Shaggy Muses

The Dogs Who Inspired Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson,Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf

By: Maureen Adams

Narrated by: Polly Stone

In Shaggy Muses, we visit Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Flush, the golden Cocker Spaniel who danced the poet away from death, back to life and human love. We roam the wild Yorkshire moors with Emily Brontë, whose fierce Mastiff mix, Keeper, provided a safe and loving outlet for the writer’s equally fierce spirit. We enter the creative sanctum of Emily Dickinson, which she shared only with Carlo, the gentle, giant Newfoundland who soothed her emotional terrors. We mingle with Edith Wharton, whose ever-faithful Pekes warmed her lonely heart during her restless travels among Europe and America’s social and intellectual elite. We are privileged guests in the fragile universe of Virginia Woolf, who depended for emotional support and sanity not only on her human loved
ones but also on her dogs, especially Pinka–a gift from her lover, Vita Sackville-West–a black Cocker Spaniel who soon became a strong, bright thread in the fabric of Virginia and Leonard Woolf’s life together.

Based on diaries, letters, and other contemporary accounts–and featuring many illustrations of the writers and their dogs–these five miniature biographies allow us unparalleled intimacy with women of genius in their hours of domestic ease and inner vulnerability. Shaggy Muses also enchants us with a pack of new friends: Flush, Keeper, Carlo, Foxy, Linky, Grizzle, Pinka, and all the other devoted canines who loved and served these great writers.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR Shaggy Muses

“An intimate look at famous women authors whose lives were more difficult than we would ever have imagined. Their dogs helped them to survive and create their great works of classic English literature. Lovers of literature and all those interested in the human-animal bond should read this fascinating book.”
–Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

“I so enjoyed Shaggy Muses. It manages very successfully to bring into focus exactly why these dogs were important to these writers–providing some with confidence, some with love, some with protection, and all of them with a curious sense of identification with another spirit that, sometimes, fueled their writing. No mean feat.”
–Margaret Forster, author of Elizabeth Barrett Browning: A Biography

“Shaggy Muses gives readers an intriguing new approach to these five authors. Writing can be a lonely profession. As a dog lover and writer, it’s wonderful for me to think of how these important authors all seem to have needed the kind of comfort and love that dogs give best.”
–Diana Wells, author of My Therapist’s Dog: Lessons in Unconditional Love©2007 Maureen Adams; (P)2007 Books on Tape

poignant and insightful

well researched examination of the bond between noted writers and their companion animals. The author gives us a fresh perspective on the lives of a select group of literary women authors, spanning the late 1800s to the yearly 20th century. Anyone who loves literature and dogs will be deeply moved by these bio-profiles.

fascinating, fresh look at the lives of authors

I read a lot of history books, and I'm always disappointed historians don't look more at psychology when examining the past. History and psychology are my favorite subjects, and I find the lives of writers fascinating...and I love dogs. So when I saw this in the bookstore of Edith Wharton's house, The Mount, I was intrigued. I was happy to find there's an audio version though, and I thought the reader had a very pleasant voice. This is a fascinating book that gives an overview of each woman's life and work, delving into the personal world of each woman. It was refreshing to hear about the struggles these women faced because it made them much more relatable. I felt the author did a great job of giving a short history of each author and provide some thoughts from the perspective of a psychologist. And of course, I loved the fresh take of studying dogs! Very easy to listen to for a history book...well-paced and interesting without getting bogged down in details. Definitely recommend for those who like women's history, especially 19th and early 20th, or literature, or dogs.

Limbic resonance

Sums it all up ..... The creative flows from limbic resonance.
Enjoyed very much learning of others deep attachment to their dogs