Wednesdays at West: Literatea Celebrates Sophia Peabody Hawthorne

This portrait circa mid-1800s provided by The House of the Seven Gables historic house museum, shows author Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife, Sophia Peabody Hawthorne, who died in 1871 at age 62. The Hawthornes will soon be reunited after more than 130 years. The remains Sophia and their daughter Una will be brought from England and reinterred June 26, 2006, in the Hawthorne family plot at Sleepy Hollow cemetery in Concord, Mass., where "The Scarlet Letter" author was buried in 1864. (AP Photo/The House of the Seven Gables) — (Photo from The House of the Seven Gables)

After a long hiatus, Literatea returned to the West Branch this week. Staff and patrons alike were glad to delve back into the world of books and tea.

As you can see from our newsletter, this month’s
tea is a blend created in honor of Sophia Peabody Hawthorne, an artist and the wife of Nathaniel Hawthorne. She is also one of a trio of sisters who played key roles in Transcendentalist circles, spent time with and inspired people like Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller and the Alcotts and had their own impressive accomplishments in the literary, artistic and educational arenas. The Peabody sisters have long intrigued me. They have also, clearly fascinated many an author, as well since there are a number of books written about them. My favorite is The Peabody Sisters by Megan Marshall.

After eagerly discussing the staff selected titles of the month, the bibliophiles of Literatea recommended the following reads: