Daughter of Boston: The Extraordinary Diary of a Nineteenth-century Woman, Caroline Healey Dall

by Helen Deese, Helen R. Deese (Editor)

This Journal is my safety valve-and it is well, that I can thus rid myself of my superfluous steam . . . I trust posterity will remember this, should it ever be gratified by a glimpse at these pages.

In the nineteenth century, Boston was well known as a center for intellectual ferment. Amidst the popular lecturing of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the discussion groups led by Margaret Fuller sat a remarkable young woman, Caroline Healey Dall (1822-1912): Transcendentalist, early feminist, writer, reformer, and-perhaps most importantly-active diarist.

Dall kept a diary for seventy-five years.She captured in it all the fascinating details of her sometimes agonizing personal life, but she also wrote about all the major figures who surrounded her-Elizabeth Peabody, Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, William Lloyd Garrison, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and countless others. Her diary, filling forty-five volumes in all, is perhaps the longest running diary ever written by any American and the most complete account available of a nineteenth-century woman's life.

Daughter of Boston is a selection of the best from Dall's immense diary, woven together with biographical narrative. The city's celebrations, mob scenes, poverty-ridden neighborhoods, lectures, and exhibits are described with great wit and insight. She also writes colorfully about people whose names never made it into the history books-wives and mothers, fugitives, servants, children, starving ministers, single women looking for outlets for their ambitions, and working people of all ages. Dall constantly strove to make sense of her personal troubles and failures, so the diary also functioned as the perfect vehicle for working out the lessons she believed these troubles were meant to teach.

Daughter of Boston is a completely original and important both a significant document of social history and a lively, vivid account of one woman's life and thoughts.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, 19th Century, Biography, Autobiography

488 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 2005

Reviews

[Mollie Plekan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book with the hesitation that journals can be very boring and there were moments where I had to push through the dullness. I gave this five stars because I am shocked at how many famous policians, professors, lecturers, activists, and writers were in Dall’s circle because of her intellect and literary reach, even as the dominant provider for her household. I had to remind myself that this was actually a transcription, Dall’s writing was so thoughtful.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It often felt like the italics between entries and the footnotes were unnecessary. The italicized sections could have been put in footnotes and omitted what seemed obvious. I also did not find it necessary to read the beginnings of the chapters before the entries. Diaries as detailed as this do not need all the explanation.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daughter of Boston: The Extraordinary Diary of a Nineteenth-century Woman, Caroline Healey Dall (Hardcover)
by Caroline Healey Dall

Extensive footnoting.

[Marilyn]

bought on 24 Sep 2024 at Brattle Bookshop, Boston MA while on vacation;

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, fantastic book, both due to the wealth and depth of material and the exceptional style of Caroline Dall's diaries. However, even though I feel that H. Deese has made a tremendous effort to bring C. Dall's diaries to the public, I would have liked to hear more of Ms. Dall's voice in them. The diaries have been edited very heavily (again, in my opinion). It would also have helped to have a list of main characters with a brief description of each. As it is, some of the explanations are found in footnotes, whereas others are relegated to Notes in the back of the book, which makes the reading somewhat difficult. Overall, I would like to return to this time and place (19th century Boston)...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Diary is a front row seat to living history at a time of tremendous emphasis on personal growth, intellect, religious thought, economic expansion and empowerment of women and minorities. Caroline Dall relates her journey through the topics of the day as she struggles to find her place in a world defined for her but not of her own choosing. Rather than breeze through this book, take the time to read the footnotes as the editor took the time to write them for you. I can only imagine Caroline’s despair to learn how we are still struggling today with topics of inclusion and equality while our southern relations throw roadblocks in the path.

[Mary Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as entertaining as I would have liked. The author introduced each chapter which then spoiled the journal entries.