Emily's House

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

so-so

I feel almost a bit of a letdown with this one - I adore Emily Dickinson‘s poetry, and I had hoped there would be more interaction between her and Margaret. Instead, while overall an interesting story, I felt the narrative bogged down in the middle of the book. Sometimes I had a hard time following Margaret‘s thoughts and her speech patterns, and I would have to reread a few sentences to better understand. #LiteraryCrew

Librarybelle #Booked2023 #SetInTwoOrMoreTimePeriods @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen 2y

Librarybelle #52BookClub23 #DoesntFitAnyOfTheOther51Prompts @Cinfhen @BookBelle84 @rmaclean4 @Read4life @ravenlee @LaraReads @triplem80 @Smarkies @Bluebird @Deblovestoread @AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB @jenniferw88 @squirrelbrain @KarenUK @LeeRHarry @CarolynM @azulaco 2y

LeeRHarry That‘s a shame it wasn‘t a hit. Hopefully your next read will be!😊 2y

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Librarybelle Thanks, @LeeRHarry ! I hope so too! 2y

squirrelbrain Sounds good on paper, but at least it fulfilled a prompt! 🤷‍♀️ 2y

Librarybelle So true, @squirrelbrain ! 2y

Deblovestoread I‘m sorry it didn‘t work for you either but it made me feel better about my DNF 😁 2y

Librarybelle @Deblovestoread I had hoped for so much more! 2y

88 likes8 comments

mrp27

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

pick

#literarycrew #buddyread

A soft pick for me. I was expecting a different story. This was more of a focus on Emily‘s maid and not so much on Emily herself. Glad I got to read it though, had some interesting information that I didn‘t know about Dickinson.

Librarybelle

Librarybelle Completely agree! 2y

31 likes1 comment

mcctrish

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

pick

I had no idea this book was about Emily Dickinson and I‘m so happy #literarycrew chose it ❤️❤️ I love the Dickinson tv show and I kept imaging the actress who plays Maggie while I read this.

Librarybelle So glad you liked it! 2y

30 likes1 comment

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

It is time for this month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead discussion! I have posted 7 questions under the spoiler that you can find either in my feed, the book‘s feed, or searching the hashtags.

Any other thoughts to share??? Thanks for joining this month!

mcctrish, Julsmarshall, melissajayne, Jerdencon, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, BethM, megnews, mrp27, Deblovestoread, MoonWitch94, KristiAhlers, julieclair, AllDebooks

58 likes

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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7. What was Margaret's reaction when Tommy told her that his letter instructing her to stay in Amherst was the Squire's idea? Why did the Squire trick Margaret into staying with the Dickinson family instead of traveling West? Could you ever have forgiven him? ~from Readers Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

megnews Because he loved Emily that much. He probably felt Emily‘s happiness was more important than an Irish servants. She may be able to forgive him in the end because she was happy with how her life turned out and because she too grew to love Emily. 2y

mrp27 I was surprised she wasn‘t more angry, I would have been. I thought what he did was horribly selfish even if it was out of love for Emily. Threatening and deceitfully changing someone‘s life course is cruel no matter how well things ended up throning out. 2y

mcctrish What the squire did was gangster level bullying! If he‘d half a brain and an ounce of interest in anyone outside himself he would have been aware of the connection between Emily and Margaret and appealed to that. Margaret was upset; angry, hurt and afraid but leaving over the squires actions would amount to the same if she left to go west #catchtwentytwo 2y

Librarybelle It was so cruel! I felt terrible for Margaret. I think she had all of that time to think about her path and maybe realize that the West was not the place for her. Yet, the Squire tricking her was horrid. @megnews @mrp27 @mcctrish 2y

9 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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6. According to the Emily Dickinson Museum website, “Bianchi's will stipulated that, should [the inheritor or their family] ever choose not to live in the house, the Evergreens should be torn down rather than sold to another owner.“ Luckily, the property, like Emily's poems, was saved from this fate...Discuss possible reasons why the Dickinsons would insist on destroying their legacies. Pride? Sentimentality? Embarrassment?

megnews I think sentimentality. I think this was fairly common then and I‘ve never understood it. 2y

mcctrish Pride in the Dickinsons‘ case, their family home not A family home and privacy 2y

Librarybelle Maybe it‘s a case of all of the above, @megnews @mcctrish . Definitely a common practice that ultimately safeguarded privacy. 2y

7 likes3 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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5. The title of this novel refers to the Dickinsons' beautiful Homestead, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and recently restored by the Emily Dickinson Museum. What role does the Homestead play in the novel? How does physical space play into Emily and Margaret's connection? ~from Readers Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Librarybelle I highly recommend taking the time to explore the Emily Dickinson Museum's website: https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/ . You can see videos of recent restoration, fascinating programs the Museum has sponsored about Dickinson and 19th century life, and so much more. I'm a huge fan. 2y

megnews The Homestead almost became a character in and of itself. I love when a house does that. They have so many stories to tell. 2y

Jerdencon If I‘m ever that way would love to see it… and will check out the website to see how it compares to the image in my mind. 2y

Librarybelle It is an incredible place to visit! Both the Homestead and the Evergreens. And yes, I definitely felt the Homestead was a character in the book! @megnews @Jerdencon 2y

8 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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4. Patrick Quinn plays a major role in Margaret's self-discovery as she begins to embrace her heritage but he also drives her away from her roots with some of his more radical ideas for Ireland. How would her life (and identity) be different if Patrick Quinn never knocked on the kitchen door? ~from Readers Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

mrp27 I don‘t think she would have stood up for herself the way she did to Emily when she mocked her for being Irish. He gave her courage for sure. 2y

Librarybelle I agree, @mrp27 , that he seemed to give her courage and to help point out that, through her greater appreciation of her heritage, that she was just as good as anyone else. 2y

7 likes2 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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3. As the Dickinsons' maid, Margaret witnesses the various romantic relationships that take place, including Emily's infatuation with Judge Lord and Austin's affair with Mabel, and Vinnie's fascination with everyone else's trysts. How did the Dickinsons' personal lives affect how Margaret viewed her own love life? Why do you think Margaret never married? ~from Readers Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

megnews She seemed to relish her independence and being unencumbered. I also think she felt she had already had her one great love. 2y

mrp27 I don‘t think she ever married because she saw the hardship of marriage and she loved her independence. Her sense of adventure could have taken her anywhere at anytime and she didn‘t want to be held back by a marriage. I think witnessing the Dickinson‘s relationship she was able to see that one, no matter class we‘re all alike and have the same feelings, two she could see what she wanted and didn‘t want. 2y

mcctrish She answers this herself in the book ( and I think it‘s true) she wanted to be free to make her own choices 2y

Librarybelle She definitely enjoyed her independence! @megnews @mrp27 @mcctrish 2y

8 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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2. Put yourself in Margaret's shoes - would you have burned the poems? Do you think Margaret ever regretted sharing Emily's work, especially after Mabel's meddling in their publication was revealed? ~from Readers Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

megnews Absolutely not. Can you imagine? 2y

Jerdencon I don‘t think I would have burned them either. 2y

mrp27 I don‘t think I could have burned them. 2y

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PurpleyPumpkin Nope, I could not have burned them. I‘m wayyy too sentimental! 2y

mcctrish I couldn‘t have although it would have killed me when Mable got her hands on them 2y

Librarybelle I don‘t think I would burn them either. I cringed when Vinnie burned the letters - thinking of Cassandra burning Jane Austen‘s letters and all of the information lost! And yes, @mcctrish , I was horrified that Mabel got to work with the poems! @megnews @Jerdencon @mrp27 @PurpleyPumpkin 2y

8 likes6 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

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1. Though she tried not to let it show, why did Margaret care so much about the Dickinson family's opinion of her? ~from Readers Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

megnews The treatment of immigrants in that time was as if they were less than. I think Margaret, like many immigrants, wanted them to know she was just as good as them, intelligent with dreams of her own, not only there to serve their purpose. 2y

Jerdencon I think it was her identity and she couldn‘t part with that. 2y

mrp27 I agree with both, she wanted them to know she was just as much a decent person and was not just a stereotype. 2y

Librarybelle @megnews @Jerdencon @mrp27 I completely agree…there were a few times she would say something to show that she was just as good as anyone else. 2y

10 likes4 comments

megnews

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

pick

I started this once before and it didn‘t pull me in. This time around it still started out slow but in the end I enjoyed this story about Emily Dickinson as seen through the eyes of a servant. #literarycrew

Librarybelle

Librarybelle I‘m so glad you were able to join us this month! Are you able to join us for

The Masterpiece: A Novel

megnews @librarybelle Yes I plan too. Life‘s been busy lately and I just realized a few days ago I never rsvp‘d for this one. I‘ve been doing mostly audio lately. Can‘t seem to concentrate on reading. (edited) 2y

45 likes2 comments

mcctrish

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

Another day off for me so I‘m going to get into this book for #literarycrew and do some outside the house errands. I do like a slow start to the day

Sparklemn Cute mug 2y

mcctrish @Sparklemn I have a mug and book problem 🤣🤣 2y

Sparklemn @mcctrish Those are good problems to have!
2y

42 likes1 stack add3 comments

megnews

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

Librarybelle

Librarybelle Love it! 2y

40 likes1 comment

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

Can you believe we‘re halfway through April?!?!

Check in post for this month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead selection. Any thoughts or comments to share so far? Discussion will be April 30th!

mcctrish, Julsmarshall, melissajayne, Jerdencon, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, BethM, mrp27, Deblovestoread, Sargar114, MoonWitch94, KristiAhlers, julieclair, AllDebooks

mcctrish I have it and I‘m going to start it soonish. I had a bunch of library books to read and since I own this 👏🏻👏🏻 I can read it right before you post the questions and remember what the heck was going on. I did read the first chapter and I totally did not realize it was going to be about Emily Dickinson ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 2y

Deblovestoread Hoping to get it to it soon. 2y

julieclair Haven‘t started yet, but it‘s on my list to begin this week. Looking forward to it! 2y

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Jerdencon I have it and read the first chapter and need to get back to it before the library takes my ebook back 2y

Sargar114 I don‘t think I‘ll be getting to this one this month. Enjoy!!! 2y

kspenmoll I-Read this last year.loved this perspective- hope you all enjoy as I did 2y

57 likes6 comments

LitsyEvents

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

repost for @Librarybelle:

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead takes us to Massachusetts, specifically the Dickinson household and follows the longtime maid. I love Emily Dickinson‘s poetry, so I‘m really looking forward to this one!

Tagging those who have expressed interest in this month‘s selection. All are welcome! I‘ll post periodic checkins throughout the month. Discussion questions posted on the 30th.

LitsyEvents Comment on original post to be added to tag list:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2565463 2y

Librarybelle Thanks for reposting! 2y

KristiAhlers @Librarybelle please add me to this list! I haven't been on litsy much except to post reviews so I missed this one! 2y

Librarybelle Will do, @KristiAhlers ! 2y

25 likes4 comments

Librarybelle

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead takes us to Massachusetts, specifically the Dickinson household and follows the longtime maid. I love Emily Dickinson‘s poetry, so I‘m really looking forward to this one!

Tagging those who have expressed interest in this month‘s selection. All are welcome! Comment below, and I‘ll include you in the April tag list. I‘ll post periodic checkins throughout the month. Discussion questions posted on the 30th.

mcctrish, Julsmarshall, melissajayne, Jerdencon, kspenmoll, Sargar114, MoonWitch94, LitsyEvents, julieclair, AllDebooks

Librarybelle @Cinfhen @BethM @PurpleyPumpkin - interested in joining the April buddy read? 2y

BethM This sounds great! 2y

Deblovestoread I just picked up a copy yesterday so would like to join. 2y

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mrp27 I hope to join! 2y

julieclair Looking forward to it! My hold just came in today. 😃 2y

Librarybelle Awesome, @BethM @Deblovestoread @mrp27 @julieclair !! 2y

PurpleyPumpkin Yes, this sounds interesting! I‘m in. 😉👍🏽 2y

Librarybelle Hooray, @PurpleyPumpkin !! 2y

51 likes8 comments

kspenmoll

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

pick

Irish immigrant Margaret Maher, was the only maid in the Dickinson household for 30 years.This story,a well researched mix of fact and fiction, is narrated in the POV of Margaret.This rich novel,while mostly about Emily, also provides an insight into her family. Margaret helped Emily organize her poems into chapbooks,thus insuring their preservation. In the novel Margaret says of Emily‘s poems:” Like sparks they were, tiny scraps of light.”

kspenmoll Interesting fact: The author is descended from the Dickinson‘s on her father‘s side 2y

kspenmoll Now I intend to read from my TBR

After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America's Greatest Poet

LeahBergen This sounds good! 2y

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TheBookHippie This sounds wonderful! 2y

Sparklemn Just bought this one. Great review! 2y

kspenmoll @Sparklemn Thanks, I really enjoyed it. I hope you do! 2y

68 likes4 stack adds6 comments

kspenmoll

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

#thinkpositivebepositive #EmilyDickinson

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💜💜💜 2y

Eggs Beautiful 🥰 2y

45 likes2 comments

kspenmoll

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

Breakfast with the Dickinson‘s maid, Margaret. My neighbor lent me this a year ago!!! So I best read it! Then I send it along to someone else. #EmilyDickinson

Sapphire Sounds interesting! 2y

60 likes2 stack adds1 comment

kspenmoll

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

My neighbor dropped this off for me today. We often share books. Lucky me!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful 💙🌹 3y

megnews I am very excited to read this one!! 3y

66 likes2 comments

SilversReviews

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

pick

They are selling Emily‘s house? That can‘t be.

Emily loved The Homestead and so did Margaret.

Emily Dickinson‘s maid, Margaret Maher, was her confidant, best friend, and was the one who kept Emily writing her poetry and kept Emily from disposing of her work.

Truly enjoyed this book.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/4n5tcjzc

@amybeldingbrown

39 likes

Reecaspieces

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

so-so

Review is up on my blog! Check it out! Sort of blah!

https://reecaspieces.com/2021/08/04/emilys-house-by-amy-belding-brown-review-fic...

45 likes

SilversReviews

Emily's House | Amy Belding Brown

Fans of the eccentric and reclusive Emily Dickinson will enjoy this account of Emily and her maid, Margaret Maher.

A well-researched and absorbing book.5/5

Full Review will be on August 5.

@amybeldingbrown

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