Possession

Rating:
Summary: Overstated
Review: A.S. Byatt is obviously a gifted writer and intellectual. I enjoyed her ability to convincingly write in the "voice" and varied style of her different authors. My problem is that I could care less about any of her characters and the development was painful and slow. I am sorry to say that this book is clearly for those literary intellectuals. Not for everyone. My blessing to those who love it.

Rating:
Summary: The book with no ending
Review: This was an interesting novel. I found it boring in some spots because it was all poetry. I did not mind the poems at the begining of the chapters, however the poems that lasted entire chapters made me loose my concentration. I thought the postscript was an interesting ending however I did not like the ending of the novel. I felt that there should have been more with Roland and Maud. I did not like the quick conclusion and minimal information about the relationship that Roland and Maud had.

Rating:
Summary: A Tragedy Unfolds
Review: Possession is a wonderful romance novel. I was totally possessed by the beautiful poems and enthralled by the love story that unfolds. A grand literary work!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Novel!
Review: I cannot get over the voices in this book. Four separate voices (two in verse) and one would never know that they were written by the same woman. Academia, love, mystery are all inter-twined in this novel and though it is a dense read, it is engrossing. Recommended wholeheartedly.

Rating:
Summary: stunning
Review: Byatt is a former academic, and she dissects academia with laser-like precision in this novel. It's everything in one: a well-plotted mystery, an intriguing love story (times two), an academic satire, a wonderfully done historical, a clear and striking picture of the lot of women (and especially women artists and writers) in Victorian England, and an ode to the poetry of that period. How this book didn't get onto the lists of the century's best is beyond me. Stunning prose, and first class storytelling.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful...
Review: A difficult read, but well worth it

Rating:
Summary: a classic of the 20th Century
Review: As a complusive reader I consider this book one of the best I have ever read. I enjoyed it as much as "The Rainbow". I loved and was lost in "Possession", which is the gift of a great romantic, intelligent story combined with the enchantment of a fantasy. A.S. Byatt is an amazing writer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to become lost as they read.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: For me, the test of a great book is whether I become fascinated with a subject I would otherwise shun. I have no interest in poetry, much less Victorian poetry or poets, but I was completely entranced by this book. Every night, I would find an hour or so to treat myself, carefully reading each line of poetry for "clues" to the mystery. I have given Possession many times as a gift to a wide variety of women, all have loved it. I lent my copy once to a friend who returned it partway through because she wanted to buy a copy she could keep for herself. It's that good.

Rating:
Summary: Why Literature Matters
Review: I have loved this novel long and well. It has a place on my 'annuals' list just behind Jane Austen and George Eliot. When the autumn leaves begin to fall I reach for my much marked copy autmatically. Byatt has created both unique mystery and romances in Possession. The intelocking stories and the questions she raises seem larger and bolder to me each time I read it. I like that Byatt reminds readers it is important to go out in the world _and_ that it is important to sit and dream.m Or that all of modern answers do fully fit past event and NEVER will. This story always takes my breath away and I find myself referring back to it as I read other works. A great novel.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult at first to get into, but a well-written story!
Review: A love story, a mystery, written in language you may have to read several times, but worth it! Poetry abounds! Great to read and absorb.