Thank you to NetGally for giving me the opportunity to review.
"Finding Margaret Fuller: A Journey into the Lives of the Nineteenth Century's Most Compelling Feminist" by Alison Pataki is a thoughtful exploration of a remarkable woman whose influence and contributions to feminism and literature have been often overshadowed by her male contemporaries. The book delves into the life and legacy of Margaret Fuller, a pioneering journalist, critic, and advocate for women's rights in the 19th century.

Pataki's narrative is engaging and well-researched, blending biographical detail with a broader historical context to paint a vivid picture of Fuller’s life and times. The author’s thorough examination of Fuller’s writings and her role in the transcendentalist movement provides readers with a deep understanding of her intellectual and emotional landscape.

The book not only highlights Fuller’s achievements and struggles but also reflects on the societal challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated world. Pataki’s exploration of Fuller’s relationships, including her friendships with notable figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry James, adds layers to her character and reveals the complexities of her personal and professional life.

Overall, "Finding Margaret Fuller" is a compelling tribute to a significant yet often overlooked figure in American history. Alison Pataki successfully resurrects Margaret Fuller from the annals of forgotten history and reintroduces her as a vital and influential voice in the quest for gender equality and intellectual freedom.

Finding Margaret Fuller
By Allison Pataki

In the early to mid -19th century, there grew up, in and around Concord Massachusetts, a group of brilliant thinkers/writers who would later be called the Transcendentalists. Among these were such well-known names as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Nathanial Hawthorne and others. There was also another founding member of this group, a woman thought by many of her contemporaries to be one of the most outstanding of them, Margaret Fuller. Yet, while most Americans are familiar with the works of those mentioned above, almost no one has heard of Margaret or has been exposed to her work.

This lapse is what inspired Ms. Pataki to write this outstanding historical novel about a woman who led her life as she chose, not following societal conventions; writing, traveling, participating in the Roman war for freedom from the Vatican – and always leading the way for the rights of women, non-whites, the poor, children and prisoners. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, among others, looked to Margaret as a beacon on the road to women's suffrage.

Margaret, alas, died at forty with so much to live for. But her legacy should not be forgotten. She contributed so much to advance causes and improve people's lives. As her sometime literary rival turned admirer, Edgar Allan Poe said of her: "Humanity is divided into men, women and Margaret Fuller."

Thank you, Ms. Pataki for this labor of love. Margaret Fuller deserves to be remembered.

Another winner from Allison Pataki. I loved the book about Marjorie Post and I was eager to learn about Margaret Fuller.
Written in such an easy to read format, fans of Marie Benedict will enjoy getting to know the story about Margaret Fuller - from Hollywood to leprosy.
A great piece of historical fiction.

I had never heard of Margaret Fuller (shame on me) and while it did take me a while to really get into the story it ultimately proved to be quite interesting and well written. It was both interesting and educational as I learned so much about the other authors who were her contemporaries.

Finding Margaret Fuller had such promise but I found it to be too long and honestly boring. I loved Pataki's book on Marjorie Post and was looking forward to this book. Sadly, I was disappointed.

This book! I loved The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post and as soon as I saw that Allison had a new book coming, I had to get my hands on it. I had never heard of Margaret Fuller before this book and boy did it make me want to go down a rabbit hole looking for more information on her.

I loved how Allison reimagined Margaret’s relationships with such big names like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathanial Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau. Her time spent in Concord, Massachusetts and her time spent with a young Louisa May Alcott were some of my favorite parts. She did things that women of her time never would have. She organized women’s meetings where they had the opportunity to speak their mind in ways they never would have been able to with men. She was a pioneer in the women’s rights movement. I wish she had survived long enough to march for the women’s movement in the US.

I was fascinated reading about her time in Europe and how many famous people she interacted with there also, like Walt Whitman and Frederic Chopin. It’s so unfortunate that she died so tragically and we never got to read her manuscript.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for my ARC of this book.

Margaret Fuller was many things to many people - a compatriate to Thoreau and Emerson, a literary inspiration to Nathaniel Hawthorne (Fuller was said to have been the inspiration for Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter,) and a guiding force to Louisa May Alcott. But to herself she was a woman, who wanted rights and freedoms, a woman who fell in love and bore a child amid scandal. Allison Pataki's Finding Margaret Fuller captures Fuller in all her fury and fire. In her time Fuller knew every transcendentalist and literary great and they're all in the novel, an who's who of pre-Civil War intellectual America. But Margaret Fuller is the star, a woman who educated herself, wrote America's first feminist treatise, advocated for suffrage and abolition, traveled to Italy and fought for freedom alongside her lover. Margaret Fuller may have met an untimely end, but she will live on thanks to Allison Pataki's beautiful tribute of a novel.

This is a well written, engaging and surprising story of a woman more people should know—-my favorite part of the story was learning about Margaret Fuller and who she actually was. Pataki is a gifted storyteller and I love that she uses her voice and talent to highlight women in the past that we all should be more familiar with!

I LOVED this book! I did not know much about Margaret Fuller before reading this, besides the quote Hemingway said about her. I love how brave she was!
I recommend this book to anyone looking to be inspired.
Five stars!

I love historical fiction and especially about people or places I don't know much about and this one hit the mark. I was invested in the story and the characters.

Do you know about me? I bet you know my friends.
We begin at the end of an amazing women’s life and the tragic demise of the main character, her young son and husband. Going down with her is all her hard work written down as a news foreign correspondent to expose the atrocities witnessed during the invasion and fight for Italy’s unification.

Margaret Fuller was not just a beautiful face. She was intelligent, brazen and not afraid to join in the conversations of men. Her friendships and social group included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and other like-minded thinkers of the Transcendentalists. She didn’t miss the chance to be a role model to the young (including Louisa May Alcott) or women in society. As a feminist she educated many women at her salon in Boston to think for themselves and pass that knowledge along. This eventually sparks a women’s movement in the following years.
She continues to push boundaries by joining The Dial magazine. She even pushes to be allowed, as the first woman, to research in Harvard’s library. While traveling on assignment in Europe for the editor Horace Greeley, she discovers what has been missing in her life for so long. A man to love and one that loves and respects her back. Rome is a magical place for them and Margaret spreads her wings and becomes a wife and mother. Good times don’t last for long. Italy is invaded and a revolution begins drawing in her husband for the fight for Italy’s unification.
This book lets the reader experience historical events and people through the eyes of an independent, little known but fierce woman that should be acknowledged for her written contributions to history and women’s rights.

Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki was an interesting story about Margaret Fuller. Read it you will find it interesting.

What a treat this book was! Engaging from start to finish and made me want to know more about the writings of Margaret Fuller and Allison PAtaki as well.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

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.