Official Blurb: An evocative new novel about Emily Dickinson’s longtime maid, Irish immigrant Margaret Maher, whose bond with the poet ensured Dickinson’s work would live on.
Tamara’s Review: It is so easy to believe in this novel, to believe Belding Brown’s interpretation of the personalities and events involved. To see how Margaret Maher’s gift for imagery and way of seeing the world would enchant and influence Dickinson. The characterization of Emily Dickinson herself allows her to retain her mystery but seemed to me full and lively and understandable.
The last section of the book is a treasure (oh, that cupola scene!), it had me in tears, it was heart-opening and beautiful.
An immersive book and one to read if you have a curiosity about the Irish experience in the US, about the lives of maids, about Emily Dickinson, or a love of words and imagery and lyricism.
Emily’s House is available from Penguin Books
Author: Tamara Rendell
Tamara’s upcoming novel Lahana is out 10th January 2026. She is the author of Mystical Tides and Autumn Moon (out late 2026).
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