Title: The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson
Author: Jerome Charyn
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication Date: February 14, 2011
Paperback: 348 pages
ISBN: 978-0393339178
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Jerome Charyn, “one of the most important writers in American literature” (Michael Chabon), continues his exploration of American history through fiction with The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, hailed by prize-winning literary historian Brenda Wineapple as a “breathtaking high-wire act of ventriloquism.” Channeling the devilish rhythms and ghosts of a seemingly buried literary past, Charyn removes the mysterious veils that have long enshrouded Dickinson, revealing her passions, inner turmoil, and powerful sexuality. The novel, daringly written in first person, begins in the snow. It’s 1848, and Emily is a student at Mount Holyoke, with its mournful headmistress and strict, strict rules. Inspired by her letters and poetry, Charyn goes on to capture the occasionally comic, always fevered, ultimately tragic story of her life-from defiant Holyoke seminarian to dying recluse.
My Review:
A very bold undertaking, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn is an attempt to tell Emily Dickinson’s life story through her voice. Charyn’s prose if effusive, beautiful and entertaining, yet I was not enthralled. I did enjoy the story, as a story, but as a biological account of Emily Dickinson, it just did not ring true to me, however I am not a Dickinson expert by any account and recommend following the tour for other insights into this extremely intriguing book. Based on the amount of poetry Emily Dickinson wrote in her lifetime and the quality of her poetry, I did not think it matched with the Dickinson Charyn introduces the reader to. I did immensely enjoy learning more about the time period and the thinking process of those living in this time period. Not being a Dickinson scholar I cannot truly know how close Charyn came to accurately portraying Emily Dickinson. Did I enjoy the writing? Absolutely. Did I find the story entertaining? To a point, yes. Would I have enjoyed the book more if this had been completely fictional and not about a well respected poet? Absolutely. Until the time comes when I am able to read more biographies on Emily Dickinson, I will need to hold off my critique. On the whole, Charyn weaves together an interesting narrative. I would recommend The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson to those who enjoy historical fiction and if it had not been for this book, I most likely would not be searching out biographies of Emily Dickinson.
Jerome Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and has received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His novels include Johnny One-Eye and The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson. He lives in Paris and New York.
To learn about the author and her writings please visit Jerome Charyn’s website, facebook page, and book facebook page.
To see more reviews and to follow the book tour visit the tour site.
I received a complimentary copy of The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn from Tribute Books to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
I’m sorry this one wasn’t fabulous for you — I am a huge Emily Dickinson fan, though I am not certain I want to read about her in any other way than in her poems.
I am a huge fan of her poems (My first cat was named after her) and what I have read through her poetry the book did not give me a pleasant image of Emily. If the book had been fiction, it would have been quite lovely. However it did make me intrigued to read some biographies about her life. Maybe she was a silly woman who suffered from adolescent crushes non-stop, but it just did not sit right with me.
Jennifer, thanks for a fair and balanced review and for participating in the book’s blog tour.
Thank you for having me. I am very interested in reading Charyn’s other works, his writing is lovely.
Great review! I’m not sure this is the book for me, but I have a feeling my mother might enjoy it.
I really wanted to enjoy it more. If it had been fiction, it would be excellent. Maybe Emily Dickinson was a lot like Caryn portrays here. I certainly did not see that side of her in her poetry. His writing is lovely, the story is interesting, and I would like to read other works of his.
Sounds like an intriguing premise. Without even reading it, I’m sure I agree with your assessment that it would be more enjoyable if not based on a real person. Many of these attempts often fall short. Still, this sounds like the kind of book that I would generally enjoy. I may have to add it to my ever-growing TBR pile. Thanks for the review.
The writing is lovely and if the protagonist had been someone made up I would have given this book a much higher rating. I will be reviewing another of Charyn’s book shortly, I truly do enjoy his writing style.
So even though it wasn’t a grand slam it did get you a bit interested in Emily herself!! I have a huge book with all of her poetry in it. One year I read quite a bit, but the big problem was that I didn’t understand much of what I read
I have always enjoyed Emily Dickinson’s poetry and her life has always intrigued me. While the book is quite beautiful, I do want to research Emily’s life a little deeper.