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Helen Keller in Love
A captivating novel that explores the little-known romance of a beloved American icon
Helen Keller has long been a towering figure in the pantheon of world heroines. Yet the enduring portrait of her in the popular imagination is The Miracle Worker, which ends when Helen is seven years old.
Rosie Sultan’s debut novel imagines a part of Keller’s life she rarely spoke of or wrote about: the man she once loved. When Helen is in her thirties and Annie Sullivan is diagnosed with tuberculosis, a young man steps in as a private secretary. Peter Fagan opens a new world to Helen, and their sensual interactions—signing and lip-reading with hands and fingers—quickly set in motion a liberating, passionate, and clandestine affair. It’s not long before Helen’s secret is discovered and met with stern disapproval from her family and Annie. As pressure mounts, the lovers plot to elope, and Helen is caught between the expectations of the people who love her and her most intimate desires.
Richly textured and deeply sympathetic, Sultan’s highly inventive telling of a story Keller herself would not tell is both a captivating romance and a rare glimpse into the mind and heart of an inspirational figure.
Helen Keller has long been a towering figure in the pantheon of world heroines. Yet the enduring portrait of her in the popular imagination is The Miracle Worker, which ends when Helen is seven years old.
Rosie Sultan’s debut novel imagines a part of Keller’s life she rarely spoke of or wrote about: the man she once loved. When Helen is in her thirties and Annie Sullivan is diagnosed with tuberculosis, a young man steps in as a private secretary. Peter Fagan opens a new world to Helen, and their sensual interactions—signing and lip-reading with hands and fingers—quickly set in motion a liberating, passionate, and clandestine affair. It’s not long before Helen’s secret is discovered and met with stern disapproval from her family and Annie. As pressure mounts, the lovers plot to elope, and Helen is caught between the expectations of the people who love her and her most intimate desires.
Richly textured and deeply sympathetic, Sultan’s highly inventive telling of a story Keller herself would not tell is both a captivating romance and a rare glimpse into the mind and heart of an inspirational figure.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2012
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810 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
November 3, 2021
LOOSELY historical
GREATLY hysterical
My friend and I read a chapter of this book every night she comes to visit with me. It really cheers us up. Yes, we are going to hell.
This author really doesn't have the gift of metaphor, but boy, are we getting a kick out of what she does write. "Brought alive cravings in me like an empty mouth"
So finally finished. The are very few sources of this fleeting relationship between Peter Fagin and Helen. Most of this book is conjecture. As happy as I️ am for Helen I️ just wish someone Else had written her story. This author really shouldn’t be teaching.
GREATLY hysterical
My friend and I read a chapter of this book every night she comes to visit with me. It really cheers us up. Yes, we are going to hell.
This author really doesn't have the gift of metaphor, but boy, are we getting a kick out of what she does write. "Brought alive cravings in me like an empty mouth"
So finally finished. The are very few sources of this fleeting relationship between Peter Fagin and Helen. Most of this book is conjecture. As happy as I️ am for Helen I️ just wish someone Else had written her story. This author really shouldn’t be teaching.
May 8, 2016
Saw this book sitting on a shelf in the library and decided it looked interesting, picked it up.
The book just what the title says, a story about Helen Keller being in love. I wasn't aware of this until I read the notes in the back of the book, but it's a historical fiction, and there are stories and rumors about her love interest, Mr. Peter Fagan. This book aims to fill in the holes in the story and tell it from Helen's point of view.
The story is well written and it flows quite well, from one event to the next. It's a quick read, and the ability of Rosie Sultan to tell the tale in such detail, is admirable.
It leaves me feeling like I want to research more into Helen Keller again. We learned about her as a kid yes, but this book has some twists in it and it leaves me a feeling a bit sad.
Worth a read.
- CJ
The book just what the title says, a story about Helen Keller being in love. I wasn't aware of this until I read the notes in the back of the book, but it's a historical fiction, and there are stories and rumors about her love interest, Mr. Peter Fagan. This book aims to fill in the holes in the story and tell it from Helen's point of view.
The story is well written and it flows quite well, from one event to the next. It's a quick read, and the ability of Rosie Sultan to tell the tale in such detail, is admirable.
It leaves me feeling like I want to research more into Helen Keller again. We learned about her as a kid yes, but this book has some twists in it and it leaves me a feeling a bit sad.
Worth a read.
- CJ
May 17, 2012
Okay, having read the mixed reviews for this book, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can understand some of the low ratings for this novel because this story seems to go against what Helen Keller was, a woman of strength who overcame some of the hardest obstacles any person could ever face. But for me, reading this showed me that Helen Keller was also human. She wanted to love and be loved, she wanted a family and she wanted to experience life the way many of us do. This re-imagined story of Helen falling in love does not deter my belief that she was a remarkable woman, it just shows me that she could be fallible as well.
May 7, 2012
It isn't many books that totally disprove it's own central tenants as effectivly as this book does. When you think of what a problem communication was for Ms Keller, the more stupid this book becomes. This is a ludicrious love story that despite it's biblography couldn't have been well researched. How can the immediate attraction presented here have happened? Since communication for Helen was so difficult could she really have been talking in such zinging punchy dialouge? It is a shame that this author took what could have been a good idea, Helen Keller in love, and reduced it to a cliche filled rag. It would have been interesting to find out about an affair that Ms Keller could have had, it would have explained so much. Why did she join the communist party if not for anger over the choices of her life. Further, Helen was a beautiful woman, as some of her biographies point out, she did want marriage and family. This author doesn't even get Ms Keller's hair color right and has her referred to as a blond. Chestnut hair is far from blonde and closer to red. Ms Keller did lead an interesting life and it is a shame that that wasn't interesting enough for this author.
April 13, 2012
As a deaf woman, I've always idolized Helen Keller or my idea of her. A woman that overcame not just deafness but also blindness. If Helen Keller could learn to do for herself, then so could I. This novel dashes to absolute Hell, my good opinion, my idolizing of Helen Keller. I had to keep telling myself it's a fiction...it's a novel. Though, I worry some of it may be true.
Helen Keller was NOT independent at all in this. She can't do anything without Annie and Annie set up to be so. "You don't need that device Bell made you cause you have me to tell you what everyone says." You have Helen Keller dependent on her to talk to others, listen to others, to do all but wipe her ass. Helen needs someone to take care of her in all things. She needs the crowds...the applause of people, to give her a reason for living. Without it, her life has no purpose. I found this utterly depressing.
The Helen/Annie thing, I've frowned at before. The Helen/Peter thing is no better. Helen wants to feel like a woman for a change, I got that and understood. Everyone wants to deny her that experience--especially Annie cause Annie wants Helen all to herself. So when Helen has a male secretary for a while, of course, she has romantic aspirations.
But I didn't feel this love at all. Her and Peter spoke in riddles all the time. The book also make it seem like she was speaking to everyone, but in truth, they had to be fingerspelling. The dialogue in this book was all wrong for the situation.
I also don't believe a blind person would think of their dress being blue or some such.
We already knew the love story was going to end badly and that really hurt the story. There was no intense buildup. Also, I got sick and tired, and I mean sick and tired of her nattering on and on against the war. Hell, woman, we didn't start it, but some one has to stop it. And her crying over the Germans?
I found this a frustrating read. As I said above, it wasn't what I wanted to picture when thinking of Helen Keller. I feel as though her memory has been greatly defiled.
Helen Keller was NOT independent at all in this. She can't do anything without Annie and Annie set up to be so. "You don't need that device Bell made you cause you have me to tell you what everyone says." You have Helen Keller dependent on her to talk to others, listen to others, to do all but wipe her ass. Helen needs someone to take care of her in all things. She needs the crowds...the applause of people, to give her a reason for living. Without it, her life has no purpose. I found this utterly depressing.
The Helen/Annie thing, I've frowned at before. The Helen/Peter thing is no better. Helen wants to feel like a woman for a change, I got that and understood. Everyone wants to deny her that experience--especially Annie cause Annie wants Helen all to herself. So when Helen has a male secretary for a while, of course, she has romantic aspirations.
But I didn't feel this love at all. Her and Peter spoke in riddles all the time. The book also make it seem like she was speaking to everyone, but in truth, they had to be fingerspelling. The dialogue in this book was all wrong for the situation.
I also don't believe a blind person would think of their dress being blue or some such.
We already knew the love story was going to end badly and that really hurt the story. There was no intense buildup. Also, I got sick and tired, and I mean sick and tired of her nattering on and on against the war. Hell, woman, we didn't start it, but some one has to stop it. And her crying over the Germans?
I found this a frustrating read. As I said above, it wasn't what I wanted to picture when thinking of Helen Keller. I feel as though her memory has been greatly defiled.
May 12, 2012
I've been fascinated by Helen Keller my whole life, reading bio after bio after bio about her. While this book is a work of historical fiction, there is a historical base to it--Helen Keller did indeed have a short love affair in the fall of 1916 with Peter Fagan , a failed reporter who was hired to be Keller's assistant when Anne Sullivan became too ill with what was suspected to be tuberculosis. Keller was still relentlessly touring, a proud Socialist and against the war, donating money to blinded soldiers in any war even though she was broke and on the verge of losing her own home. At 37, Keller dared to dream of love and a family of her own, and Sultan images that, for a brief while, that dream nearly came true. This is a page turning story of family and political dynamics, a postcard of a time when women had fewer choices (especially if they were deaf and blind and extremely feisty) and the need of love that we all feel. I found this to be a fascinating and impressive first novel from a writer I will now be keeping an eye out for.
June 4, 2012
I really wanted to like this book. I've been fascinated with Helen Keller since I was a kid and had never heard that she had had a lover...or heard ANY stories beyond her carefully managed public persona. I'm sad to report that this book does not accomplish what it set out to do - present Helen Keller as a real person, with desires and hopes and wishes like any ordinary person would have.
First the good things - the book does a good job of painting a picture of Helen as a constructed public being, dependent on her caretakers' generosity/obligation for her continued well-being and, indeed, her life. It demonstrates her need to please, to say the right thing, to appear "normal" (even so far as to replace her blinded eyes with attractive blue glass eyes). It paints her life as it probably was - a bird in a gilded cage. She was given money by some famous people, but she was also generous with her own money and, as a result, was living in a poor financial situation. The book also handles dialogue nicely by simply putting the dialogue out there without "she said," "she signed," or the like.
The book falls short on several fronts.
First, there's not much going on. The plot is all about the love affair, but that single-minded focus ultimately takes away from the book - after all, the author does not KNOW Helen's thoughts about the affair (that's the part that the author attempts to recreate in the novel), and yet there are few outside events (historically accurate or not) that could illuminate her feelings or actions towards Peter Fagan.
Second, I found the book to be confusingly inconsistent. We are meant to understand that Helen must say and do what she believes people expect of her or (she fears) she'll be left alone. But there are times when she acts in a manner that DOES anger Annie Sullivan or Kate Keller, and in ways where you would think Helen would avoid in order to not be left on her own. There are numerous parts of the book where Helen professes to feel one way but acts in another. I found it to be a little jarring.
Third, the sex is icky - the stuff of bodice-ripping romance novels. And it happens the same way every time - with Helen's hands held above her head. I found that off-putting as well - it seems to symbolically shut her up since she can only "talk" with her hands.
Fourth, everyone seems one-dimensional. I felt this book could have been longer and would have improved from further character development.
The only bright spot is that the author listed her sources at the conclusion of the novel, so I can check those out to see if they are better.
First the good things - the book does a good job of painting a picture of Helen as a constructed public being, dependent on her caretakers' generosity/obligation for her continued well-being and, indeed, her life. It demonstrates her need to please, to say the right thing, to appear "normal" (even so far as to replace her blinded eyes with attractive blue glass eyes). It paints her life as it probably was - a bird in a gilded cage. She was given money by some famous people, but she was also generous with her own money and, as a result, was living in a poor financial situation. The book also handles dialogue nicely by simply putting the dialogue out there without "she said," "she signed," or the like.
The book falls short on several fronts.
First, there's not much going on. The plot is all about the love affair, but that single-minded focus ultimately takes away from the book - after all, the author does not KNOW Helen's thoughts about the affair (that's the part that the author attempts to recreate in the novel), and yet there are few outside events (historically accurate or not) that could illuminate her feelings or actions towards Peter Fagan.
Second, I found the book to be confusingly inconsistent. We are meant to understand that Helen must say and do what she believes people expect of her or (she fears) she'll be left alone. But there are times when she acts in a manner that DOES anger Annie Sullivan or Kate Keller, and in ways where you would think Helen would avoid in order to not be left on her own. There are numerous parts of the book where Helen professes to feel one way but acts in another. I found it to be a little jarring.
Third, the sex is icky - the stuff of bodice-ripping romance novels. And it happens the same way every time - with Helen's hands held above her head. I found that off-putting as well - it seems to symbolically shut her up since she can only "talk" with her hands.
Fourth, everyone seems one-dimensional. I felt this book could have been longer and would have improved from further character development.
The only bright spot is that the author listed her sources at the conclusion of the novel, so I can check those out to see if they are better.
October 25, 2015
I recently read 'Twain's End' by Lynn Cullen, in it the author depicts a scene where Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan Macy and her husband John Macy visit Twain at his home. Cullen has Helen and John Macy appear to be emotionally involved with one another, which made me go, hmmmm?
That scene tipped off my memory of this book and its story about Helen having an affair and I knew I wanted to read it. I was curious to see how Rosie Sultan would depict the relationship between Helen and John Macy.
I was fascinated listening to this story and thinking about Helen Keller's life. The author did a wonderful job showing how the intellectually brilliant Helen was vulnerable and dependent on her mother and Annie Sullivan.
While Helen could read braille in several different languages she was dependent on others to speak for her and read personal letters or other material that wasn't in braille.
Annie Sullivan and Helen's mother Katherine Keller were depicted as very controlling. It gave me a feeling of claustrophobia to listen to the way they chided Helen and dissuaded her from doing things she wanted to do. She was a mature, intelligent woman who was often treated like a child.
Helen and Annie's lives were completely intertwined. It was sad they didn't have someone giving them sound financial advice so they could have been more financially secure throughout their lives. They really needed a business manager to negotiate fees for their many appearances across the country.
Sad too, that if Helen hadn't been held up to the world as a miracle, an example, an icon and instead had been allowed to be an individual, and part of a community she might have been able to have a more typical life as a woman and maybe even a mother. I think this version of Helen's life shows her very human desire to love and be loved.
That scene tipped off my memory of this book and its story about Helen having an affair and I knew I wanted to read it. I was curious to see how Rosie Sultan would depict the relationship between Helen and John Macy.
I was fascinated listening to this story and thinking about Helen Keller's life. The author did a wonderful job showing how the intellectually brilliant Helen was vulnerable and dependent on her mother and Annie Sullivan.
While Helen could read braille in several different languages she was dependent on others to speak for her and read personal letters or other material that wasn't in braille.
Annie Sullivan and Helen's mother Katherine Keller were depicted as very controlling. It gave me a feeling of claustrophobia to listen to the way they chided Helen and dissuaded her from doing things she wanted to do. She was a mature, intelligent woman who was often treated like a child.
Helen and Annie's lives were completely intertwined. It was sad they didn't have someone giving them sound financial advice so they could have been more financially secure throughout their lives. They really needed a business manager to negotiate fees for their many appearances across the country.
Sad too, that if Helen hadn't been held up to the world as a miracle, an example, an icon and instead had been allowed to be an individual, and part of a community she might have been able to have a more typical life as a woman and maybe even a mother. I think this version of Helen's life shows her very human desire to love and be loved.
August 17, 2012
It's obvious that Ms. Sultan has done vast amounts of research, and for that I commend her. It's too bad that in reality the love letters between Helen and Peter were burned, because I have a feeling that the real story of their relationship--however deeply it may or may not have gone--was most likely quite different from the one Ms. Sultan has chosen to imagine. Helen Keller may have been a radical and a progressive woman for her time, but she was also a barely-post-Victorian woman who lived an extremely sheltered existence despite her many travels. For those reasons, I doubt that she would have thrown herself physically at Mr. Fagan with such wild abandon. And for all that the title implies about love, I think that to be fair, Ms. Sultan could have titled this The Sexual Awakening of Helen Keller, since from the outset, sex seems to be the basis of their relationship rather than emotional intimacy.
I picked this book up mainly because I was curious about two things: 1) how well would Helen's voice match the voice of her own writings, and 2) would the author be able to maintain an interesting, textured narrative with a main character who cannot see or hear--limiting both the visual and the auditory stimuli in the descriptions. I felt that there were more visual references than I would have expected, and that Helen's voice in this book lacked the warmth that seeps through her biography and some of her other essays.
I picked this book up mainly because I was curious about two things: 1) how well would Helen's voice match the voice of her own writings, and 2) would the author be able to maintain an interesting, textured narrative with a main character who cannot see or hear--limiting both the visual and the auditory stimuli in the descriptions. I felt that there were more visual references than I would have expected, and that Helen's voice in this book lacked the warmth that seeps through her biography and some of her other essays.
July 17, 2012
Reviewed at Novel Escapes
I really, really wanted to love this novel. Like many people, I knew some of Helen Keller's story before cracking open Helen Keller in Love, but I wasn't familiar with her entire life. The idea of a secret love intrigued me and I had looked forward to learning more about her life and the love she kept secret, but I unfortunately I really struggled with this novel.
This must have been an incredibly challenging novel to write and kudos to Sultan for tackling it. I couldn’t even fathom writing a novel about Helen Keller’s life and how to portray her disabilities in text. There were great learning points in this story, and I did become more familiar with Helen Keller’s story, but overall I felt I needed more in the end.
There was much description at first through sight, which I found strange. I was expecting more of her other senses, especially earlier on in the novel to really reinforce that she was blind and deaf. But this was done repetitively by her internal dialogue as opposed to showing us exactly how she feels the world. There were some instances of this which I did like, but I had really hoped for more – especially at the beginning of the novel.
There was dialogue going on around her that she seemed to be privy too, but no mention was made of it being translated into her hand so I would get confused. And then she would speak, but not much was mentioned about how she ‘spoke’ and many times I would forget she was blind and deaf because of this as well as the descriptions. In addition, the dialogue of her love interest actually disturbed me at times. It was nothing at all how I envision anyone in 1916 speaking and came across as juvenile. The things he said to her were something I pictured a teenage boy today saying and this completely removed me from the storyline.
Unfortunately their relationship didn't come across as interesting or romantic to me. It started so abruptly. Suddenly she was in love with this man who she met a couple of times, and he her. It didn’t feel natural. There was also nothing endearing about him, so I didn’t care about their relationship and I couldn’t see what she saw in him and as this was the major focus of the novel, I lost interest. The sex scenes were odd to me too, and made me dislike him even more, although maybe that was the point.
I always pictured Helen Keller as a strong woman and was looking forward to a more humanistic glimpse into her life as opposed to the glorification she receives. Unfortunately though, she doesn’t come across as anything near how I envisioned Helen Keller to be. I realize that obviously not everything in her life would have been perfect, but in this portrayal I didn’t see a strong woman at all, just an insecure and whiney woman mooning about over a man. This may have been amplified by the ongoing repetition throughout the novel with her internal dialogue and thankfully some attention was devoted to her humanitarian side and her anti-war cries to deflect from some of this, but the main focus on this novel was her love life so she seemed one dimensional in that aspect.
The prologue made this story anti-climactic because it is actually the ending of the novel and this fact is easily discernible once you’re part way through. This might not have bothered someone that knows Helen Keller story inside and out, but I didn't, and when I realized that I was already told the ending, I almost gave up on the book. I was terribly disappointed that no new information was added beyond that point. I wanted to know what happened to her, how she moved on afterwards.
All in all, I was really disappointed in this one and muddled through to continue. I really wanted to love it, but maybe it just wasn’t for me. There are plenty of reviews out there that enjoyed it though.
I really, really wanted to love this novel. Like many people, I knew some of Helen Keller's story before cracking open Helen Keller in Love, but I wasn't familiar with her entire life. The idea of a secret love intrigued me and I had looked forward to learning more about her life and the love she kept secret, but I unfortunately I really struggled with this novel.
This must have been an incredibly challenging novel to write and kudos to Sultan for tackling it. I couldn’t even fathom writing a novel about Helen Keller’s life and how to portray her disabilities in text. There were great learning points in this story, and I did become more familiar with Helen Keller’s story, but overall I felt I needed more in the end.
There was much description at first through sight, which I found strange. I was expecting more of her other senses, especially earlier on in the novel to really reinforce that she was blind and deaf. But this was done repetitively by her internal dialogue as opposed to showing us exactly how she feels the world. There were some instances of this which I did like, but I had really hoped for more – especially at the beginning of the novel.
There was dialogue going on around her that she seemed to be privy too, but no mention was made of it being translated into her hand so I would get confused. And then she would speak, but not much was mentioned about how she ‘spoke’ and many times I would forget she was blind and deaf because of this as well as the descriptions. In addition, the dialogue of her love interest actually disturbed me at times. It was nothing at all how I envision anyone in 1916 speaking and came across as juvenile. The things he said to her were something I pictured a teenage boy today saying and this completely removed me from the storyline.
Unfortunately their relationship didn't come across as interesting or romantic to me. It started so abruptly. Suddenly she was in love with this man who she met a couple of times, and he her. It didn’t feel natural. There was also nothing endearing about him, so I didn’t care about their relationship and I couldn’t see what she saw in him and as this was the major focus of the novel, I lost interest. The sex scenes were odd to me too, and made me dislike him even more, although maybe that was the point.
I always pictured Helen Keller as a strong woman and was looking forward to a more humanistic glimpse into her life as opposed to the glorification she receives. Unfortunately though, she doesn’t come across as anything near how I envisioned Helen Keller to be. I realize that obviously not everything in her life would have been perfect, but in this portrayal I didn’t see a strong woman at all, just an insecure and whiney woman mooning about over a man. This may have been amplified by the ongoing repetition throughout the novel with her internal dialogue and thankfully some attention was devoted to her humanitarian side and her anti-war cries to deflect from some of this, but the main focus on this novel was her love life so she seemed one dimensional in that aspect.
The prologue made this story anti-climactic because it is actually the ending of the novel and this fact is easily discernible once you’re part way through. This might not have bothered someone that knows Helen Keller story inside and out, but I didn't, and when I realized that I was already told the ending, I almost gave up on the book. I was terribly disappointed that no new information was added beyond that point. I wanted to know what happened to her, how she moved on afterwards.
All in all, I was really disappointed in this one and muddled through to continue. I really wanted to love it, but maybe it just wasn’t for me. There are plenty of reviews out there that enjoyed it though.
June 3, 2012
According to the author, there is evidence of a love affair between Helen Keller and Peter Fagan., a helper sent from the Perkins Institute when Annie Sullivan is diagnosed with tuberculosis. Of course everyone knows Helen's story, so tragic and yet so illuminating as to the places a human spirit can and does travel. Also, I would like to hope that Helen did have this chance at love and romance and that for a brief period of time she found it.
Unfortunately, as history tells us, Helen never married or had a child that she so desperately wanted. The author reveals to us the turbulent relationship that Helen and Annie had in regards to this. Annie devoted her life to Helen and because of that she seemed to think she owned Helen. True from Helen, these two women supported themselves and were not very frugal, but their livelihood was Helen's speaking engagements and the money that Helen made solely. Coming from an unhappy marriage, Annie herself is sick both physically and emotionally. Helen, who gave generously to various Socialistic causes incurs the wrath of reporters who hounded her and a public that was not so adoring anymore. Therefore the money starts to dwindle and life becomes even harder for Helen and Annie. Very evident in the story was the fact that Helen's life was never her own. She had to depend on others and felt duty bound to be loyal and true to Annie and her mother. Her father, comes off quite poorly in the story as a man who cuts Helen off at a very young age.
Ultimately, all the things Helen fought for, equality for women, the ability to be peaceful, anti war, and individual rights, she never was able to practice what she so sought for others. Sad but true, people with disabilities particularly women were expected never to marry and of course never have sexual feelings. How utterly sad for this paragon of virtue, the "angel" to have gone through life in darkness and lacking the tenderness she might have found with Frank.
While the storyline was definitely intriguing, there was a lot of repetition by the author. She did not at times present a very convincing case for the romance and there was a lot of guessing apparent in the story. I would have preferred it to be a bit smoother as I felt the writing was a bit choppy. However, it was a quick read and did leave one wondering and knowing that Helen certainly was extraordinary in so many ways.
Unfortunately, as history tells us, Helen never married or had a child that she so desperately wanted. The author reveals to us the turbulent relationship that Helen and Annie had in regards to this. Annie devoted her life to Helen and because of that she seemed to think she owned Helen. True from Helen, these two women supported themselves and were not very frugal, but their livelihood was Helen's speaking engagements and the money that Helen made solely. Coming from an unhappy marriage, Annie herself is sick both physically and emotionally. Helen, who gave generously to various Socialistic causes incurs the wrath of reporters who hounded her and a public that was not so adoring anymore. Therefore the money starts to dwindle and life becomes even harder for Helen and Annie. Very evident in the story was the fact that Helen's life was never her own. She had to depend on others and felt duty bound to be loyal and true to Annie and her mother. Her father, comes off quite poorly in the story as a man who cuts Helen off at a very young age.
Ultimately, all the things Helen fought for, equality for women, the ability to be peaceful, anti war, and individual rights, she never was able to practice what she so sought for others. Sad but true, people with disabilities particularly women were expected never to marry and of course never have sexual feelings. How utterly sad for this paragon of virtue, the "angel" to have gone through life in darkness and lacking the tenderness she might have found with Frank.
While the storyline was definitely intriguing, there was a lot of repetition by the author. She did not at times present a very convincing case for the romance and there was a lot of guessing apparent in the story. I would have preferred it to be a bit smoother as I felt the writing was a bit choppy. However, it was a quick read and did leave one wondering and knowing that Helen certainly was extraordinary in so many ways.
April 23, 2012
Besides the obvious, I really know very little about Helen Keller. What little else I know comes solely from a book report I did on The Miracle Worker in third grade. So yeah, I'm not exactly a font of knowledge on Helen Keller. The book appealed to me largely because of the historical fiction aspects. Historical fiction, when well done, is a beautiful thing, and one of my favorite genres.
Thankfully, Helen Keller in Love has been quite well done, or so I feel. I did some very limited research on Helen Keller (aka Google search) just to verify some of the basic facts, although I also could have read the Afterword first. I wanted to know, most of all, whether Peter Fagan was a real person, and whether this actually happened (unlike Becoming Jane). The answer is yes. Of course, the conversations and some of the finer details are a fiction. I just always like to have a decent idea of what is fiction and what is history, so that I don't walk around spouting 'facts' that are untrue.
What I liked most about Helen Keller in Love was most certainly the writing. Rosie Sultan's prose is beautiful. Her sentences aren't generally especially complex, but I love her diction and syntax. Her descriptions of what it might have been like to be Helen Keller, to hear through touch rather than sound, to imagine colors when you've never seen them, were breathtaking.
Most of all, the book, told from Helen's perspective, made me really truly try to imagine what her life was like in a way that just learning about her did not. She has such strength to have been able to live such a life. It's utterly sad how limited her life still remained though, a fact generally lost in the midst of the miracle.
I highly recommend Helen Keller in Love for lovers of well-written historical fiction or for those who like to think about the world from a different perspective.
Thankfully, Helen Keller in Love has been quite well done, or so I feel. I did some very limited research on Helen Keller (aka Google search) just to verify some of the basic facts, although I also could have read the Afterword first. I wanted to know, most of all, whether Peter Fagan was a real person, and whether this actually happened (unlike Becoming Jane). The answer is yes. Of course, the conversations and some of the finer details are a fiction. I just always like to have a decent idea of what is fiction and what is history, so that I don't walk around spouting 'facts' that are untrue.
What I liked most about Helen Keller in Love was most certainly the writing. Rosie Sultan's prose is beautiful. Her sentences aren't generally especially complex, but I love her diction and syntax. Her descriptions of what it might have been like to be Helen Keller, to hear through touch rather than sound, to imagine colors when you've never seen them, were breathtaking.
Most of all, the book, told from Helen's perspective, made me really truly try to imagine what her life was like in a way that just learning about her did not. She has such strength to have been able to live such a life. It's utterly sad how limited her life still remained though, a fact generally lost in the midst of the miracle.
I highly recommend Helen Keller in Love for lovers of well-written historical fiction or for those who like to think about the world from a different perspective.
April 11, 2012
I learned about Helen Keller in school just like all kids my age. Did I see “The Miracle Worker” you bet I did! I was as awestruck by Anne Sullivan’s teaching methods and Helen’s “AHA” moment as you all were. Did a bit of research on dogs and Helen Keller because we were raising Akitas at the time and she brought the first one to America.
What I had no clue about were the restrictions placed on Helen Keller the person. She was never allowed to go anywhere alone (probably a good idea considering….) she couldn’t really have friends outside of her circle which always included Anne and, unfortunately occasionally her mother and she certainly couldn’t go out with a man. I also didn’t know that Anne had married a man who took most of Helen’s money and left Anne for another woman. I was astonished that no one ever mentioned Peter Fagan - Helen’s love and lover.
Anne has been stricken with tuberculosis and cannot carry on Helen’s tours which are bringing in less and less due to her Socialistic speeches. Something must be done and quickly as she is worsening every day. Nothing to do but hire a personal secretary to take care of Helen, correspondence, lectures, etc. She appeals to her ex-husband for help and he sends them Peter. Immediately Helen is aware that the atmosphere has changed. Anne isn’t fond of her replacement but Helen is becoming more so by the hour.
The tale of Helen’s secret life with Peter and also of her opinions on Socialism were a true surprise to me and this book is so well-written that sometimes I thought Helen herself had done it and the author, Rosie Sultan, does an exceptional job of educating us and enticing us to learn more! A book well worth reading and reading again just in case you missed something the first time.
What I had no clue about were the restrictions placed on Helen Keller the person. She was never allowed to go anywhere alone (probably a good idea considering….) she couldn’t really have friends outside of her circle which always included Anne and, unfortunately occasionally her mother and she certainly couldn’t go out with a man. I also didn’t know that Anne had married a man who took most of Helen’s money and left Anne for another woman. I was astonished that no one ever mentioned Peter Fagan - Helen’s love and lover.
Anne has been stricken with tuberculosis and cannot carry on Helen’s tours which are bringing in less and less due to her Socialistic speeches. Something must be done and quickly as she is worsening every day. Nothing to do but hire a personal secretary to take care of Helen, correspondence, lectures, etc. She appeals to her ex-husband for help and he sends them Peter. Immediately Helen is aware that the atmosphere has changed. Anne isn’t fond of her replacement but Helen is becoming more so by the hour.
The tale of Helen’s secret life with Peter and also of her opinions on Socialism were a true surprise to me and this book is so well-written that sometimes I thought Helen herself had done it and the author, Rosie Sultan, does an exceptional job of educating us and enticing us to learn more! A book well worth reading and reading again just in case you missed something the first time.
September 8, 2012
I truly wanted to LOVE this book, but I came away feeling an immense sadness for Helen Keller. She wanted so much to be loved, thought she found it with Peter Fagan. He was a scoundrel(as others have written in their reviews)yet he opened up the desire in Helen that she needed. Because of her vision loss and hearing loss , Helen was totally dependent on others. Annie devoted her entire life to Helen. Without Anne Sullivan, Helen would never had gone to college. I hope Annie got a college degree also,because it was she who had to learn the material to teach it to Helen.
My son, attended Perkins School for the Blind. This is one of the most visually beautiful campuses around, and the devotion from the instructors is paramount. Helen Keller would have found a full filling life teaching the little children at Perkins. I don't understand why that was never thought of. She might have even found Love there.
Please,do read this book, but keep in mind it was a different time. Helen was an outspoken woman and that wasn't looked on kindly. She needed others just for basic survival , not to mention to get her voice heard from her writings.
August 9, 2013
Yeah, that’s right. Helen Keller was once in love.
And let’s cut right to the chase: there are a few steamy scenes in this book.
If you have an issue with that (the idea of Helen Keller being intimate with someone), read another book.
Apparently the notion of Helen Keller in a compromising position bothers a few folks, judging from several reviews I’ve read.
Which is exactly why this historical fiction novel is so important.
Well, one of the reasons, anyway.
“The blind are idolized for the wrong things. It’s strange. The praise I got for being ‘Helen Keller the miracle.’ Everyone loved that. Some people even praised me for becoming a Socialist – a Wobbly, even – supporting the Lawrence strikers, working to wipe out slums in New York City, and rallying against wars around the world. I believed that plutocrat President Taft when, at a speech for the New York Association for the Blind, he asked, ‘What must the blind think about the Declaration of Independence, since they are not granted the same rights as others in our society?’ In my blindness and deafness I proved I was equal – more than equal – in my intellect. But no one, from the time I was a young woman, would accept my having a lover. It was unseemly, somehow, a blind girl in a love affair. Torrid, almost. So I didn’t speak my desire, I hid it. While I marched for birth control, stood up for Margaret Sanger when she gave out leaflets in Brooklyn saying women could limit the number of children they would have, I wasn’t allowed to even marry, or consider having children of my own.
I couldn’t accept that fate. That wasn’t enough for me.” (pg. 34)
Our image of Helen Keller is the one that she spent most of her life talking about (but could not actually remember): that of being a seven year old blind and deaf girl, standing at the well as her teacher Annie Sullivan spells W-A-T-E-R into her hand. It’s a moment captured frequently in print and in film, so much a part of the American canon that it feels like we were right there with her.
In our collective minds, Helen Keller never grew up, never went to college at Radcliffe, never met with presidents, never established friendships with Mark Twain and Alexander Graham Bell, never traveled across the country delivering passionate speeches about the war.
Never was kissed. Never made love to. Never was secretly engaged to be married.
Helen Keller in Love is debut novelist Rosie Sultan’s “highly inventive telling of a story Keller herself would not tell,” according to the book jacket. The book explains those reasons and is very clear (at the end) that Helen Keller absolutely, definitely did have a love affair with her “private secretary,” Peter Fagan in the fall of 1916. And at one point during that time (when Annie Sullivan was sick with what was thought to be tuberculosis), Helen and Peter were engaged to be married.
Nobody seems to dispute any of that.
What appears to be at question are the exact details of their relationship, the “did they or didn’t they?” question that everyone wants to know. Why we care about their private business is another issue, but more on that in a moment.
Let’s start with something simpler. The what’s true and what’s made-up has always been my issue with historical fiction. I love the idea of it and I want to embrace this genre more – and this year I’ve read a little more of it than usual – but it becomes frustrating to me, this not knowing what is truth and what is fiction. It does have the benefit of making me want to learn more.
There was so much I learned about Helen Keller from this little book. I knew that she gave speeches, but I had no idea what a demanding schedule she kept. I also didn’t realize how poor she and Annie Sullivan were, despite Helen’s many awards and her giving generously to charitable causes and individuals in need. (This part I did know.) I didn’t know Andrew Carnegie (among others) supported her financially. I had no idea how controlling Helen’s mother and Annie Sullivan were, and I never knew how outspoken and passionate Helen was about Socialist issues.
(She was criticized for that, too.)
“The Brooklyn Eagle said that as blind woman I had no right to speak about politics, but Peter’s hand warmed mine and I heated up in rage. ‘President Wilson,’ I said, ‘is as blind as I am. Fifty-seven thousand soldiers killed in one day in France? For what?’ The battle in Europe raged. And even though the United States remained neutral, daily President Wilson called for our entry into the war. Weekly my desk was piled high with desperate letters from German, French, and English soldiers blinded in battle, letters pleading for help.
Peter laughed at my comment about President Wilson.‘Why, Miss Keller,’ he spelled, ‘you’re calling the president blind?’
‘Why not?’” (pg. 13)
I loved getting to know this spirited, grown up Helen Keller, who echoes several times in this novel that “[t]here are so many ways to be blind.” (pg. 87)
We can allow our own fears and insecurities to prevent those we love from living their own lives and making their own mistakes. We can be blinded by another’s fame. (“They say love is blind. But fame can blind a person, too.” pg. 11). There’s fear of the unknown and of a future we can’t see.
“I felt a bit of fear. Could I really know Peter without seeing? A blind man once said he didn’t want sight. He wanted longer arms. Arms so long that if he wanted to understand the moon, he would simply reach up and touch it: he would rather feel the moon than see it. So no, I didn’t need to see Peter: the hot skin of his neck, his mouth on mine, said all I needed to know.” (pg. 125)
To me, Helen and Peter’s presumed sexual relationship wasn’t the disturbing factor of this book. It’s how she was supposedly treated by those closest to her for having the audacity to want to marry him. Because of their own issues (unresolved grief over having a child with a disability, betrayal of a husband, being needed by Helen 24/7 in such a dependent way), it was impossible for Mrs. Keller and Annie Sullivan to see Helen as a separate, independent individual with the same desires and needs as any other woman.
I realize that much of this mindset was part and parcel of the times. But, in many ways, this still permeates our society today. Too many people view people with disabilities as not having sexual feelings – or, if they are thought of in that regard, they are often automatically, wrongfully, and hurtfully labeled as horrific monsters and predators.
We can debate whether it was Rosie Sultan’s place – or any author’s place – to tell this “highly inventive” story, whether Helen Keller herself would have wanted it to be told. After reading this – and admittedly, I haven’t read her autobiographies or other works (but I am curious to do so now) – I’d like to think that she would have approved. She was outspoken, she was a feminist, she wanted the same things (marriage, children) that others had.
She knew that the reason she was being denied was because of her disability.
That’s why Helen Keller In Love is such an important book.
That seven year old girl at the well taught us so much.
We can learn even more from the 36 year old woman we never knew existed.
And let’s cut right to the chase: there are a few steamy scenes in this book.
If you have an issue with that (the idea of Helen Keller being intimate with someone), read another book.
Apparently the notion of Helen Keller in a compromising position bothers a few folks, judging from several reviews I’ve read.
Which is exactly why this historical fiction novel is so important.
Well, one of the reasons, anyway.
“The blind are idolized for the wrong things. It’s strange. The praise I got for being ‘Helen Keller the miracle.’ Everyone loved that. Some people even praised me for becoming a Socialist – a Wobbly, even – supporting the Lawrence strikers, working to wipe out slums in New York City, and rallying against wars around the world. I believed that plutocrat President Taft when, at a speech for the New York Association for the Blind, he asked, ‘What must the blind think about the Declaration of Independence, since they are not granted the same rights as others in our society?’ In my blindness and deafness I proved I was equal – more than equal – in my intellect. But no one, from the time I was a young woman, would accept my having a lover. It was unseemly, somehow, a blind girl in a love affair. Torrid, almost. So I didn’t speak my desire, I hid it. While I marched for birth control, stood up for Margaret Sanger when she gave out leaflets in Brooklyn saying women could limit the number of children they would have, I wasn’t allowed to even marry, or consider having children of my own.
I couldn’t accept that fate. That wasn’t enough for me.” (pg. 34)
Our image of Helen Keller is the one that she spent most of her life talking about (but could not actually remember): that of being a seven year old blind and deaf girl, standing at the well as her teacher Annie Sullivan spells W-A-T-E-R into her hand. It’s a moment captured frequently in print and in film, so much a part of the American canon that it feels like we were right there with her.
In our collective minds, Helen Keller never grew up, never went to college at Radcliffe, never met with presidents, never established friendships with Mark Twain and Alexander Graham Bell, never traveled across the country delivering passionate speeches about the war.
Never was kissed. Never made love to. Never was secretly engaged to be married.
Helen Keller in Love is debut novelist Rosie Sultan’s “highly inventive telling of a story Keller herself would not tell,” according to the book jacket. The book explains those reasons and is very clear (at the end) that Helen Keller absolutely, definitely did have a love affair with her “private secretary,” Peter Fagan in the fall of 1916. And at one point during that time (when Annie Sullivan was sick with what was thought to be tuberculosis), Helen and Peter were engaged to be married.
Nobody seems to dispute any of that.
What appears to be at question are the exact details of their relationship, the “did they or didn’t they?” question that everyone wants to know. Why we care about their private business is another issue, but more on that in a moment.
Let’s start with something simpler. The what’s true and what’s made-up has always been my issue with historical fiction. I love the idea of it and I want to embrace this genre more – and this year I’ve read a little more of it than usual – but it becomes frustrating to me, this not knowing what is truth and what is fiction. It does have the benefit of making me want to learn more.
There was so much I learned about Helen Keller from this little book. I knew that she gave speeches, but I had no idea what a demanding schedule she kept. I also didn’t realize how poor she and Annie Sullivan were, despite Helen’s many awards and her giving generously to charitable causes and individuals in need. (This part I did know.) I didn’t know Andrew Carnegie (among others) supported her financially. I had no idea how controlling Helen’s mother and Annie Sullivan were, and I never knew how outspoken and passionate Helen was about Socialist issues.
(She was criticized for that, too.)
“The Brooklyn Eagle said that as blind woman I had no right to speak about politics, but Peter’s hand warmed mine and I heated up in rage. ‘President Wilson,’ I said, ‘is as blind as I am. Fifty-seven thousand soldiers killed in one day in France? For what?’ The battle in Europe raged. And even though the United States remained neutral, daily President Wilson called for our entry into the war. Weekly my desk was piled high with desperate letters from German, French, and English soldiers blinded in battle, letters pleading for help.
Peter laughed at my comment about President Wilson.‘Why, Miss Keller,’ he spelled, ‘you’re calling the president blind?’
‘Why not?’” (pg. 13)
I loved getting to know this spirited, grown up Helen Keller, who echoes several times in this novel that “[t]here are so many ways to be blind.” (pg. 87)
We can allow our own fears and insecurities to prevent those we love from living their own lives and making their own mistakes. We can be blinded by another’s fame. (“They say love is blind. But fame can blind a person, too.” pg. 11). There’s fear of the unknown and of a future we can’t see.
“I felt a bit of fear. Could I really know Peter without seeing? A blind man once said he didn’t want sight. He wanted longer arms. Arms so long that if he wanted to understand the moon, he would simply reach up and touch it: he would rather feel the moon than see it. So no, I didn’t need to see Peter: the hot skin of his neck, his mouth on mine, said all I needed to know.” (pg. 125)
To me, Helen and Peter’s presumed sexual relationship wasn’t the disturbing factor of this book. It’s how she was supposedly treated by those closest to her for having the audacity to want to marry him. Because of their own issues (unresolved grief over having a child with a disability, betrayal of a husband, being needed by Helen 24/7 in such a dependent way), it was impossible for Mrs. Keller and Annie Sullivan to see Helen as a separate, independent individual with the same desires and needs as any other woman.
I realize that much of this mindset was part and parcel of the times. But, in many ways, this still permeates our society today. Too many people view people with disabilities as not having sexual feelings – or, if they are thought of in that regard, they are often automatically, wrongfully, and hurtfully labeled as horrific monsters and predators.
We can debate whether it was Rosie Sultan’s place – or any author’s place – to tell this “highly inventive” story, whether Helen Keller herself would have wanted it to be told. After reading this – and admittedly, I haven’t read her autobiographies or other works (but I am curious to do so now) – I’d like to think that she would have approved. She was outspoken, she was a feminist, she wanted the same things (marriage, children) that others had.
She knew that the reason she was being denied was because of her disability.
That’s why Helen Keller In Love is such an important book.
That seven year old girl at the well taught us so much.
We can learn even more from the 36 year old woman we never knew existed.
June 12, 2014
I had to read it for book group, but might not have finished it otherwise. I found it kind of insipid and in need of better editing; there was a lot of repetition and a few mistakes: places where Helen, the blind and deaf narrator, could not have perceived what she claimed.
However, we met the author at our meeting, and she was so engaging and smart and funny and full of passion for her subject that I warmed to it. I couldn't' decide whether the story felt so silly because Helen had been so childlike herself -- she was emotionally and certainly sexually repressed and her experience was constantly limited by others who depended on her for their livelihood (Annie, for instance); she had no exposure to sexual or romantic love outside of what she read in romance novels; and she lived in a time when having sex was fully described by such lacking words as "I raised my hips to him." There was little passion in Helen's narration, almost no tactile sensuality or candid emotion that would have made her adventure more interesting and believable, and more importantly, the bond between Helen and her guy seemed jokey and shallow, not at all compelling. I didn't know whether to think it was bad writing or good writing about a heroine with pitiful illusions you can't really get behind.
I wished the story could have been told from varying points of view, so that if Helen's true-life limitations were what made it feel lacking we could have gotten a more complex and multifaceted story from the other characters, who had lived different lives and surely had voices with which we could more fully engage.
BUT -- i learned a lot of interesting stuff about the true story of Annie Sullivan, which I think is well worth a book on its own. She was an extremely bizarre and complicated person with a terrible life and a huge need to be essential to someone, it's quite touching.
However, we met the author at our meeting, and she was so engaging and smart and funny and full of passion for her subject that I warmed to it. I couldn't' decide whether the story felt so silly because Helen had been so childlike herself -- she was emotionally and certainly sexually repressed and her experience was constantly limited by others who depended on her for their livelihood (Annie, for instance); she had no exposure to sexual or romantic love outside of what she read in romance novels; and she lived in a time when having sex was fully described by such lacking words as "I raised my hips to him." There was little passion in Helen's narration, almost no tactile sensuality or candid emotion that would have made her adventure more interesting and believable, and more importantly, the bond between Helen and her guy seemed jokey and shallow, not at all compelling. I didn't know whether to think it was bad writing or good writing about a heroine with pitiful illusions you can't really get behind.
I wished the story could have been told from varying points of view, so that if Helen's true-life limitations were what made it feel lacking we could have gotten a more complex and multifaceted story from the other characters, who had lived different lives and surely had voices with which we could more fully engage.
BUT -- i learned a lot of interesting stuff about the true story of Annie Sullivan, which I think is well worth a book on its own. She was an extremely bizarre and complicated person with a terrible life and a huge need to be essential to someone, it's quite touching.
July 11, 2012
This was a very interesting take on Helen Keller and her life including the prospect that she found love. Although it is a work of fiction, Peter Fagan who she was engaged to marry in the book was her real personal secretary after Annie Sullivan fell ill with TB. I find Helen Keller to be an extremely intriguing person and love to read all I can about her and her life so I did enjoy this novel but wanted to enjoy it even more. Sultan does a great job of depicting Helen as a woman who "sees" the world through the 3 senses of touch, taste, and smell. She describes things in the way Helen would have presumably learned about them. However, the story is kind of disjointed and not extremely engaging. There are parts that are very slow moving with not much happening the way of plot points. The characters are pretty flat and one dimensional leaving a true fan of Helen Keller like myself, with an unsatisfied feeling at the end.
June 12, 2012
So the premise was a good one...a real piece of history that Helen Keller had a brief "affair". It is really a shame that the story was then a hodge podge of Helen's activism, Annie Sullivan's bad marriage, and most of all the "arrested " development " descriptions of a very implausible love story. I felt as if I was a young child sneaking a read on an erotic book .... He pressed himself against my thighs.....he filled me up...i felt that this was not welll developed or researched (contrary to the bibliography), and not exactly a love story but rather an attempt at tittilation, using a famous person's name, and very poor at that.
February 29, 2016
We all know that Helen Keller didn't marry, so just by reading the title you know this book is going to be bittersweet. I love how Helen was finally shown as a normal woman who couldn't help that she was different. She had the same thoughts, wants and needs as any other woman. But her overprotective family kept her from marrying the love of her life.
I have to say something about Peter Fagan, though. I didn't trust him from the beginning. He seemed to me to be only after Helen in a sexual way as opposed to the marriage he promised her. He wasn't exactly endearing but definitely passionate, which is what I suppose drew Helen to him.
I have to say something about Peter Fagan, though. I didn't trust him from the beginning. He seemed to me to be only after Helen in a sexual way as opposed to the marriage he promised her. He wasn't exactly endearing but definitely passionate, which is what I suppose drew Helen to him.
November 11, 2015
I enjoyed this book from the first page. The writing style made it very quick to read and easy to follow. I have been a fan of Helen Keller's for a long time so I was not sure if I would like a book written about here that is not 100% fact. But I have to say I did enjoy it and thought it very interesting to see a different side of Helen then what you usually hear about. I felt bad at times for Helen when Anne and her mother kept trying to push Peter away and tell Helen that he was not good for her. At the same time I understood why they were doing it. I liked how the story showed the relationship between Helen and her family including Anne.
August 19, 2012
Based on true facts about Helen Keller and her relationship with Peter Fagan, to whom she was briefly engaged but they were forced apart by her family. A bit irritating to read; I find it rather unbelievable that Helen was ready to jump in the sack with him literally from the moment she met him. And was he really that fast with fingerspelling that they had such sparkling conversations? For a deaf/blind person, she seems far too aware of colours and sounds (ie there was a flock of Canada geese honking overhead). Really???
April 9, 2012
I must say that I found this book fascinating. There are parts of the book which I would love to know where the author gatherered her information from or was it based on artistic liberties, but this book forced me to look at Helen Keller's later life (I had studied alot about her earlier life) so this really "wrapped" things up for me. I also liked that the author listed resources for a fiction book.
March 7, 2018
Link to my review here: http://threebookishgirls.wordpress.co...
October 12, 2020
I am a huge Helen Keller fan. When I was in elementary school we did a biography study and I chose Helen Keller and have been a fan every since. Although this was fictional it sounded so real and accurate. I really enjoyed this story and experience Helen Keller in adulthood.
July 21, 2012
As a young girl, I read The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. I learned about her struggle as a young deaf, dumb, blind and wild girl who lived in a total world of darkness and frustration, only to enter a world of understanding when Annie Sullivan entered her life and taught her how to communicate, giving her solid rules to live by. Helen went to the Perkins' School for the Blind, then on to Radcliffe, where she was revered by millions of people for overcoming her handicaps. At only 24 years old, Helen wrote her autobiography, the book I read as a young girl. Rosie Sultan sheds light on a part of Helen Keller's life that was not revealed in The Story of My Life.
Helen always sided with the marginalized. She and Annie sent money to blind soldiers, and those in need. While Helen and Annie lived in a leaky home with old furniture. It was obvious they were not making ends meet. There was a time that when Helen and Annie toured around the country and Helen spoke to large audiences about overcoming her handicaps, she was revered and they were making money. (What I learned in this book is that Annie's husband was taking much of their hard earned money to travel and have affairs). When Helen talked about politics, and how the United States should not enter the war, people did not want to hear her, and often demanded their money back. Rosie Sultan reveals Helen's inner-most thoughts at this time of her life:
"America's leading newspaper editors said over and over that because I was deaf and blind I could have no real knowledge of politic and the world. When I wrote about anything besides blindness or deafness they said, "Why, Miss Keller, thank you for your lovely article on the state of our economy. But we don't want to hear your opinions on labor, jobs, or peace. Better minds than yours are working on those subjects. But please, won't you enlighten us on what it's like to live in the dark?" Do they think that just because I can't see or hear I don't have a brain? I am trained to think, and unlike most editors I know, I an do so in five languages. I read papers daily in German, English, Italian, and French. I've read both Marx and Engels in German Braille. I dare any of them to surpass that."
Although Helen was brilliant, and she had worked hard to overcome so many obstacles in her life, she still wanted the love of a man. Then she met Peter, a non-working journalist who was recommended to be Helen's translator and care-taker while Annie lay ill with tuberculosis. Peter woos Helen at once, constantly sticking his fingers down her shirt. His character was unlikable to me the moment I met him, yet Helen yearned so much for real love, that she overlooked his sickening smell of cigarette smoke, his animalistic behavior, and readiness to marry her after having known her such a short time. Peter was opportunistic and fascinated with Helen's fame. He used her wallet pretty freely as well to pay for a cab and a marriage license in Boston.
"I could use my intellect to overcome any obstacles in my way. I wanted for nothing. I was as capable as any sighted or hearing person. Yet I never said how much I yearned for that which came so easily to others; the ability to love a man, to have a child. Those things would never come freely to me. So a fury raged in me. I became a burnt fuse inside, nothing but ash. I had to learn to act as though parts of myself simply did not exist. But Peter made those cravings burn again."
I rather tired reading about Helen being repeatedly taken by Peter, unbuttoning her buttons, and kissing her endlessly. I wanted to be enlightened by Helen's wish for love, not read the details. Aside from the torrid affair, I did, however learn a lot about Helen and her family by reading Rosie's book.
Helen always sided with the marginalized. She and Annie sent money to blind soldiers, and those in need. While Helen and Annie lived in a leaky home with old furniture. It was obvious they were not making ends meet. There was a time that when Helen and Annie toured around the country and Helen spoke to large audiences about overcoming her handicaps, she was revered and they were making money. (What I learned in this book is that Annie's husband was taking much of their hard earned money to travel and have affairs). When Helen talked about politics, and how the United States should not enter the war, people did not want to hear her, and often demanded their money back. Rosie Sultan reveals Helen's inner-most thoughts at this time of her life:
"America's leading newspaper editors said over and over that because I was deaf and blind I could have no real knowledge of politic and the world. When I wrote about anything besides blindness or deafness they said, "Why, Miss Keller, thank you for your lovely article on the state of our economy. But we don't want to hear your opinions on labor, jobs, or peace. Better minds than yours are working on those subjects. But please, won't you enlighten us on what it's like to live in the dark?" Do they think that just because I can't see or hear I don't have a brain? I am trained to think, and unlike most editors I know, I an do so in five languages. I read papers daily in German, English, Italian, and French. I've read both Marx and Engels in German Braille. I dare any of them to surpass that."
Although Helen was brilliant, and she had worked hard to overcome so many obstacles in her life, she still wanted the love of a man. Then she met Peter, a non-working journalist who was recommended to be Helen's translator and care-taker while Annie lay ill with tuberculosis. Peter woos Helen at once, constantly sticking his fingers down her shirt. His character was unlikable to me the moment I met him, yet Helen yearned so much for real love, that she overlooked his sickening smell of cigarette smoke, his animalistic behavior, and readiness to marry her after having known her such a short time. Peter was opportunistic and fascinated with Helen's fame. He used her wallet pretty freely as well to pay for a cab and a marriage license in Boston.
"I could use my intellect to overcome any obstacles in my way. I wanted for nothing. I was as capable as any sighted or hearing person. Yet I never said how much I yearned for that which came so easily to others; the ability to love a man, to have a child. Those things would never come freely to me. So a fury raged in me. I became a burnt fuse inside, nothing but ash. I had to learn to act as though parts of myself simply did not exist. But Peter made those cravings burn again."
I rather tired reading about Helen being repeatedly taken by Peter, unbuttoning her buttons, and kissing her endlessly. I wanted to be enlightened by Helen's wish for love, not read the details. Aside from the torrid affair, I did, however learn a lot about Helen and her family by reading Rosie's book.
April 25, 2012
Helen Keller the miracle or Helen Keller the Human Being?
Article first published as Book Review: Helen Keller in Love by Rosie Sultan on Blogcritics
What happened to Helen Keller after The Miracle Worker? History records her graduating from college in 1904 and helping to found the ACLU in 1920. A devoted humanitarian, Helen constantly worked on behalf of those with disabilities. She learned several means of communication: lip touching, finger spelling, Braille, speech, typing. The historical record reveals her public life and impact on society. What happened in her personal life?
In Helen Keller in Love we learn that when Helen was ten, her father died, leaving no provision to support her or pay Annie Sullivan’s salary.
While on a speaking tour with Helen, Annie is stricken with tuberculosis. Peter, hired to be Helen’s secretary, soon finds himself translating conversations, letters and newspapers for. Much to his delight, she becomes brazen and forward.
Written in Helen’s impassioned, stubborn first person voice, the book describes her love affair with this man with many reasons to exploit her. The premise is both provocative and human. Why wouldn’t a woman deprived of so much have emotional and sexual yearnings? “At age thirty-seven she says, “I was tired of being perfect Helen Keller…I wanted to break free.”
The book will surely prompt controversy. Some reviews criticize the book for placing a stain on Helen Keller’s reputation. How difficult to take a slice of a high-profile person’s life and turn it into a novel. I give Rosie Sultan credit. She opened herself up for scrutiny and criticism. To all of the “this could never have happened” critics, remember that this is a work of fiction based on an extraordinary real person. The extensive research done for the book substantiates that Helen Keller and Peter Fagan did have a love affair.
The story lost its impact for this reader by telling the outcome of the love affair within the first few pages. The reader is constantly on edge wondering what unseemly things Peter is up to. Although Helen’s voice is credibly written, the threads of Helen Keller in Love don’t weave together to make an entirely plausible read.
Netgalley graciously provided the review copy.
Article first published as Book Review: Helen Keller in Love by Rosie Sultan on Blogcritics
What happened to Helen Keller after The Miracle Worker? History records her graduating from college in 1904 and helping to found the ACLU in 1920. A devoted humanitarian, Helen constantly worked on behalf of those with disabilities. She learned several means of communication: lip touching, finger spelling, Braille, speech, typing. The historical record reveals her public life and impact on society. What happened in her personal life?
In Helen Keller in Love we learn that when Helen was ten, her father died, leaving no provision to support her or pay Annie Sullivan’s salary.
While on a speaking tour with Helen, Annie is stricken with tuberculosis. Peter, hired to be Helen’s secretary, soon finds himself translating conversations, letters and newspapers for. Much to his delight, she becomes brazen and forward.
Written in Helen’s impassioned, stubborn first person voice, the book describes her love affair with this man with many reasons to exploit her. The premise is both provocative and human. Why wouldn’t a woman deprived of so much have emotional and sexual yearnings? “At age thirty-seven she says, “I was tired of being perfect Helen Keller…I wanted to break free.”
The book will surely prompt controversy. Some reviews criticize the book for placing a stain on Helen Keller’s reputation. How difficult to take a slice of a high-profile person’s life and turn it into a novel. I give Rosie Sultan credit. She opened herself up for scrutiny and criticism. To all of the “this could never have happened” critics, remember that this is a work of fiction based on an extraordinary real person. The extensive research done for the book substantiates that Helen Keller and Peter Fagan did have a love affair.
The story lost its impact for this reader by telling the outcome of the love affair within the first few pages. The reader is constantly on edge wondering what unseemly things Peter is up to. Although Helen’s voice is credibly written, the threads of Helen Keller in Love don’t weave together to make an entirely plausible read.
Netgalley graciously provided the review copy.
May 4, 2012
“Helen Keller in Love” by Rosie Sultan is a story about Helen Keller when she was 36 years old and her love affair with her secretary, Peter Fagan. It is told through the voice of Helen Keller. The target audience for this book is young adults/adults.
Reading the synopsis of this book really intrigued me. Helen Keller really was an amazing woman who overcame incredible obstacles and her story deserves to be told. Usually we are only told the story of the childhood of Helen Keller, but this book takes us directly into her adult life.
Helen’s companion, since the time she was 7 years old, was Anne Sullivan. Anne Sullivan continued to be Helen’s main companion and interpreter until her death, I believe. This story illustrates that Anne was a bit controlling and she completely tried to dissuade Helen from ever pursuing a romantic relationship. Helen’s mother had the same agenda also. When Anne is diagnosed with tuberculosis, she is forced to bring in another person to be Helen’s secretary until she can get better. Thus, in comes Peter Fagan. Helen is immediately drawn to Peter Fagan. I don’t see why she was unless it was because he was the first non-related male she came into close contact with and the thrill of that made Helen pursue him. Peter immediately takes to Helen and they begin a secret romance.
Although this book was told with Helen as the narrator, I sometimes forgot that she was deaf or blind. How did she know of conversations that didn’t include her? Sometimes the author would allude to sounds such as “…crossed the room in a sslap-sslap-sslap of her bare feet.” I guess it could mean what the vibrations felt like, but to me it came across more as what it sounded like rather than felt like. But this is just a minor issue. Helen Keller must have been very lonely and really wanted to have independence, which would be impossible since she had to rely on someone for everything such as picking out her clothes or telling her what was going on in the world. This book highlights her loneliness and her dependence on Anne Sullivan. The relationship with Peter seemed rushed and a little unrealistic, but perhaps that was the way it really was.
We never think about what Helen’s life was like after childhood and this book was an interesting peek into her adult life. There were some minor issues with the story that I didn’t like, but overall it was a good read and I learned some really interesting things about Helen and Anne and what life must have been like for both of them… they both depended on and needed each other. Was this detrimental or instrumental to their relationship? That is up to the reader to decide.
**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**
Reading the synopsis of this book really intrigued me. Helen Keller really was an amazing woman who overcame incredible obstacles and her story deserves to be told. Usually we are only told the story of the childhood of Helen Keller, but this book takes us directly into her adult life.
Helen’s companion, since the time she was 7 years old, was Anne Sullivan. Anne Sullivan continued to be Helen’s main companion and interpreter until her death, I believe. This story illustrates that Anne was a bit controlling and she completely tried to dissuade Helen from ever pursuing a romantic relationship. Helen’s mother had the same agenda also. When Anne is diagnosed with tuberculosis, she is forced to bring in another person to be Helen’s secretary until she can get better. Thus, in comes Peter Fagan. Helen is immediately drawn to Peter Fagan. I don’t see why she was unless it was because he was the first non-related male she came into close contact with and the thrill of that made Helen pursue him. Peter immediately takes to Helen and they begin a secret romance.
Although this book was told with Helen as the narrator, I sometimes forgot that she was deaf or blind. How did she know of conversations that didn’t include her? Sometimes the author would allude to sounds such as “…crossed the room in a sslap-sslap-sslap of her bare feet.” I guess it could mean what the vibrations felt like, but to me it came across more as what it sounded like rather than felt like. But this is just a minor issue. Helen Keller must have been very lonely and really wanted to have independence, which would be impossible since she had to rely on someone for everything such as picking out her clothes or telling her what was going on in the world. This book highlights her loneliness and her dependence on Anne Sullivan. The relationship with Peter seemed rushed and a little unrealistic, but perhaps that was the way it really was.
We never think about what Helen’s life was like after childhood and this book was an interesting peek into her adult life. There were some minor issues with the story that I didn’t like, but overall it was a good read and I learned some really interesting things about Helen and Anne and what life must have been like for both of them… they both depended on and needed each other. Was this detrimental or instrumental to their relationship? That is up to the reader to decide.
**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**
May 31, 2012
Since acting in the play, "The Miracle Worker," I have long admired Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan for overcoming the barriers of Helen's deaf and blind state through perseverance and determination. I was so excited and a bit apprehensive to see this book hit the shelves. It takes a strong writer to spin a fictionalized account of any historic figure, but especially one that is so revered as Ms. Keller. Though I was a bit saddened by some of her portrayal of the relationships Helen had with Annie and her mother, I couldn't help but feel that the author's rendering probably hit very close to the truth. I was also surprised by much of what I learned about Helen herself, including her leftist political views, pacifist stance, nearly impoverished state and relentless efforts to help those less "fortunate" than her including Southern negroes and German soldiers. What a powerhouse she was! Realizing these aspects of her personality made it even easier to accept the belief that she engaged in a passionate, if brief, love affair. How could a woman strong enough to stand up and denounce presidents do anything else but fight for her own right to love a man? And who more natural for her to fall in love with than Peter Fagan, a young reporter hired to fill Annie's place when she was stricken by tuberculosis? Thrown together in intimate settings and sharing similar views, Helen must have easily fallen under his spell. *Spoiler* It grieves me to know, though, that her family's insistence on her single state and need to depend on them alone won out in the end. *End spoiler* Aspects of the novel, including some passages where it almost seems as though Helen was not as physically limited as she was, were a bit unnerving but did not detract from the story. What did make it less than wonderful for me was knowing beforehand what was going to happen. I felt disappointed from the beginning and constantly looked for clues in Peter's behavior and motives. However, I still enjoyed the book and the chance to see Helen in a completely different light. And the overall theme of the book is one that will resonate with me for a while to come: "There are many ways to be blind." How very true.
November 3, 2015
Rating: 2.5/5
Known for being a strong minded political activist, this World War I setting gave a great backdrop to this love story. Especially due in part to Peter Fagan being an outspoken journalist himself. Despite the seriousness of the time and the threat of contagious disease, the tone of this novel was lighthearted. The devotion Helen and Annie shared for each other was quite touching and I enjoyed listening to their interactions.
Although Helen Keller in Love is a work of fiction, the author did include many real quotes and tidbits about the woman’s life. These inclusions were among my favourite parts of the novel. Sultan as does a good job of retelling Helen’s biography, which would be helpful for anyone who may not be familiar with her story.
Here is where my thoughts and final rating become conflicted. Although I did enjoy some parts of this story, the majority left me feeling quite uncomfortable. The reason for this is due to the tone it was narrated in and the way the subject manner was approached.
The narrator for this book is Christine Williams, who has a great voice for audio, but a style I wasn’t excepting going into this story. The way in which it was read gave off more of a contemporary romance type feel, rather than that of a historical fiction. This didn’t make the story sound very believable in my opinion. In fact it came across more much more sensual than I would have ever imagined a book about Helen Keller to be.
As for the love interest Peter Fagan, I did not like him one bit. He was portrayed at a very domineering man, a characteristic I found to be quite off putting in this scenario.
Although this story was depicted in such an unexpected manner, there were a couple of qualities I found interesting. All things considered I would describe Rosie Sultan’s Helen in Love to have been quite an ambitious undertaking, which missed its mark.
To read more of my thoughts on Helen Keller in Love please visit my blog:
http://mlsmanyreads.blogspot.ca/2015/...
Known for being a strong minded political activist, this World War I setting gave a great backdrop to this love story. Especially due in part to Peter Fagan being an outspoken journalist himself. Despite the seriousness of the time and the threat of contagious disease, the tone of this novel was lighthearted. The devotion Helen and Annie shared for each other was quite touching and I enjoyed listening to their interactions.
Although Helen Keller in Love is a work of fiction, the author did include many real quotes and tidbits about the woman’s life. These inclusions were among my favourite parts of the novel. Sultan as does a good job of retelling Helen’s biography, which would be helpful for anyone who may not be familiar with her story.
Here is where my thoughts and final rating become conflicted. Although I did enjoy some parts of this story, the majority left me feeling quite uncomfortable. The reason for this is due to the tone it was narrated in and the way the subject manner was approached.
The narrator for this book is Christine Williams, who has a great voice for audio, but a style I wasn’t excepting going into this story. The way in which it was read gave off more of a contemporary romance type feel, rather than that of a historical fiction. This didn’t make the story sound very believable in my opinion. In fact it came across more much more sensual than I would have ever imagined a book about Helen Keller to be.
As for the love interest Peter Fagan, I did not like him one bit. He was portrayed at a very domineering man, a characteristic I found to be quite off putting in this scenario.
Although this story was depicted in such an unexpected manner, there were a couple of qualities I found interesting. All things considered I would describe Rosie Sultan’s Helen in Love to have been quite an ambitious undertaking, which missed its mark.
To read more of my thoughts on Helen Keller in Love please visit my blog:
http://mlsmanyreads.blogspot.ca/2015/...
August 18, 2012
This is a book I looked forward to reading. However, when I started, I struggled to finish it. Since I rarely like to stop reading a book, I pushed on.
Many of us may be aware that Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing when she was a toddler due to scarlet fever. She was cared for by "Teacher" Annie Sullivan for many years of her life from the age of seven. Together they toured the world sharing her miracle story of learning how to communicate in spite of these challenges.
Author Rosie Sultan discovered in some literature that Keller had a short-lived love affair with Peter Fagan and subsequently explored their relationship in this historical novel.
Well, in the opening, Helen has set us up with the outcome of all she's about to tell us and I soon found myself feeling pity for her. As a longtime admirer of Helen Keller, feeling such emotion while reading this book was not what I expected to experience about her. From some literature and articles I'd read about her over the years, she wasn't one to pity.
Now mind you, this was about a sensitive and clandestine time in her life and I highly commend Sultan for tackling it from Keller's point of view via touch and smell. However, it was an uncomfortable read.
Her relationship with Peter Fagan actually nauseated me. He was a
selfish, perhaps opportunistic, and insensitive cad. Not once did I find him to care about her. My goodness, when he reached in her blouse so often, I was sickened, not taken away by any sense of love and romance. He was just so smarmy and I did not like him. He made the story very difficult for me to read. All she wanted was love, yet he didn't seem sincere at all enough in this story to convince me that he loved her.
Sultan's afterword was interesting enough, however, to lead me to the further works that inspired her to write this story.
Many of us may be aware that Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing when she was a toddler due to scarlet fever. She was cared for by "Teacher" Annie Sullivan for many years of her life from the age of seven. Together they toured the world sharing her miracle story of learning how to communicate in spite of these challenges.
Author Rosie Sultan discovered in some literature that Keller had a short-lived love affair with Peter Fagan and subsequently explored their relationship in this historical novel.
Well, in the opening, Helen has set us up with the outcome of all she's about to tell us and I soon found myself feeling pity for her. As a longtime admirer of Helen Keller, feeling such emotion while reading this book was not what I expected to experience about her. From some literature and articles I'd read about her over the years, she wasn't one to pity.
Now mind you, this was about a sensitive and clandestine time in her life and I highly commend Sultan for tackling it from Keller's point of view via touch and smell. However, it was an uncomfortable read.
Her relationship with Peter Fagan actually nauseated me. He was a
selfish, perhaps opportunistic, and insensitive cad. Not once did I find him to care about her. My goodness, when he reached in her blouse so often, I was sickened, not taken away by any sense of love and romance. He was just so smarmy and I did not like him. He made the story very difficult for me to read. All she wanted was love, yet he didn't seem sincere at all enough in this story to convince me that he loved her.
Sultan's afterword was interesting enough, however, to lead me to the further works that inspired her to write this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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