Possession by A.S. Byatt (ISBN:0679735909)

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		Possession: A Romance
	
				(235 reviews)			
(4393 Readers)

			A.S. Byatt		
	
"Literary critics make natural detectives", says Maud Bailey, heroine of a  mystery where the clues lurk in university libraries, old letters and...more
 "Literary critics make natural detectives", says Maud Bailey, heroine of a  mystery where the clues lurk in university libraries, old letters and dusty journals. Together with  Roland Michell, a fellow academic and accidental sleuth, Maud discovers a love affair between  the two Victorian writers the pair has dedicated their lives to studying: Randolph Ash, a literary  great long assumed to be a devoted and faithful husband, and Christabel La Motte, a lesser- known "fairy poetess" and chaste spinster. At first, Roland and Maud's discovery  threatens only to alter the direction of their research, but as they unearth the truth about the long- forgotten romance, their involvement becomes increasingly urgent and personal. Desperately  concealing their purpose from competing researchers, they embark on a journey that pulls each of  them from solitude and loneliness, challenges the most basic assumptions they hold about  themselves, and uncovers their unique entitlement to the secret of Ash and La Motte's passion.  Winner of the 1990 Booker Prize, Possession is a gripping and compulsively readable  novel. A.S. Byatt exquisitely renders a setting rich in detail and texture. Her lush imagery weaves  together the dual worlds that appear throughout the novel--the worlds of the mind and the senses,  of male and female, of darkness and light, of truth and imagination--into an enchanted and  unforgettable tale of love and intrigue. --Lisa Whipple   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Possession was good, but I was a little disappointed. I expected to be possessed by it, forgive the pun, but wasn't really sucked in until the latter 1/3 of the novel. It wasn't that it wasn't interesting, because it was. I think the hardest part was that some of the language was frustrating and as another reviewer pointed out, there was underlying pretension that was hard to ignore. That being...more
 Possession was good, but I was a little disappointed. I expected to be possessed by it, forgive the pun, but wasn't really sucked in until the latter 1/3 of the novel. It wasn't that it wasn't interesting, because it was. I think the hardest part was that some of the language was frustrating and as another reviewer pointed out, there was underlying pretension that was hard to ignore. That being said, I have to give A.S. Byatt amazing props for creating two completely fictional poets that seem very realistic. She obviously did a lot of research and work on writing the poetry. There is a definite difference in tone with each poet and how it sounds and works. It's very neat. In fact, I did wonder if they were actual poets at first. So yeah, that's pretty cool. : ) 

Of course the story of the romance and how they end up together is great. I love how our two main characters come about finding all of the information. I think the only thing I didn't like with Roland and Maud was their relationship was a bit hard to follow, which I suppose is just as well since they seem to have difficulty with it as well. The end was a tad rushed, I felt, and I wish there was a bit more. 

Overall, however, great read!   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A modern romance tied up with a literary mystery tied up with an historical romance punctuated by touching poetry.  The author not only weaves all of these plots together with skill, but she creates two distinct bodies of poetry in very different styles.  This is a book that should be listened to, then read, then listened to again!

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Superb. This is a slow starter, but it builds into one of the cleverest, most well thought out books I've ever read. I loved The Childrens Book, but this is just astounding.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A. S. Byatt is one of those writers whose language is so poetic that it almost doesn't matter what she writes about.  Possession is a love story in parallel across the centuries, and it's a good tale.  It may be the most appealing of her stories that I've read, in fact - but the way it's told is half the magic.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
It's been a while since I have deferred reading this novel.I had seen the movie first , a total faux pas,I have realized.It's always the book first and then the movie..I regret not doing that. This piece of literature which won the Booker Prize in 1990,is every literature student's dream quest.Of unearthing the life and times,and getting into the minds of their favourite poets and...more
 It's been a while since I have deferred reading this novel.I had seen the movie first , a total faux pas,I have realized.It's always the book first and then the movie..I regret not doing that. This piece of literature which won the Booker Prize in 1990,is every literature student's dream quest.Of unearthing the life and times,and getting into the minds of their favourite poets and writers!How many times have we read Sonnet XVIII or LVI and wondered who is it that Shakespeare was referring to?Or Elizabeth Barret Browning in "How do I love thee". I think for every lover of literature, this is what's utmost on our minds..The muse who has inspired such literary/artistic imagery in the writer/poet!Byatt has delved into all this and more.Amazing literary scholarship, meticulous detail,the scholastic approach to solving the mystery,and most of all the beautiful poetry interpersed with prose of the 2 Victorian poets, is what sets this novel apart.My sincere thanks to Dino and Amel.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I feel about this book exactly what I felt about MiddleMarch: the authoress is very very very smart.  But smarts isn't enough to make a great novel.  The story drags.  Boring incidents are related in excruciating detail, completely sucking all the pace and energy from the book.  An example: at the end of the novel, we learn that Roland's landlady has died.  He worries about her numerous cats. ...more
 I feel about this book exactly what I felt about MiddleMarch: the authoress is very very very smart.  But smarts isn't enough to make a great novel.  The story drags.  Boring incidents are related in excruciating detail, completely sucking all the pace and energy from the book.  An example: at the end of the novel, we learn that Roland's landlady has died.  He worries about her numerous cats.  What should be done about them?  For the time being, he contents himself with opening several tins of sardines for them.  

This is an extremely interesting idea for a book.  It should have been exciting but just wasn't.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The excellent writing and the fact that I couldn't wait until I could get home to read it everyday attests to the fantastic quality of this book. I found that the inter-dispersed poetry and anecdotes were a bit anti-climatic at times, especially given the amount of mystery and intrigue that Byatt builds up throughout. I found myself rather impatient and unwilling to trawl through the poetry, but...more
 The excellent writing and the fact that I couldn't wait until I could get home to read it everyday attests to the fantastic quality of this book. I found that the inter-dispersed poetry and anecdotes were a bit anti-climatic at times, especially given the amount of mystery and intrigue that Byatt builds up throughout. I found myself rather impatient and unwilling to trawl through the poetry, but I think an informed second reading would do the writing more justice. Given that the myriad of information, original poetry, and voices that are heard throughout the novel is so varied, I'm amazed by this feat, and I would definitely recommend it. 

The novel is deeply heart-felt and rich, with a true sense of victoriana and the musk of scholarly life. I was impressed and amused by how tense that scholarly interest actually was, that in a strange guise, it was actually a real mystery novel. So if these elements are things that appeal to you, I most definitely say that you should read this book.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I'm not sure just what it is about this book, but it involved me more deeply than any other I've come across in a long time. Byatt is a wonderful prose stylist, and she has a talent for revealing her characters through telling details, knowing just what to show and what to imply. Not only that, but the intercalary poems she's written in the voices of her characters are actually good...more
 I'm not sure just what it is about this book, but it involved me more deeply than any other I've come across in a long time. Byatt is a wonderful prose stylist, and she has a talent for revealing her characters through telling details, knowing just what to show and what to imply. Not only that, but the intercalary poems she's written in the voices of her characters are actually good poems. The ending seems a bit contrived, but to harp on that would be to miss the point. Don't waste any more time reading this, just go and read Byatt -- if your tastes are anything like mine, you will be amply rewarded.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
As I am making my way through the novel on my yearly pilgrimage to Lincoln, UK and beyond, I am again struck by the beauty of the language of this book.  The characters are wonderful and full and they speak with such clear voices, the desire for an absence of the cynical nature of a textual critic (a cynicism that seems to belong to the masses of young people more than to the academy these days)...more
 As I am making my way through the novel on my yearly pilgrimage to Lincoln, UK and beyond, I am again struck by the beauty of the language of this book.  The characters are wonderful and full and they speak with such clear voices, the desire for an absence of the cynical nature of a textual critic (a cynicism that seems to belong to the masses of young people more than to the academy these days) is almost palpable.  It is a joy to re-read the poetry and to watch Roland and Maud move into their own lives.  It is sitting on my desk, and I am fighting reading the end, knowing that I will be much better served waiting until I am home with dinner and tea and the time to spend on the words.   hide

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							John
						
							few weeks ago						
I liked this book a lot. I like everything I've read by A.S. Byatt. I like that she is so interested in stories, writing, language, and symbolism, and she crafts her fiction to mix these elements in a natural way. She reminds me of Jane Austin in how she fits a story together and how she treats her characters. She gives dimension to heroes and villians, allowing you to identify with their...more
 I liked this book a lot. I like everything I've read by A.S. Byatt. I like that she is so interested in stories, writing, language, and symbolism, and she crafts her fiction to mix these elements in a natural way. She reminds me of Jane Austin in how she fits a story together and how she treats her characters. She gives dimension to heroes and villians, allowing you to identify with their triumphs and tragedies. Possession is a rich story with several interesting dimensions woven together, examining the idea of different kinds of possession in her characters interconnected stories. It is titled as a romance, but it is also a detective story, and equally uses devices from both genres, the story remains fresh 'till the end with several twists, and doesn't take the cheap way out. All in all, great work. Worth reading and re-reading.   hide

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