The Diary of Emily Dickinson

by Jamie Fuller

A workman stumbles upon Emily Dickinson's journal in a crevice in her conservatory, a diary that reveals Dickinson's views on God, family, nature, death, love, poetry, fame, her role as a woman in a patriarchal society, and the trials of her everyday life. Reprint.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Diary

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Thing Two · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I said earlier, I've owned this book since 1995 and never opened it. I regret that so, now that I've taken the time to get to know this woman/poet in a more intimate way. Rediscovered in 1980, this diary sheds light on Dickinson's relationships - with God, with men, and with the written word. It is an absolute MUST READ for any Dickinson fan.

[Linda Seltenright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins in March 1867 & ends in April 1868. "The Diary of Emily Dickinson is an exquisite account of what it means to live the writing life, to live for poetry".

I love Emily Dickinsons poetry and I loved this book.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

[Lisa Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though this was a somewhat interesting read, I think my time would have been better spent reading Dickinson's "real" letters.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing book! I swear, I kept having to check and make SURE it was fiction. Ms. Fuller has truly captured the voice of Emily Dickinson. It is fascinating to read, as the author has cross-referenced each entry with existing primary sources about Dickinson. The language, style and even spelling match what I have read of Dickinson's, and, as a sometimes reader of her poetry, I very much enjoyed reading this diary, which included both interesting facts about Emily and the beautiful imitative prose of Ms. Fuller (who, by the way, has never written fiction before.) I LOVED this book!!!

[Quietone317 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one book I tried to read every year because it so wonderful to read.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I too loved this book. Her poetry is a must read for anyone at any age.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one was a chore to get through. I probably would have just given up, had it not been the only book in my bag today. This is a FICTIONAL representation of what Emily Dickinson's day-to-day life might have been like according to Fuller. I want to stress the fictional part since I saw some users putting this on their non-fiction shelves... Granted it's based off of a real person, and has some factual elements in it, it is still fiction.

No doubt there is a ton of research that went into this which I applaud, and she throws in Dickinson's actual poems to interact with the journal entries which was a nice touch, as well as historical fact to explain to the reader what was going on with Emily and her family during that time, but this one could not be saved for me. It was an interesting idea, but comes out really fluffy, and just plain boring. - I will say this though! It did make me want to read more of Emily Dickinson's poems. So I'll be getting on that in the near future.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say, I thought this was nonfiction at first. I, sadly, didn't see the notes that said otherwise. It was a beautiful book, though. the author did a very good job of making it seem real.
My biggest qualm with the book-why I only gave it three stars-were the footnotes. Often, the author would use the ideas in the journal to support things that have been only supposed by researchers about Emily. This would work, except that THIS IS FICTION!
It's hard to explain if you haven't read the work, and I encourage you to do so. HOWEVER read it in the knowledge that it is not nonfiction and the comments claiming "as evidenced by this entry, Emily was..." aren't evidence of anything. Emily did not write this.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever concept, a fictional "diary" of a short period in ED's life, "found", including "additional" poems, interspersed with facts and background info in smaller font. However, why?

[Karma Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very interesting read. For many years there were no known journals from Emily Dickinson - only her poetry and letters. This was found in the wall of her old home during a renovation but the man that found it, hid it for years. It was his son that finally brought the journal to public knowledge. After each journal entry; historically relevant information, quotes from letters she had written, or applicable poems where included. It gave a very interesting, more complete picture of the reclusive artist. I enjoyed reading about her love for her family and those that were important to her. I was moved by her deep love of poetry and intense drive she felt to create it, especially when no one really appreciated her vision and talent. She was not truly considered a great poet until after her death. When people she respeced made negative comments about her work; I was amazed at her internal resolve and confidence in her work. She battled with her belief in God, at least in the way her father wanted her to believe but it was very apparant that she was a very spiritual person. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Update: I finally pasted my book cover on (after a mishap with the mail) to realize that this is fictionalized, though based on Dickinson's life and letters. Yes, this is precisely the sort of genre-straddling book I hate to get tricked into reading! Even with the cover pasted back on, it still is a bit misleading. When I pick up a diary, I assume it is straight from the source. Sorry, GR friends, I can't even blame this on April Fool's Day:( Do not read this if you're looking for nonfiction about Emily Dickinson.** (I've erased the earlier review).

Sometimes I imagine lines of my own rising bold from the page until the thought control itself.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my rating might be unfair to this book because I haven't really been in the right head space to read this sort of book. This is unfortunate, but my rule right now is that I can't buy more books until I read all of the unread books on my shelf.

This is described on the back cover as being a fictional diary of Emily Dickinson, but it is unlike any other fictional diary account I have read in that it is very fragmented & just sort of meanders around. The prose is very lyrical & lovely - it captures Emily's voice that way I think - but it has no story arc or narrative at all. So I found it pleasant but a bit boring to read all at once. I think if I had saved this book to read an entry at a time, to savor each little bit, I would have enjoyed it more.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still not sure whether this is a book of fiction based on Emily's writings and letters or whether to believe that an actual diary was somehow found. The dreamer in me wants to believe that the story is true. Regardless, it was a beautiful read that I enjoyed savoring.

[Stella Artin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not super into non-fiction