Margaret Fuller, an instrumental figure in Transcendental American literature, is recognized by few compared to the male writers of this movement. Allison Pataki has provided an opportunity to meet this progressive thinker who becomes a proponent of women’s rights through her lectures and writing. Despite being judged as controversial and unstable, she impresses Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne and Alcott yet not enough to receive payment for her work for them. Time and again she defers to these men. It is, however, newspaper publisher Horace Greeley who hires her as a journalist, the first female writer for his newspaper, and encourages her to express her opinions and share her experiences when he arranges passage to Europe where she works as a tutor and reports her perspective of Europe. When she reaches Italy, she meets a man who falls in love with her. Even then she worries about the reactions of her Massachusetts “heroes” to this commoner, an Italian soldier. Margaret played an integral role in advancing women’ s causes and rights. This novel has made public her contributions to American history.

Another wonderful book from Allison Pataki. I’ve enjoyed her previous books so much. Margaret Fuller was certainly a woman ahead of her time, living a courageous and fulfilling life. I appreciate all the research done to properly portray her story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Alison Pataki's writing. She always finds such interesting figures to explore. I had no idea who Margaret Fuller was, but now I do. I think the connections with many very famous other writers was so well told. Can't wait to discuss this book with others. I don't think many of us even know the name of Margaret Fuller.

Margaret Fuller was a woman ahead of her time. A woman not only incredibly intelligent but a woman given the gift of writing and an activist as well. Pataki brought Fuller to life and paid homage as she so deserved. The writing is superb adding to Fuller's vision and her experiences through her short-lived life. Highly recommend.

Allison Pataki is the perfect author to so superbly capture a re-imagining of Margaret Fuller’s life in this excellent historical fiction story. Her research and visits to the scenes combine for a well-developed, beautifully written novel about this little known heroine. Glad for a rainy day as I devoured this wonderful drama in one long sitting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC.

How sad that such an extraordinary women could be lost in history while her friends and peers hold such an esteemed position in American culture. It seems that without Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne would have never penned his great novel and Ralph Waldo Emerson would be lost without his muse.
And Margaret Fuller went on to so much more. Her ideals and beliefs regarding women and equality were groundbreaking. If her life hadn’t been taken so tragically, she would have been at the forefront of the American Women’s Suffragette movement alongside Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
I loved reading about her life and that of her friends. Little Women has been a favorite of mine for many years and I especially enjoyed reading about Louisa May Alcott’s early life.
My only critique would be to have considered editing it down a little more. There was a degree of repetition of thought which I took to skipping past.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for an early copy of Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki

Henry David Thoreau-Ralph Waldo Emerson-Louise May Alcott-Nathaniel Hawthorne-Edgar Allen Poe-Horace Greeley-Elizabeth Cady Stanton-Elizabeth Barrett Browning-George Sand-Fredric Chopin-Frederick Douglass-all names well-recognized as active in the writing culture of mid-19 Century. Missing? Margaret Fuller..

The title of Allison Pataki's latest historical fiction novel is appropriate in a number of ways: first, her name does not come quickly when iterating the personas who shaped not only the Transcendental Movement of the 1800s but lived bold and unconventional lives in Europe as well; second, when reading of Fuller's many travels both in the United States and abroad, it may be difficult to find her on any given day.

The beauty of Pataki's writing echoes the landscapes of Concord, Massachusetts including Walden Pond, along with Rome and Tuscany and gives the readers a true sense of place no matter where Fuller resides. Added to this is the careful research that makes Margaret Fuller's life understandable and rewarding. From her earliest days, Fuller recognized that she was different from other girls her age. Learning was everything to her, and denied higher education, she set out to prove she was the equal of any male enrolled in college. She let her writing speak for itself, and her many literary gifts led her on a diverse and fulfilling career. A tragedy at sea brought her life to an end years before her time.

Her strong relationships with other writers of her time grounded her, moved her forward and aided her in making life-changing decisions.

Pataki has done justice to a woman ahead of her time---a woman who did not live to see women voting or women seated and ultimately teaching in college classrooms. The inclusion of a strong list of further reading suggestions adds to the story of the remarkable Margaret Fuller.

This is a look at the Transcendentalist of Massachusetts (Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau et al) as seen through the eyes and life of Margaret Fuller, a woman before her times, an independent woman, activist and prolific writer. Highly recommended.

Thank you to @netgalley and @RandomHousePub for this ARC. As the oldest, Margaret's father educated her just as he would a first born son. With her words and convictions, she starts to set the world on fire. As a well versed writer, she was quickly noticed by Ralph Waldo Emerson who invited her for a visit. There she meets Thoreau and the Alcott family, both close neighbors. Over the next several years, she finds solace between working in Boston and visiting her writer friends for lively conversations. Several years later, American Bloomsbury was published with works written by Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Thoreau. If you are like me, you have heard of everyone but Fuller. After her death, it is thought that Hawthorne's book The Scarlet Letter's main character was based on this women with strong will. In Little Women, Louis May Alcott changed the oldest sister's name from Anne to Margaret because of the impression she had in her life. Amazing lady and book! I would also recommended Pataki's book, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. #FindingMargaretFuller #AllisonPataki #RandomHousePub #March2024

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. While most of us are familiar with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau, the Alcotts, and Horace Greeley, this story delves into their compatriot, Margaret Fuller. Margaret was truly a woman ahead of her time. She was an independent woman, a prolific writer, and a great mind during a time when most woman did not have the opportunities to rise. This book takes the reader through Margaret's strange relationship with Ralph Waldo Emerson, her crush on Nathaniel Hawthorne, and her bravery when traveling to Europe to report on the Italian revolution. An illuminating and extremely well-written story.

Allison Pataki has once again brought a character and significant time in history to light that was new to me. I didn’t always like Margaret Fuller, but I enjoyed reading about her life and the well known people she met and befriended. Her travels were fascinating and her time in Rome covered historical events I didn’t know about.

I like Pataki’s writing style. She has a talent for informing the reader of happenings without plodding through each detail. She also brings her characters to life with descriptions that include the mannerisms, voices, and telling expressions of each actor.

Thank you to the publishers of NetGalley for approving an ARC for my review.

This is a well-researched book which profiles a woman that many of us haven’t heard of before: Margaret Fuller. I loved Allison Pataki’s book about Marjorie Post and was eager to read about another remarkable woman – one relatively unknown from the early 1800s.

We know this: it was time when a woman’s role was simply to get married, support her husband and bare children. Men were the masters with their wives supporting every move they made. Margaret wasn’t about to let a man get in the way of her career goals. She wanted to be an equal in a relationship and to write books.

However, she didn’t have an easy start with the burden of supporting her widowed mother and siblings on a large farm in Groton, MA. The well-paying jobs were always given to men. She was then introduced to Ralph Waldo Emerson who gave her a contact for a teaching job which pleased her. While she loved how the children learned, she needed to find something else as she wasn’t getting paid.

Emerson invited her back to his home in Concord, MA to regroup. That’s where she surrounded herself with friends that were forward thinkers with visions of a better world. It gave her the encouragement to take the next step for jobs that lead to a more fulfilling life.

The author used every bit of knowledge she could fit into the story to make it believable. Included were Margaret Fuller’s many educated contacts – Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, William Wordsworth and Louisa May Alcott – which made it a fascinating story.

I loved how the author brought Margaret Fuller to our attention. However, we knew right away what would happen to her from the Prologue which cut out some of the suspense. Most was interesting but parts slowed down with a little too much information about her life. However, after reading this book, she will not be forgotten. I can’t wait to read whatever is next.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 19, 2024.

"...no one reads the books about the boring women who follow the rules."

This quote from Finding Margaret Fuller struck a chord with me, as certainly Margaret Fuller was not a woman who followed the rules and conventions for ladies of her time. Allison Pataki brings Margaret to life in this spectacular novel, along with other great American authors of the time, such as Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott. But while much has been written about the men and how they were at the center of the Transcendentalist movement, Allison Pataki places Margaret Fuller at the center, while the men are the planets that orbit around her. Both exhilarating and tragic, the story of Margaret Fuller is one that should be told more often, and this book is an excellent and well-researched tale of her inspiring life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this novel.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Margaret lives the life many people would be envious of. She has many famous friends she hangs out with. This book captured Margaret's life in a way few can do.

I learned so much while reading Allison Pataki's Finding Margaret Fuller. Her demise will come as no surprise as it is revealed in the first pages. But getting to know Margaret through Pataki's deep characterization still allows the reader to grieve a life with so much promise ended too soon. I was surprised to learn of her closeness to the other famous writers of her time, all world renowned, yet she remains largely an unknown. Pataki's writing style sets the stage for the era, writing in as much old English as the reader can comprehend. She has conquered the historical fiction genre.

It is always interesting to read about lesser or unknown figures in history! I had never heard of Margaret Fuller, so I learned a lot. I really enjoyed reading about her relationships with fellow authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. She accomplished a lot for women in her life, and she stuck by what she believed. I have read other books by this author, and she always does such a good job researching and writing about historical figures. She is one of my go to authors for historical fiction based on real people.

What a fantastic book. Learning about someone I had not heard of who was an epic writer with the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe and others. Margaret Fuller led an amazing life as both an activist for women and an advocate for humanity. Well researched and well written by Allison Pataki!

Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

This was a very interesting book about a lady I had never hear of. She was certainly one to be admired as she went though her life always aware of how women should be treated but yet were not.

She finds herself in the company of the great men of her time, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, (Louisa May Alcott as a young girl), and Nathaniel Hawthorne and through their interactions she becomes a member of the Transcendentalists, an outspoken advocate for women and having a brilliant mind, many listened to her.

At the behest of Horace Greeley, she becomes a foreign news correspondent, the first woman to do so. As part of her job and her circle of influence, she meets Frederic Chopin, Walt Whitman, George Sand, and others.

She meets a count and falls deeply in love, becomes pregnant and eventually marries him. She becomes involved in efforts to unite her adopted country, Italy and after some gruesome times, decides to return home with her baby, and husband.

Tragedy occurs and Margaret never does return.
Margaret was a courageous inspiration to those who knew her.

I did like the story , even though it did become long winded at times and some of the romantically inclined scenes were overdone.
Thank you to Allison Pataki, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out March 19, 2024.

I finally found Margaret Fuller and I am sorry to say I had no idea who she was. Allegedly the best read person in the United States in the 1800s, she is a contemporary of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Nathanial Hawthorne. She worked as a reporter for Horace Greeley and spent many years in Europe sending back dispatches about life there. This book covers her struggles as a woman to prove her worth and support herself as a single person. She witnesses so many startling and newsworthy events and her life was not ordinary in the least. Modern day female writers have much to thank her for.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy!

I think maybe I had heard of Margaret Fuller but only briefly in passing. When I read the description of this book for the second time, I was definitely intrigued.

It's not a spoiler - in 1850 Margaret Fuller perished aboard a cargo ship on her way home to America from Italy at the age of 40 along with her husband and toddler. The book starts off with this, which immediately lends a slight air of sadness to the novel. As someone who does not like books with unexpected sad endings, I appreciated knowing this from the get-go.

Aside from that, this historical fiction story delighted me. Margaret Fuller was perhaps the first published feminist, a Transcendentalist writer and thinker, hostess of important conversations, and staunch supporter of Italy's right to freedom as a country. She was brilliant and brave and it's a shame her works are not more well-known.

I loved the author's descriptions of the beautiful places Margaret lived and visited. I wish she would have given us more details about Margaret's trip "out west" and perhaps less about the politics of Italy at the time.

Definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or novels about strong females.