A new one for me – I’d never heard of E D E N Southworth although in her day she was a prolific and much acclaimed author who wrote over 50 books and had a devoted readership. From best-selling novelist she disappeared into oblivion almost overnight. Tastes change and her work began to feel outdated and old-fashioned as the 20th century wore on. This comprehensive and detailed biography vividly brings her to the fore again for a long overdue reassessment. Based on extensive research, Southworth's letters as well as her writing, and archival documents she lives again, and although I suspect there won’t be a great revival of interest in her, she certainly deserves to be remembered, and who knows, she might just possibly gain a new readership.

Rose Neal, E.D.E.N. Southworth's Hidden Hand The Untold Story of America's Famous Forgotten Nineteenth-Century Author, The Globe Pequot Publishing Group, Inc|Lyons Press, May 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

E.D.E.N. Southworth, a nineteenth century writer, captured the imaginations of women wanting something different in their lives, even if it was imaginary. She was a prolific writer, published in journal and book form, raised uncomfortable issues, and introduced female characters who, it seemed, could do anything. They had to rise above the discriminatory society in which they sought to make their way. But rise they did. Rose Neal, emulating Southworth’s ability to connect with her readers has captured vividly the woman about whom she writes. Southworth was a stimulating writer, and every page of Neal’s biography exudes comparable enthusiasm about Southworth, her work, the tribulations she experienced, and so profoundly, Southworth’s world. Unlike Southworth, who at times had to curb her questing spirit to meet publishers’ demands, Neal appears to have sought out every piece of information available and used it, complimentary or not. Where none is accessible Neal’s speculation about how Southworth may have reacted or been part of an activity or group, is satisfying.

Where Neal speculates, she draws upon her knowledge of the social, political, and economic environment in which Southworth and her family functioned. On other occasions, she provides insights into Southworth’s life with reference to her plots and characters as much of her writing appears to be based on her own experiences or those familiar to her. This type of historical analysis is particularly important, advancing as it does the biographers’ wide knowledge of the era as an integral part of the narrative. That Neal does so with such competence and understanding of her subject, her writing and the period is a vital part of the information gleaned about Southworth’s early life. At the same time, Neal creates understanding and familiarity with Southworth’s writing.

This vibrant biography is so descriptive of the period, the localities and publishing world as well as the wider world in which Southworth and her family moved that as well as explaining the writer, a whole history unfolds. On the publishing side, the work on copyright is particularly interesting. Personal relationships often uncover the flawed nature of a gender discriminatory world. However, Neal also reveals the difficulties Southworth faced in managing family relationships where the economic assistance she provided from her writing was rewarded with rejection. In the publishing world Southworth sought support and often found it. At other times she was thwarted. Both aspects of publishing and acceptance of a woman writer exhibit generalities and well as events specific to Southworth about writing and publication. The biography also follows the decline in Southworth’s popularity and the way in which she negotiated this change, personally and publicly.

Reading this biography was a joy. It is vibrant, informative, and lively. Rose Neal has made accessible a largely forgotten writer – and one who has a prominent place in recovering not only women writers but characters and plots that give women a central position. It is also a work with a good bibliography and extensive notes. I was not finished with E.D.E.N. Southworth when I completed the biography – I downloaded her collected works so that I, too, could capture some of the enthusiasm with which Rose Neal approached this work.

I’ll admit, I had never heard of Ms. Southworth before. I was intrigued to learn more about her—she wrote so many stories, yet she seems to have faded into obscurity, which, unfortunately, isn’t unusual for female writers. I found this book about her life both enjoyable and well-written. My only criticism is that I would have appreciated a list of her short stories and novels at the end. Many of her works were published under multiple titles, making it difficult to keep track. Having a compiled list would have been very helpful.

E.D.E.N. Southworth is considered to have been the most popular American novelist of the last half of the 1800s, yet today it's a rare reader who has even heard her name. In detailing the life and writing of this fascinating woman, the author also gives us an in-depth look at women's lives and issues during that time period. Emma Southworth, who published over 60 novels and numerous short stories, was friends with Elizabeth Blackwell and Harriet Beecher Stowe, though her life took a very different trajectory from theirs.

Southworth wasn't a wealthy woman, or one who was provided for by relatives. Against her family's wishes, she married an inventor with no money, and spent her early years moving from one family member to another as he tried to find patrons for his inventions. Eventually he went to Brazil to search for gold, and after several years of no contact she began to refer to herself as a widow. She provided for herself and her two children by teaching and later writing stories and novels, Though she struggled at first, she later became one of the best paid writers in America; her novel The Hidden Hand was serialized in New York and London, and sold almost two million copies.

A believer in abolition and women's rights, Southworth's short stories often reflected these stances, and at least one of the publications she wrote for was threatened by angry mobs for its pro-abolitionist stance. Her novels, on the other hand, featured strong, active young women, but toned down the controversial opinions to some degree. The author argues that this was necessary in order for Southworth to support her family with her writing during a time when there was a great deal of opposition to those views.

It's unlikely that the audience for a biography of a now obscure author will be large, but there is another appeal here, as anyone who is interested in the lives of ordinary women during this time will find this revealing. Southworth's women friends, her husband's desertion, her efforts to support herself without family help, all give the reader a picture of life during this time that is both unusual and fascinating. Though the details may occasionally overwhelm, interested readers will find a realistic picture of life for those without a steady business, farm or family money to support them, and a trenchant look at marriage and family life during the 1800s.

Thank you to Globe Pequot Publishing Group and the author for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

I had never heard of this author, so when I saw this book, I was intrigued. After reading it, I'm still intrigued and have more books on my TBR pile, since I'm now curious and want to read at least some of her work. It was a surprise to read about how such a popular and successful author could be almost completely forgotten. Hopefully this book will change that and result in more people reading her work and commenting on it. Many of her titles are available on Project Gutenberg, if nowhere else.

Southworth herself was a fascinating character and although this book is a biography, it read like a novel. It was fascinating to see the parallels with popular writers and influencers of today, as Emma had to carefully curate her public persona, insisting that she only wrote to support her children, which was necessary because she was a 'widow in fate.' She knew how important it was for her to not appear controversial to the public. She was part of a slave-owning family who wrote for an abolitionist magazine, which cost her some friends and created tensions with her family. She was keenly aware of the ways in which patriarchal society harmed women and she wrote about this in her books, along with her many other progressive ideas. Women loved these books and not only was she wildly successful as a result, the people who published her work benefited financially as well. She really was a trailblazer--that and her success irritated some male writers of the time. The book was also interesting in the way that it showed what the literary culture was like at the time.

Rose Neal handled the subject matter well, so one need not be familiar with Southworth's work to enjoy this book. She could very easily fall into the trap of providing long summaries or explanations of each book, which would have really bogged things down, I think. Instead, she skillfully weaves the books through her own narrative, using them to illustrate how Southworth expressed her views. This also means that, because there were no long descriptions of the books, nothing was spoiled and I can look forward to reading them with the background this biography provides in mind. I'm so glad I read this book. I loved it.