"More than 100 years after her death, Celia Thaxter remains one of New Hampshire's premier literary and artistic figures.... Mandel's wide knowledge of the music, art and literature of Thaxter's times; her extensive research into primary sources; her clear affinity and admiration for Thaxter herself; and, of course, the fact that Thaxter led an extraordinary life makes this an extraordinarily readable biography ... [that] pulls back the parlor drapes on a life lived fully and courageously."—Concord Monitor