Short Synopsis
Award-winning biographer Lyndall Gordon presents a startling portrayal of one of America's most significant literary figures that will change the way we view her life and legacy.

Full Synopsis
In 1882, Emily Dickinson's brother Austin began a passionate love affair with Mabel Todd, a young Amherst faculty wife, setting in motion a series of events that would forever change the lives of the Dickinson family. The feud that erupted as a result has continued for over a century. Lyndall Gordon, an award-winning biographer, tells the riveting story of the Dickinsons and reveals Emily to be a very different woman from the pale, lovelorn recluse that exists in the popular imagination. Thanks to unprecedented use of letters, diaries, and legal documents, Gordon digs deep into the life and work of Emily Dickinson to reveal the secret behind the poet's insistent seclusion and presents a woman beyond her time who found love, spiritual sustenance, and immortality all on her own terms. An enthralling story of creative genius, filled with illicit passion and betrayal, Lives Like Loaded Guns is sure to cause a stir among Dickinson's many devoted readers and scholars.

"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." ---AudioFile

"A jolting and utterly intriguing watershed achievement." ---Booklist Starred Review

"Although deciphering Emily Dickinson's mysterious personality is like trying to catch a ghost, this startling biography explains quite a lot." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Gordon catches the poet's essence, allowing us the closest, most thrilling insights yet into the volcanic genius of Amherst." ---Chicago Tribune

"[The book] reads like a fabulous detective story, replete with hidden treasure, diabolical adversaries and a curse from one generation to the next." ---Washington Post

"Only a biographer as skilled as Gordon could have written three books in one without forfeiting her readers' rapt attention." ---Philadelphia Inquirer

Washington Post Bestseller

Booklist Review

Publishers Weekly Review