Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Emily Bronte

by Maureen Adams

Book Overview

"You'll call this sentimental--perhaps--but then a dog somehow represents the private side of life, the play side," Virginia Woolf confessed to a friend. In this charming and engaging book, Maureen... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345484061
• ISBN13: 9780345484062
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 299 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A Unique and Very Readable book

I was drawn to this book because I'm a dog lover and the idea of examining the relationship between dogs and humans has always interested me. I have read the works of only a couple of the authors covered in "Shaggy Muses" and thought that might limit the appeal the book would have for me, but quite the opposite. All five of the biographies are extremely well written and illuminative. Authtor Maureen Adams shows how the relationship between the authors and their dogs influenced their lives and work. These relationships were different for each of the writers. I think the best definition of Keeper's role with Emily Bronte is a protector, while Flush helped Elizabeth Barrett Browning emerge from grief and isolation after the death of her brother. Highly recommended for lovers of dogs and of literature.

Interesting and a Great Read!

I picked up this book even though I wasn't familar with all of the authors listed. I loved it! Each chapter is its own fascinating story detailing a different author and how her dog inspired her. I didn't expect the book to be such a page turner and so enjoyable! This book would also make a great gift or bookclub selection.

Fresh New Look at Women Authors

As a fan of literature written by women, I approached this book mostly with the desire to find out more about these women writers from what I hoped would be a new angle. And author Maureen Adams provided that fresh vantage point by looking at the women through the dogs that were so important in their lives. I admit I am not a dog person at all, but I was taken with how the pets affected the daily lives and also the creative endeavors of these famous women. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, at first a bedridden hermit, found new energy and purpose in Flush, her Cocker Spaniel. Emily Dickinson, perhaps as famous for her shy nature and homebound life as for her poetry, found the courage to venture further from home with the companionship of her Newfoundland dog, Carlo. Adams helped me appreciate such bonds. I would recommend this book to all lovers of literature, as well as dog enthusiasts.

Woman's best Friend

This book is terrific. It traces the influence of dogs on the lives of famous women writers. I was surprised by how much information there was on each writer. In 37 pages I gained a huge appreciation for Emily Dickinson, more perhaps than I could in a 300 page biography. Ms. Adams has an uncanny knack for taking the reader into the culkture she is writing about. With her attention to detail and the social culture of the author, I felt I was walking the streets of Amherst, Massachusetts 150 years ago with Emily's dog Carlo at my side. Many of these authors found great consolation in their dogs, often talking to them, reading to them, allowing them to fill emotional vacuums in their lives. I came away with an enlarged understanding and respect for the healing influence of dogs as beloved pets.

Why People Depend on Dogs!

I'm a reader and have long loved some of these writers but was not familiar with all of the women whose lives are lovingly presented in this book. And I had no idea that dogs had exercised such influence on their lives and work. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since I know how much people I know and love depend on their pets for companionship, security, unquestioning loyalty, and fun. So this easily readable book opened my eyes not only to the lives of some very interesting women, but also to new dimensions of the bond between people and their dogs. A worthwhile read! I've already given it to several friends who are "dog people."