American Bloomsbury by Susan Cheever

Gord Clements’s Reviews  American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have a love for Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson and there transcendental writings . This book by Susan Cheever was a brief  wonderfully written recap of their lives and especially focused on their interaction with others of prominence during that time such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louise May Alcott, Margaret Fuller and others. Some might say that they were all eccentric individuals from which they were able to access  their creative talent. Their insight and influence has been  enormous although they were not without human fallibility. Their publications are considered to be classics by todays standards and the question begs to be asked what was it about this area of Concord in New England during the eighteen hundreds that made it one of the most influential places and times  in the history of North America producing such wonderful writers. How was it that so many gifted people arose to prominence in this place at that time. This book explores some of the dynamics that existed between them and their families and as well between  neighbors and in the country and world at large.

Author: Gord Clements

I find some satisfaction in the act of attempting to express my experience of life through painting, writing, language and other art forms. I have been painting for over thirty five years and combine my love of art with a meditative and contemplative way of life. I have an intuitive sense that true creativity is something that arises from beyond and through Qthe self that can be explored and shared through some form of expression although I always hope to open to the influence of that which is beyond my limited sense of self. View all posts by Gord Clements