Joan Hedrick's biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe is first rate. It is masterful in the way it tells the story of a prolific author whose life spanned most of the 19th century (1811-1896). What is even better is the way Hedrick places Stowe within the contexts of some of the most dynamic strands of American history and literature in this period: religious perfectionism, the anti-slavery movement, the development of professional authors, women's suffrage, the consumerism of the Gilded Age, and the increase in influence of "high" culture, among others. And, of course, there is Stowe's membership in the wonderful extended Beecher family, including her father, the famous preacher and theologian; her sister Catherine, the educator; her half-sister Isabella, the suffragist; her preacher brother Henry Ward, the subject of a famous scandal. These individuals, along with the long-suffering (and occasionally jealous) Calvin Stowe, her husband, appear and disappear like comets on the pages of this book.
One of the things I most enjoyed is Hedrick's discussion of how Stowe, one of the first women to make a living from her writing, ordered her life in order to make that writing possible. That she produced any work at all from the domestic disorders represented by seven children, scant income, frequent moves (related to Calvin's career as a theologian), and illness, not to mention political turmoil, is a miracle.
This is a scholarly biography, unlikely to appeal to a reader who simply wants to learn a bit more about this compelling woman. However, if you have a particular interest in the period, Hedrick's biography will set you down right in the midst of the turmoil, domestic and historic, that characterized Harriet Beecher Stowe's life. There are, in addition, a well-chosen set of photographs, extensive endnotes, and a fine bibliography.
M. Feldman
