I had to separate the subject and the writing for this review. I thought the writing was wonderful, but the subject gave me pause. Not so much Margaret, but Emerson and Thoreau. I am not one to worship at the feet of the Transcendental writers. To me, they seem like today’s version of “white men with a podcast”; lots of talking and thinking, yet very little action to make change in the world. I know they were important to Margaret’s story, but I would have preferred less of them.

What a trail blazer in women's rights. Thank you Allison Pataki for bringing us this story. A wonderful read into life in New England in late 1800's. A bright and well read woman looked for ways to use her intelligence in her time period. An author and foreign correspondence for Horace Greely"s newspapers in Italy during their fight for freedom to name a few. Highly recommended.

I have to admit, I knew nothing about Margaret Fuller when I picked this up. Her name was familiar enough to make me request the book from NetGalley, and the fact that Allison Partake had written it made me believe I'd be in capable hands. But Wow! This was unexpected. When Margaret Fuller, a brilliant young writer, is invited to spend time at Ralph Waldo Emerson's house (though his wife, understandably, was not much of a fan of this), I was impressed. But when she ventures outside and Henry David Thoreau is the gardener and a young Louisa May Alcott lives next door, my mind was blown. When Nathaniel Hawthorne comes calling, things became surreal. Having said all of that, the story, of course, is Margaret Fuller—her stunning accomplishments despite the many social structures that held her back. Pataki shines a light on a truly inspiring, tremendously accomplished pioneer for women's rights and personal freedom.

We all read works in our high school years from the transcendentalists - Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne - but I didn’t realize until this book that there was a woman in this circle too. Margaret Fuller was schooled by her father as if she were the son he wanted, so she was well-versed in the writings of Plato and Aristotle, as well as learning languages and mathematics - unheard of for a girl in her time. While she had an insatiable appetite for learning - her mother called her “the much that wanted more”, because of her learning and time spent on her studies, she was quite a loner, and realized she would probably never marry and honestly wasn’t sure she wanted to. The place she felt the most at home was at Bush, the home of Emerson, and with those like minds. However much she love spending time there and on her writing, she realized she must seek out employment, as her mother and siblings depend on her sending them money for them to have enough to live. Whether teaching in a school, holding talks for local women in a friend’s salon, or being a reporter for Horace Greeley, she encourages women to claim their place in society, and to speak their minds. She also continues her true passion of writing books. This books follows her journey as she forges a path for other women to follow. Definitely recommend reading this book about this remarkable woman!

Allison Pataki's "Finding Margaret Fuller" is a poignant exploration of a feminist icon's journey to self-discovery. Pataki blends historical detail with rich storytelling, revealing Fuller's intellectual vigor and personal challenges. This biography honors Fuller's legacy, offering a compelling narrative that resonates with both history buffs and modern readers.

Enjoyable biographical fiction about the eventful and interesting life of a woman who deserves to be better known than she is. Recommended reading for fans of Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray's The Personal Librarian.

Perfect for book lovers! This book is immersive in the best way. It will make you lose all sense of time as you read.

If you love history and authorial characters, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Young, brazen, beautiful, and unapologetically brilliant, Margaret Fuller accepts an invitation from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the celebrated Sage of Concord, to meet his coterie of enlightened friends. There she becomes “the radiant genius and fiery heart” of the Transcendentalists, a role model to a young Louisa May Alcott, an inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne and the scandalous Scarlet Letter, a friend to Henry David Thoreau as he ventures out to Walden Pond . . . and a muse to Emerson. But Margaret craves more than poetry and interpersonal drama, and her restless soul needs new challenges and adventures.

And so she charts a singular course against a backdrop of dizzying historical drama: From Boston, where she hosts a salon for students like Elizabeth Cady Stanton; to the editorial meetings of The Dial magazine, where she hones her pen as its co-founder; to Harvard’s library, where she is the first woman permitted entry; to the gritty New York streets where she spars with Edgar Allan Poe and reports on Frederick Douglass. Margaret defies conventions time and again as an activist for women and an advocate for humanity, earning admirers and critics alike.

When the legendary editor Horace Greeley offers her an assignment in Europe, Margaret again makes history as the first female foreign news correspondent, mingling with luminaries like Frédéric Chopin, William Wordsworth, George Sand and more. But it is in Rome that she finds a world of passion, romance, and revolution, taking a Roman count as a lover—and sparking an international scandal. Evolving yet again into the roles of mother and countess, Margaret enters the fight for Italy’s unification.

With a star-studded cast and sweeping, epic historical events, this is a story of an inspiring trailblazer, a woman who loved big and lived even bigger—a fierce adventurer who transcended the rigid roles ascribed to women and changed history, all on her own terms.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I'm a huge Margaret Fuller fan, so I could not wait to read this novel. Allison Pataki does such a superb job capturing the nuances of the relationships between Fuller and the Concord authors and other luminaries of the day - from Emerson's "charged" admiration of her, to Thoreau's interplay with nature to Alcott's admiration (yet inability to provide her with a salary), the reader knows that Pataki has done her homework and walked in the steps of Margaret. I particularly loved how she captured the quiet tribulations of Lydian Emerson through simple descriptions.
Fuller was brilliant, inspiring, an ardent feminist, and a gifted writer. She left us tragically and way too soon. Not enough people know about her and Allison Pataki has done the reading world a favor by bringing Margaret Fuller back to life for the current generation.
Highly recommended, especially if you don't know Margaret Fuller - and if you know about Fuller already, I don't think you will be disappointed!

Allison Pataki brings to life the often forgotten transcendentalist, and Mother of the Women’s Movement, Margaret Fuller in her recent historical fiction novel “Finding Margaret Fuller”. As I continue to read Ms Pataki’s books I am becoming a huge fan.

A book about a fierce woman ahead of her times trailblazing the path for women’s equality.

Felt slow, hard to get through and didn’t pick up until the very end. There were a lot of famous characters to get through and keep track of. I love historical fiction novels where I learn something new, especially about women who did so much in history. This author did an amazing job with all the details about Margaret Fuller’s life. I loved learning about such a phenomenal woman and all she endured throughout her life. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Margaret Fuller was way ahead of her time as a writer and forward thinking woman in 1836 Massachusetts. As the oldest in her family who was tutored by her father, she had to become the breadwinner after he died. She left home to become a magazine and newspaper writer. She was living in a world with other famous names like Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Louisa May Alcott. She sparred with Edgar Allen Poe and admired Frederick Douglass. Horace Greeley hired her for his newspaper and gave her the job as the first female foreign correspondent in Europe.

She was definitely a woman breaking glass ceilings! But you need to read her life story and find out why we don't hear as much about her today. Thanks to historical researcher and writer Allison Pataki for bringing another great book about a remarkable woman from history and writing this book!

Another great book from Allison Pataki. I wish I could give it a 4.5 star rating. It's definitely better than the average 4 star book.

I never knew about Margaret Fuller until I read the book. How fascinating! She moved so easily between well-known authors of the time and their families. I learned so much more about the Transcendentalist movement. She could have made this into a tawdry book about suspected adultery but she skirted that.

I've read several of Allison Pataki's books and I can't wait for the next one.

Like the author, Allison Pataki, I knew very little of Margret Fuller before reading this historical novel. This was a fascinating look into the life of a prominent female author, a contemporary of Emerson, Thoreau and many other well renowned greats, as well a woman who helped start the what would become the women's rights movement. And through all this, she was just a woman, with a desire to aide in supporting her family, to find love and a family of her own, though not at the expense of her own brilliant self and her dreams, and in living her life on her own terms she inspired so many others to do the same.
As with Pataki's other historical novels, "Finding Margaret Fuller," was well written and researched and fascinating to read, though a little slow paced at times.

Very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for prviding me with e ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Margaret Fuller was a fascinating character. She was a brilliant writer who grew up in Boston. She was befriended by the literary group in nearby Concord including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. The stories of her visits to Concord were wonderful, and brought back memories of my trip to that lovely place a few years back. (Meg in Little Women was named after Margaret Fuller).

As an unmarried woman, she struggled with finances. She eventually took a job with Horace Greeley as a writer. Among her acquaintances there were Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe. She was involved with the women who sought equal rights.

Later, on an assignment in Europe she came to know William Wordsworth, George Sand, Frederic Chopin, as well as Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning.

It’s an absolutely fascinating look at some of the most brilliant minds of that day. I highly recommend this book!

Another wonderful historical fiction that introduced me to someone that I had never heard about.

Margaret Fuller was such a strong, powerful, and influential woman, it’s hard to believe that we hear nothing about her.

The name-dropping of literary giants that she hung around with is staggering. She spends time at the estate of Ralph Waldo Emerson. She teaches at The Temple School run by Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott’s father. She walks through the garden with Henry David Thoreau.

She creates a literary salon for women only. She is the first woman to get into Harvard Library!

There are even more accomplishments, but I don’t want to spoil them for you. What an amazing woman, who led an amazing life.

A well-researched, well-written historical fiction of a strong and inspiring woman.

Margaret Fuller was a woman whose name I had heard but never KNEW. Thanks to author Allison Pataki, I now appreciate who Margaret was and how she influenced so many lives, even today. A great read that teaches as it entertains!

A slow start, but a fascinating portrait of a very important (and unknown to me) member of the Transcendentalists. Margaret Fuller, being a woman, did not have the same freedom to pursue her dreams as her contemporaries like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau or Nathaniel Hawthorne. But she did have the passion - which led her to Concord, to New York City, to Europe, in the pursuit of being a writer. While I admired her drive, as Pataki portrayed her, I found myself not always liking the woman herself. Overall, interesting but it was hard to connect with the protagonist.

This was an amazing highlight of Margaret Fuller's life. A contemporary of Thoreau and Emerson, this little-known character was at the heart of the Transcendentalists and made a huge impact on women's history. Her untimely death shortened her career and her legacy, but this story brings to light so much more.