The Peabody Sisters

I loved this book. It was part of my transcendentalist kick. This is a about three amazing sisters. All were well educated but very poor. Two married late in life. One to Horace Mann and the other to Nathaniel Hawthorn. This book was well written and very thought provoking. My one major criticism is that it ends mainly when Sophia and Mary marry. Mann still hadn't been elected to congress, Hawthorne hadn't written any of his novels, or served as ambassador. Sophia had yet to live overseas. The book didn't cover any of their children's births or any of Elizabeth's further career. The book also fained to discuss the unusual relationship between Sophia Nathaniel and Margret Fuller. Or discuss her death and its affects on the family. So a very good book, but truncated. Some of my thoughts:
-Very sad to me that Sophia and accomplished painter and sculptor never created anything again after the birth of her first child.
-Elizabeth and to a greater extent Mary (and Horace Mann!) were great reformers of education.
The discussions of the education theories was very interesting. On good point made: "Many of the most important curricular innovations of the nineteenth century were the products of women educators who were free to "experiment" in their schools for girls."
-The idea that a bright mind and good education was a tool to marry well for men of little or no wealth in New England. Wealthy fathers wanted intelligent son-in--laws. Not so much the other way around for women.
-Want to read novels by Susan Brunton and Mary Ferrier- Mary's favorite authors.
-So sad that Elizabeth's two sisters married the two men she had ever fallen in love with.
-Mary knew she would marry Horace Mann for 10 years and waited for him that whole time.
-The Hawthorn family was very odd- very. I have a hard time liking this strange yet very attractive man. (Very handsome- who knew?). I don't think I would have liked him in real life.

I must go Coen just asked me very nicely to turn off the computer.