Discussion date: September 12, 2005

A special evening

Amy Belding Brown visited our group to talk with us about her novel based on the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson's second wife. The book is a beautifully written and extensively researched story, filled with fascinating details about life in 19th-century New England. From the historical framework Amy has woven a compelling story that makes these Transcendental figures come alive.

Amy told us how she first heard about Lidian Emerson from an e-mail friend, and eventually became so immersed in her life that the book turned into a nine-year-long project. She had to cut over 200 pages from the original manuscript, because publishers will accept long books only from well-established authors. We all agreed we would have loved to be able to read those missing 200 pages!

The average rating of the book from all readers present was 4 stars, with several people giving it the highest 5-star rating.

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