Emily's House: A Novel by Amy Belding Brown

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 Emily's House: A Novel by Amy Belding Brown. Berkley, 2021. Adult historical fiction.

   Although Margaret Maher, at 27, plans to go West to run a boarding house near her brothers, she takes a job as a maid in Amherst, Massachusetts in order to save money for the trip. The job is at the Dickinson home. The years fold into each other as Margaret gets to know the family, especially Emily. Margaret is courted by fellow Irishman Patrick Quinn, but his views on Irish independence frighten Margaret. She ultimately helps save hundreds of poems that Emily Dickinson has written. In this fictional account, Margaret outlives most of the Dickinson family and does finally have her own life. An author's note confirms which characters and events are real and which are made up or changed slightly to move the tale along. Fans of Emily's work will definitely enjoy this addition to stories about the famous reclusive poet.