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

" I learned about the synchronous details of life in this time, this genius cluster, and in literary thinking. "

" I enjoyed the information presented. It gave a lot of great insight into this group of amazing authors and how their lives were so interconnected. However, the format of the book did not appeal to me at all. It continually jumps around chronologically without smooth transitions and occassionally the author will interject her own personal history and it is very awkward. Though the topic was fascinating the actually writing often was not clearly presented. So the concept of the book is probably worth 4 or 5 stars but the writing style of the book would be about a two. "

" I'm really enjoying this book about a group of pre-Civil-War era writers living in the same neighborhood in Concord MA. Some reviews mention historical inaccuracies in Cheever's writing. She presents the material as non-fiction, with a bit of conjecture. I loved the books of Louisa May Alcott, so I'm especially enjoying reading about her family and the experiences of her childhood. "

" Susan Cheever's writing style is a little convoluted at times, but it's fascinating to read about these American writers and the way their interrelated lives lead to great literature. "

" A bit gossip-y. There are better sources on these writers. Concord Quartet was just as accessible but more interesting and serious. "

" Those wacky Transendentalists! "

" I read this for two book groups and found it fascinating. I learned much about the interconnection of the writers living in and around Concord, Massachusetts in the 19th century. "

" Interesting dip into the inner lives of a very influential group. Might drive an actual historian crazy as the author favors a chatty tone and is prone to speculative tangents. However, as a casual reader, I found the book to be just the right mix of fact, theory, and gossip. "

" Nonfiction account of the circle of writer-philosopher friends that formed around Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1840s and '50s in Concord, Ma. Gossipy, fascinating look at the lives of Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Hawthorne,Thoreau,Emerson and others. A wonderful read. Literary candy. "

" I really enjoyed this fascinating book wanted to know more about Thoreau "

" this book can't really decide if it's historical fiction, memoir, non-fiction or what -- which makes it alternately charming and obnoxious. "

" The subject matter was interesting, though it is a short book and doesn't delve into any one character too deeply. A good introduction to these writers. I did not care for the writing style. I found it disorganized and distracting. "

" So much of what we read about these authors, at least in a school setting, is surfacy at best. This book brought all of them to life and explained the rather intricate, and often strange, ways their lives were intertwined. "

" An interesting primer on the core authors of nineteenth century American literature as well as some of the main characters in the budding trancendental movement. Loved it "

" Although the author is sometimes a bit too sentimental for my taste, I really enjoyed this popular history of the Concord Transcendentalists. "

" Really enjoye this book as well. Put it on the same shelf with American Veda, Emerson's Wife, and the writings of Thoreau, Emerson, Fuller, et al. "

" FASCINATING. I couldn't put it down and absolutely loved EVERYTHING! I want to go back to Concord now to visit all of the houses, see the places mentioned, etc. And the love triangles!! Who knew?! "

" this book shows the reao relationships strengths and foibles of these amazing writers "

" This book was a great survey of the Transcendentalists in Concord in the mid-19th Century. "

" LOVED this. It helped me realize I wanted to teach English, and made me question my major enough that I switched minors and career paths. "

" It was interesting reading about the interacting lives of the great authors of pre-civil days...the original hippies. But I didn't like Cheever's presentation...confusing sometimes, and a bit hap-hazard it seemed to me. I kept reading though even though I didn't like her style. "

" It was interesting to read about the lives of these famouse people and to realize they were contemporaries. However, much more could have been done with the material. The writing is just ok not great. "

" I loved the information in it but thought it was poorly written. I'd recommend it for a good, big-picture view of the transcendentalists. "

" Alcott, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Melville, Poe, Longfellow, they all knew each other and all walk through this charming book about the real lives of some of Americas finest writers and thinkers. A+ work! "

" Shallow read about a fantastically interesting group of people. Treats Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, Alcott, and Hawthorne as a group of hormonal teenagers. No real insight on their relations, the times, or their work. "

" Individually these anecdotal stories are interesting and amusing, but when read together got very confusing. "

" I really enjoyed this fascinating book wanted to know more about Thoreau "

" Soap opera-y and hopped all over the place, with random personal reflections of the author injected here and there. Still, somewhat informative. "

" Great topic. Interesting book. But WAY too short. She barely skims the surface and leaves the reader jonesing for more! "

" Interesting insights into the lives of a group of writers I have mostly not read a great deal of. Cheever's format--following persons and themes--can make the chronology a bit difficult to follow, but she warns of that in the foreword. "