Emma Claire Sweeney

Author of A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf

2 Works 240 Members 11 Reviews 1 Favorited

Works by Emma Claire Sweeney

Owl Song at Dawn (2016) 18 copies, 3 reviews

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19th century (2) @Overcat (3) Austen (5) authors (3) biography (17) books about books (7) Bronte (4) Brontes (2) but author trying to prove too many cultural points. Not that well written (1) Charlotte Bronte (7) digital (2) ebook (5) fiction (2) friendship (4) George Eliot (10) history (7) Jane Austen (9) Kindle (5) literary biography (8) literary criticism (4) literary history (5) Magers & Quinn (Minneapolis) (1) memoir (2) non-fiction (23) read in 2018 (2) to-read (52) UK (2) Virginia Woolf (7) women (5) women authors (5) women writers (4) women's friendships (2) women's history (3) Woolf (4) writers (4) writing (4) ZCZC (3) || (3) ||¤ (3) ��woman�� (3)

Common Knowledge

Gender: female

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Reviews

A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of… by Emily Midorikawa

I will admit that at first the tone of this book struck me as a little twee and overly whimsical. The authors likened their shared dreams of being writers to those of 19th century novelists and thus seemed to be projecting their emotions in a slightly discomforting manner. As I read on, though, I got used to this and unbent towards the book. ‘A Secret Sisterhood’ turned out to be a sensitively written, thoughtful, and moving account of four literary friendships. Each is constructed from surviving letters and journals, illuminating how women dealt with the constraints placed on their lives and artistic endeavours by society over the past two hundred years. The four friendships are presented in chronological order, which also happens to ascending order of available evidence. The letters between Jane Austen and Anne Sharpe haven’t survived, making this the most speculative section. By contrast, plenty of letters and journals survive to show the complexity of the bond between Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the four friendships was the support and critique the women gave to each other’s literary ambitions. The authors repeatedly point out that collaborative literary friendships between men are often celebrated, while those between women tend to get forgotten. This book is an attempt to start redressing the balance. Once accustomed to its style, I found it enjoyable and informative.… (more)

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annarchism | 7 other reviews | Aug 4, 2024 |

A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of… by Emily Midorikawa

This history of female authors and their friendships offers something new to the well-known stories of several writers. Rather than writing in isolation, friendships with other women writers sustained and propelled authors like Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf to their success. I was especially intrigued to learn about the correspondence between George Eliot and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Overall, a great read for better understanding these pivotal writers.

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wagner.sarah35 | 7 other reviews | Oct 4, 2023 |

A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of… by Emily Midorikawa

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

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fernandie | 7 other reviews | Sep 15, 2022 |

A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of… by Emily Midorikawa

This is a lively and intelligent exploration of female friendships between prominent British writers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I certainly learned something new from reading the book!

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DrFuriosa | 7 other reviews | Dec 4, 2020 |

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