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irishannie's review against another edition
4.0
19th-century Americans were not so much different than you or I. They were obsessed by sex, alcohol and exotic climes, hence the search for extraordinary hummingbirds. Lord Bryon, like the hummingbird and the Civil War, was also a big influence. Bryon was the Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain of his day, that is, he lived hard and died young. What I remember most from this book is 13-year-old Harriet Beecher's reaction to Bryon's death,'". . . I laid down among the daisies, and looked up into the blue sky, and thought of that great eternity into which Bryon had entered, and wondered how it might be with his soul.'" I'm going to read more of Harriet Beecher Stowe because of this book.
As in other books about the Dickensons, I don't understand Emily and her sister Lavonia's reaction and even encouragement of their brother Austin's affair with Mabel Loomis Todd. In her own words, Mabel was an egotist, '"What is there in me which so attracts men to me, young and old?"' I have one idea why she was so attractive to men -- can you guess? From her photographs, Mabel looks like she suffered from Grave's disease. What did her husband David think about her relationships? The clue to Emily's nonsupport of Austin's wife Susan is that Emily was having an affair with a married man; however, this just seems to be speculation.
I was struck by Emily Dickenson's poems. These are not the poems I remember; they are much darker.
As in other books about the Dickensons, I don't understand Emily and her sister Lavonia's reaction and even encouragement of their brother Austin's affair with Mabel Loomis Todd. In her own words, Mabel was an egotist, '"What is there in me which so attracts men to me, young and old?"' I have one idea why she was so attractive to men -- can you guess? From her photographs, Mabel looks like she suffered from Grave's disease. What did her husband David think about her relationships? The clue to Emily's nonsupport of Austin's wife Susan is that Emily was having an affair with a married man; however, this just seems to be speculation.
I was struck by Emily Dickenson's poems. These are not the poems I remember; they are much darker.
farkle's review against another edition
4.0
I do not normally go for biography, but was completely drawn in by the social connections, local and long-distance relationships, and the scandal and gossip that all characterize this book. There is something about certain places and times that seem to have more than there fair share of brilliant minds (ah, 1920s Shanghai), or at least local color, to create such novel appeal when viewed in hindsight... or just from the perspective of a skilled author.
julis's review
2.0
Okay so 1, you don’t get paid by title length.
2: I badly, badly needed a web of interactions because I very quickly lost track of everyone.
3, Not super clear on the hummingbird thing? As much as he mentions them it’s…weak honestly. 3.5: So is his thesis about the Civil War changing American literature. Or rather the thesis is fine, it’s the support which is weak (to missing completely).
Well written but uh…needs some more content and remembering that not everyone knows who Dickinson’s second cousin twice removed was.
sophronisba's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3 1/2 stars. Interesting account of the connections among leading literary lights in the nineteenth-century US, but I think the hummingbird connection was a stretch.
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