***
NOVEL: Possession
AUTHOR: A.S. Byatt
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1990
REVIEW:
I unabashedly adore this book, not least because it’s such an usual combination: a very literary novel (in which two young 20th century academics investigate a possible relationship between two Victorian poets) and at the same time, a page-turning thriller.
When I first read this I stayed up until the wee hours to finish it, despite having an early morning planned for the next day. Rather fortunately, it has an extremely satisfying ending. (Any sleep deprivation was absolutely worth it.)
***
I now only wish I could go back and read it again for the first time (and I’d take my time with it and savor the poetry, had I another chance).
***
I do have some criticisms: the American characters here aren’t named like Americans (and don’t sound particularly like Americans, either).
There’s a plot hole: a rival academic, Fergus, shows up to make trouble, then drops entirely out of the narrative. No matter.
Overall, its erudition, its love of language, its joy, its wit, its romance, and its ambition rule the day. Those who love reading, love texts, and love life…do read this book.
***
RATING (one to five whistles, with five being the best): 5 Whistles
***
HOW TO PURCHASE: Amazon
***
ALSO ON OUR BOOKSHELVES:
A Patchwork Planet, Anne Tyler
An Infamous Army, Georgette Heyer
Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Blue Highways, William Least Heat-Moon
Bonjour Tristesse, Francoise Sagan
Cockpit Confidential, Patrick Smith
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
Envious Casca, Georgette Heyer
Gaudy Night, Dorothy L. Sayers
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Helen Simonson
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
The Cuckoo’s Calling, Robert Galbraith
The Dancer of Izu, Kawabata Yasunari
The Love Affairs Of Nathaniel P., Adelle Waldman
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, Oliver Sacks
The Monogram Murders, Sophie Hannah
The Mother & Child Project, Hope Through Healing Hands (ed.)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce
The Unrest-Cure and Other Stories, Saki
The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
Up At The Villa, W. Somerset Maugham
***
Lead-In Image: The Beguiling Of Merlin, Edward Burne-Jones, Lady Lever Art Gallery
***
Laura LaVelle is an attorney and writer who lives in Connecticut, in a not quite 100-year-old house, along with her husband, two daughters, and a cockatiel.
Laura can be contacted at laura@newswhistle.com
