Emily’s House
Massachusetts, 1869. Margaret Maher has never been one to settle down. At twenty-seven, she’s never met a man who has tempted her enough to relinquish her independence to a matrimonial fate, and she hasn’t stayed in one place for long since her family fled the potato famine a decade ago.
When Maggie accepts a temporary position at the illustrious Dickinson family home in Amherst, it’s only to save up enough to join her brothers in California. Maggie never imagines she will form a life-altering friendship with the eccentric, brilliant Miss Emily or that she’ll stay at the Homestead for the next thirty years.
This richly drawn novel explores what it is to be an outsider looking in, and sheds light on one of Dickinson’s closest confidantes—perhaps the person who knew the mysterious poet best—whose quiet act changed history and continues to influence literature to this very day.
Praise for Emily’s House
“Brown crafts an enjoyable story out of what is known about Margaret Maher, the Irish maid who preserved Emily Dickinson’s poems for posterity . . . Margaret paints a shrewd picture of the family’s personalities, customs and complexities. Brown once again show a gift for shedding light on historical women.”
“Brown’s prose is captivating, sprinkled with historical accuracy regarding what’s known of Emily Dickinson’s peculiar life. The characters come to life with Brown’s fictional spin and dramatic flair. Fans of Marie Benedict and Kate Quinn will delight in this moving story that sheds light on the life of one of literature’s most influential, yet mysterious poets.”
“With lyrical prose and an irresistible narrative voice, Brown gives the reader a scrappy and little-known heroine to root for—the Irish maid-servant who helped rescue Emily Dickinson’s poems. The immigrant experience is lovingly rendered against the backdrop of a family drama, the historical details are immersive, and Dickinson fans will love this novel!”
“Amy Belding Brown brings us a warm, intimate, and rich portrayal of Irish immigrant Margaret Maher, maid and confidante to Emily Dickinson. Margaret’s story gives us a fascinating glimpse into another time while placing us directly inside the Dickinson household. I was captivated by this story and I know you will be too.”
“What a joy it is to once again revel in Amy Belding Brown’s incomparable voice. In Emily’s House, Brown introduces us to the remarkable Irish maid who saved Emily Dickinson’s unpublished oeuvre from certain destruction after her death. Margaret Maher’s own disappointment mirrored her mistress’s many, but the two women formed a bond so deep that if not for Maher’s abiding determination, Dickinson’s legacy would have been lost to us forever. Do we call Maggie Maher an American treasure? I think we must, and Amy Belding Brown, too.”