Possession

By: A. S. Byatt

Narrated by: Virginia Leishman

Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of England's Booker Prize and a literary sensation, Possession is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once an intellectual mystery and a triumphant love story.

As a pair of young scholars research the lives of two Victorian poets, they uncover their letters, journals, and poems and track their movements from London to Yorkshire - from spiritualist seances to the fairy-haunted far west of Brittany. What emerges is an extraordinary counterpoint of passion and ideas.

©1990 A.S. Byatt (P)1999 Recorded Books

Pairs of Poets Possessed by Passion Puissante

"[A]ll great poetry asks us to be possessed by it."
Harold Bloom, The Best Poems of the English Language, 2003.

“I am two fools, I know,
For loving, and for saying so.”
John Donne

"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)”
E.E. Cummings

___________________


My initial reaction here is 5 stars for pulling off a complicated structure surrounding the romances of 2 pairs of poets. Prior to the last 20 minutes, I might have said 4 stars. The last 5 minutes were absolutely heartbreaking, but not hopelessly so.

I enjoyed it and found it worth a credit.

BRILLIANT

This is the third time I have visited this beautiful literary piece of work. I still find it enchanting and beautiful.

Glorious Story, Mostly Well Read

Having read it 30 years ago, I've just finished listening to a recorded version of A.S. Byatt's Possession. It's possible that it's even better to listen to than to read, and that's saying a great deal, since the written novel itself is superb. My only qualm involves the reader Virginia Leishman's inexplicable decision to affect a bad Vuh-gin-yuh Tad-wadduh Accent for chacter Mortimer Cropper, who grew up in New Mexico. Cropper teaches at fictional Robert Dale Owen University in New Mexico, which he describes as a state full of all new and modernist buildings, though New Mexico in fact contains whole towns from the early twelfth century and before. As an American, I would have liked to see America more accurately represented by writer and reader alike. I do think listeners might like to choose a different reader, but the novel is flat-out excellent, and very worth both reading and listening to in whatever edition you can find.

Fabulous Book!

This puts a nice twist on the detective story. No murder here, but intrigue and excitement through missing documents, poems, and letters from dead poets.

My only complaint is the narrator gives a Deep South, Georgia, accent to a character from New Mexico.

cautionary tale

Be advised: This book is not for the "faint of intellect". I've had this selection for over a year, unable to get by the first 30 minutes. It is deeply poetic, highly literary and makes continuous reference to classic literature and academic literature frameworks and devices. That being said, the book is a mesmerizing portrait in language, visual imagery and human connection, painted with poetic metaphor. Definitely an instance where the audio lends value to the written novel--Leisham not only excels at character portrayal but her voice breathes life as masterfully fluid brushstroke. Byatt's command of multiple writing genres is nothing less than amazing--will be one of my all time-favorites. BTW, it also happens to be one heck-of-a romantic tragedy with a bittersweet ending (spoiler)! (tear)

Tedious

Nice plot idea, but the telling is made tedious by the author’s inclusion of her own epic poems and fairy stories.

Best Novel I've Ever Read

I read this book for the first time 20 years ago, and I was enchanted. It's the kind of book that created a world you don't want to leave, except in this case there are more than 3 worlds: that of the contemporary Maude and Roland, the world of the Victorian poets they study, and the story-worlds of their writing. Byatt is a master. There are so many modern novels with brilliant writing but no plot, gorgeous turns of phrase but no character development and nothing driving the story. This one has everything. As rich and nuanced as it is, the storyline is ancient and compelling: love between two people who are not free and the choices they make. Many authors also seem to think that characters and plots must be brutal in order to be authentic; Byatt shows kindness and still tells the truth. I have read and enjoyed most of Byatt's work but this is still my favorite.

Romance lives

A story that makes me grateful I read literature ecaise it brings those dusty pages to life. It's 30 years old and feels modern enough.

Soaringly romantic

I pulled this recommendation off the BBC 100 list and wasn't sure if I'd like it, but once we began I was utterly entranced. The complexity of bouncing between current events and the past, the snippets of stories within stories, the multiple romances and characters, all led to a highly textured and deeply enjoyable story.

Spellbinding

This book, beloved by my academic mother, is still entrancing after so many years. Well-drawn characters, interesting plot twists and some lovely poetry.