Reviews
Christian Science Monitor:
"Sinking into “The Swan’s Nest” is like being cocooned in a down comforter . . .
an ode to the great love between two 19th-century English Romantic poets,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning."
The Toronto Star:
"An irresistible page-turner and an exquisite tribute to true love."
The New York Times Book Review:
Summer Reading List 2024
"a delicately shaded portrait of a marriage"
Kirkus:
"An eternally satisfying love story is retold, backed by a detailed examination of colonial privilege."
Publishers Weekly:
"This insightful novel is a must for devotees of the romantics.”
Booklist:
“This delicately rendered novel offers much that will appeal to fans of the Victorian poets.”
Zoomer:
Rite of Spring: 10 Books to Read in March
"The story orbits the Barrett household, where Elizabeth has long been confined to her room due to poor health, and their relationship shocks her conservative family (as does the intriguing subplot of her brother’s illicit dalliance with a housekeeper). Their romance is set against the backdrop of slavery and racism (the Barrett family owed its fortune to its Jamaican sugar plantation) and doesn’t shy from societal injustices and exploitative aspects of the British Empire...alongside a realistic portrait of the legendary couple."
History Through Fiction:
Best New Historical Fiction - March 2024
"Written with elegant prose, The Swan’s Nest by Laura McNeal explores the relationship between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett and the risks they made for love while also exploring important social issues and the source of the Barrett family’s wealth."
Christian Science Monitor:
"Sinking into “The Swan’s Nest” is like being cocooned in a down comforter . . .
an ode to the great love between two 19th-century English Romantic poets,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning."
The Toronto Star:
"An irresistible page-turner and an exquisite tribute to true love."
The New York Times Book Review:
Summer Reading List 2024
"a delicately shaded portrait of a marriage"
Kirkus:
"An eternally satisfying love story is retold, backed by a detailed examination of colonial privilege."
Publishers Weekly:
"This insightful novel is a must for devotees of the romantics.”
Booklist:
“This delicately rendered novel offers much that will appeal to fans of the Victorian poets.”
Zoomer:
Rite of Spring: 10 Books to Read in March
"The story orbits the Barrett household, where Elizabeth has long been confined to her room due to poor health, and their relationship shocks her conservative family (as does the intriguing subplot of her brother’s illicit dalliance with a housekeeper). Their romance is set against the backdrop of slavery and racism (the Barrett family owed its fortune to its Jamaican sugar plantation) and doesn’t shy from societal injustices and exploitative aspects of the British Empire...alongside a realistic portrait of the legendary couple."
History Through Fiction:
Best New Historical Fiction - March 2024
"Written with elegant prose, The Swan’s Nest by Laura McNeal explores the relationship between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett and the risks they made for love while also exploring important social issues and the source of the Barrett family’s wealth."
short pieces
"You've Got Mail: Poring Over the Love Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett" in LitHub
"You've Got Mail: Poring Over the Love Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett" in LitHub
"The Glove," an unpublished chapter that tells a story about Elizabeth Barrett's father and his tear-stained glove: in Guernica