Amanda Flower: I Died for Beauty
Emily Dickinson #3
This may be my favorite in this series to date. The perfect blend of setting, character and story really sing in this novel, which takes place during a very cold and snowy winter in 1857 Amherst, Massachusetts. While Amherst is now famous as Emily Dickinson’s birthplace and home, in 1857 Emily was just an eccentric member of the prominent Dickinson family, with scraps of writing spilling out of her pockets. And, in these novels, a penchant for sleuthing.
While today we experience cold and snowy winters, in 1857, those things made a much bigger difference in people’s lives. The cold and snow meant there were fires going all the time which also meant a greater chance of house fires. The snow cut off train deliveries (and travel) so food stores were hoarded. For the poor, the situation was worse, as the cold meant their firewood supply may not have kept up with the need to keep warm.