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American Bloomsbury
Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work
by Susan Cheever


7.0

based on 12 reviews
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based on 4 votes
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Susan Cheever's latest work brings new life to the well-known literary personages who produced such cherished works as "The Scarlet Letter," "Moby-Dick," "Walden," and "Little Women." She reacquaints us with personal lives of Concord's nineteenth-century intellectuals, restoring in three dimensions the literary personalities whose work is at the heart of America's national history and cultural identity.

Simon & Schuster, 240 pages
12/20/2006
$26.00

ISBN: 0743264614

Nonfiction
Biographies & Memoirs
History

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Library Journal Anthony Pucci

Through [Cheever's] masterly storytelling, Alcott, Emerson, Fuller, Hawthorne, and Thoreau come alive as individuals, their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and dreams and doubts exposed. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in American letters. [1 Nov 2006, p.77]

Publishers Weekly Wendy Smith

Cheever keenly analyzes the positive and negative ways they influenced one another's ideas and beliefs and the literature that came out of "this sudden outbreak of genius." [25 Sep 2006, p.33]

Booklist Gilbert Taylor

Emotionally warm and critically engaged, Cheever's history successfully evokes the incubation of Concord's literary glory. [1 Jan 2007, p.41]

Boston Globe James Sullivan

If you can take your literary history with a pinch of irreverent salt, then American Bloomsbury is an easily digested retelling of the oft-told story.

Christian Science Monitor Marjorie Kehe

Don't hand this book to a scholar. But do share it with anyone who may...welcome a brisk new take on a fascinating old story.

San Francisco Chronicle Heller McAlpin

Cheever's decision to eschew a straightforward chronological timeline in favor of a "series of overlapping scenes in which some incidents are repeated, sometimes more than once" has resulted in a repetitive but still gem-strewn jumble.

USA Today Jocelyn McClurg

American Bloomsbury is often a very charming book. Call it "Concord 101." It's an affectionate, lively and decidedly non-academic introduction to the men and women whose writings are among the most important in the American canon.

Washington Post Kit Bakke

Unfortunately, the book's haphazard pastiche of stories diminishes its ability to improve our understanding of these amazing Americans. None of the gossip is new or infused with fresh insight.

Chicago Tribune Art Winslow

Cheever is opinionated and a bit of a heavy breather at times.

Los Angeles Times Matthew Price

Susan Cheever doesn't add much to our understanding of the time. From its misleading title to her gushing prose and off-key readings of Thoreau and company, the book suffers from the flaws that give middlebrow writing a bad name.

Kirkus Reviews

Despite the best intentions, this literary portrait does a disservice to the intellects it seeks to honor. [1 Oct 2006, p.997]

Wall Street Journal David Propson

It's not surprising to discover that American Bloomsbury began as an introduction to an edition of Alcott's ["Little Women"]. Unfortunately, it remains little more than an introduction.

The average user rating for this book is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

susan b gave it a10:
This thoughtful exploration of an amazing group of thinkers and writers makes learning history easy. I read and discussed it in conjunction with the Pulitzer Prize winning novel March by Geraldine Brooks.

[Anonymous] gave it a5:
Best when being descriptive, telling the story of this amazing group of people. Worst when Cheever inserts herself too heavily. Her analysis can be heavy handed. I wanted to like this more than I did.

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American Bloomsbury Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work by Susan Cheever

American Bloomsbury
Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work
by Susan Cheever