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In March of 1909, Mark Twain cheerfully blessed the wedding of his private secretary, Isabel V. Lyon, and his business manager, Ralph Ashcroft. One month later, he fired both. He proceeded to write a ferocious 429-page rant about the pair, calling Isabel “a liar, a forger, a thief, a hypocrite, a drunkard, a sneak, a humbug, a traitor, a conspirator, a filthy-minded and salacious slut pining for seduction.”

Andrew65, TheAromaofBooks

EadieB Twain and his daughter, Clara Clemens, then slandered Isabel in the newspapers, erasing her nearly seven years of devoted service to their family. How did Lyon go from being the beloved secretary who ran Twain‘s life to a woman he was determined to destroy? 2y

EadieB In Twain‘s End, Lynn Cullen “cleverly spins a mysterious, dark tale” (Booklist) about the tangled relationships between Twain, Lyon, and Ashcroft, as well as the little-known love triangle between Helen Keller, her teacher Anne Sullivan Macy, and Anne‘s husband, John Macy, which comes to light during their visit to Twain‘s Connecticut home in 1909. 2y

EadieB Add to the party a furious Clara Clemens, smarting from her own failed love affair, and carefully kept veneers shatter.
Based on Isabel Lyon‘s extant diary, Twain‘s writings, letters, photographs, and events in Twain‘s boyhood that may have altered his ability to love, Twain‘s End triumphs as “a tender evocation of a vain, complicated man‘s twilight years and a last chance at love” 2y

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EadieB This book is very interesting and has changed my way of thinking about “America's Sweetheart“ Mark Twain. It is about the relationship between Isabel Lyon and Samuel Clemens which turned sour after she married his business manager, Ralph Ashcroft, which he blessed. After one month, he fired both and wrote a ferocious 429 page rant and slandered Isabel and erased her seven years of devoted service to their family. 2y

EadieB If you love historical biographies, then you would love this book. 2y

Andrew65 Great review. 2y

EadieB @Andrew65 Thanks! 2y

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2y

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EadieB

Mrs. Poe | Lynn Cullen

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This book was inspired by literature's most haunting love triangle of Edgar Allan Poe, his mistress's tantalizing confession, & his wife's frightening obsession. In 1845 Poe's, The Raven, is all the rage in New York City. Frances Osgood goes to meet Mr. Poe at a literary gathering. She is overwhelmed by his magnetic presence and finds out that he admires her poetry. She finds herself falling under the spell of this mysterious, complicated lover.

TheAromaofBooks

EadieB Mrs. Virgina Poe insists on being Osgood's friend. Frances begins to fear that deceiving Mrs. Poe may be as impossible as cheating death itself. The book is based on true events of Poe marrying Virginia who was his very young first cousin. I am a fan of Poe's poetry and stories but didn't realize what a romantic he was. 3y

EadieB I enjoyed this book as it shed more light on Poe's life and drew me in to get to know him even more. If you love history and poetry, give this book a try! #MrsPoe #LynnCullen #BookSpin #BookSpinBingo #August2021 3y

TheAromaofBooks Great review!! Several years ago, my husband & I visited the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, & stayed in the Dearborn Inn. Besides a regular hotel building, they also have several “replica“ houses built following the pattern of the homes of different famous people - & we stayed in Edgar Allan Poe's house! 😂 3y

EadieB @TheAromaofBooks Wow! That sounds very interesting! 3y

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