Lives Like Loaded Guns

Lyndall Gordon expands the conventional profile of poet Emily Dickinson as a delicate, reclusive spinster and introduces a more lively, passionate, and worldly woman. Wanda McCaddon uses her subtle British accent and crisp delivery to quickly establish this persona. She expertly captures Dickinson's acerbic wit from notes left to family and friends and successfully delivers the spiritual and vulnerable side often found in her poems. Although it includes some poetic analysis, this book focuses on Dickinson's personal life, which, as the title suggests, involved a surprising amount of controversy and drama. Gordon and McCaddon present a treat for those who enjoy Dickinson's poems as well as for those who simply enjoy a good story well told. M.O.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine