ... tells what 'might have been'....."

She certainly succeeds -- the book is a real joy to read! And as an added bonus, glistens with thought-provoking, historical quotes. Read it -- you'll love it! It's definitely five star in my book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A novel which leads to further reading, July 2, 2005

By 

Ananda Marie "Ananda Marie" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Emerson's Wife (Hardcover)

During my reading of Mr. Emerson's Wife, I resolved to read more about the real lives of the characters involved:Lidian Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Historical fiction can sometimes be a little dry or heavy because it is stuffed too full of facts. Not the case here! I found Lidian Emerson to be a very sympathetic character. She marries a famous philosopher who promises her an equal and mutually respectful relationship, but especially after she becomes a mother, he turns his back on her and treats her like a servant. Lidian's relationship with Henry David Thoreau is what I am most curious about. The author stirs up a romance, a very believable romance, about which I very much enjoyed reading, but I'd like to know the facts. Probably she took some liberty, but such is the playground of fiction. I did not want this book to end, and have reserved some related reading for myself. An excellent first novel!