Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Mr. Emerson's Wife

By: Amy Belding Brown
Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.90

Buy for $17.90

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In this novel about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s wife, Lidian, Amy Belding Brown examines the emotional landscape of love and marriage. Living in the shadow of one of the most famous men of her time, Lidian becomes deeply disappointed by marriage, but consigned to public silence by social conventions and concern for her family’s reputation. Drawn to the erotic energy and intellect of close family friend Henry David Thoreau, she struggles to negotiate the confusing territory between love and friendship while maintaining her moral authority and inner strength.

In the course of the book, she deals with overwhelming social demands, faces devastating personal loss, and discovers the deepest meaning of love. Lidian eventually encounters the truth of her own character and learns that even our faults can lead us to independence.

©2005 Amy Belding Brown (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Mr. Emerson's Wife

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    95
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A beguiling and masterful work in words....

Beautifully written and perfectly narrated, this mournful tribute to the human condition should be on everyone's list. Be prepared for love, tears, joy and anger. The repression and confusion of women during this time in history was epic. Passive aggression was the emotion of the day because these women all knew they could never have what they really yearned for...freedom to live and love as they choose...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

story read with personal, emotional view of Ms. Emerson.

i loved this book. for me it was connected due to my life in both Plymouth, and ny familiarity with Waldon Pond, Concord. and the personalities written about. it was a pleasure to listen to as I traveled along the highway or sat comfortably in my favorite chair on the Spring warmed porch.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everything! Moving and perfect in every way

A story that is so eloquently told and that also contains so much that is instructive to the rich living of life without being either preachy or oversimplified. Stunning in all ways!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyed it thoroughly, no pun intended

enjoyed imagining the real lives of such famous people. especially Mr Thoreau. we never think about their personal side.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Astoundingly compelling

What a fabulous book! First, the 'reader' was amazing. She added so much with her nuanced performance. But the story, holy crap, what a great tale. It brought up every emotion I have, and more. I had to google every character in the book to learn more. Prepare to meet Ralph Waldo Emerson, his amazing wife, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and many others. But the story itself is almost a case study in so many psychiatric disorders, told in such breathtaking clarity. I literally could not put it down. Such a great book, so highly recommended..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful vocabulary !

Supered writing! I really wish it didn’t end.
It was so life like I had a hard time deciphering was made up.
Did they die that way? So excellent I hope she has more historical novels

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best book I have heard

Mrs. Emerson's voice gripped my attention immediately because it gave the story a credible account of what a woman of that era would have written in her diary and thought in her mind.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the story

I had been looking for a great read for sometime and stumbled on this book. I was a pleasure to listen. When it ended I was saddened.
If you love historical romance novels try this one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

New England as I grew

Perfect Image of Silent Woods Within a Woman's Heart
I listened to this book as a 70ty year old woman. I catch glimpses of the the woods, fields, "live free or die" remembered at ages 3,5,9,16,18... when I returned no longer was the land as I remembered. The fierce independence of the isolated farm families co-exsisted with the artists. Beautifully captured and set free releasing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The transcendance of friendship & love

A beautiful tale of friendship and love. The hunger for their fulfillment equal to the desire for wisdom to endure, explore and experience within the confines of society. A glimpse of the intellect both Emerson’s and their friends and loves ;Thoreau and Ms Fuller, Ellen and the children and siblings. A wonderful way to listen and walk in nature.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!