Possession

Rating:
Summary: It's like heroin--exciting with some real down spots
Review: I was intrigued by the story line... But I also almost fell asleep when I had to read the piles of "authentic" letters and victorain poetry. Did those things really help move the plot?

Rating:
Summary: A labarynthine adventure of Discovery, Suspense, and Romance
Review: A rich tapestry, sensually woven from the present by intriguing events from a mysterious past, and looming from the precipice over an uncertain future, POSSESSION, 1990's deserved Booker Prize winner, will deliver an indelible sense of passion, a careful metamorphasis in your opinion of a modern romance, and the mortification of doubts if you think your predilection for such a book was ever questionable. What gives this book its inevitable sense of texture is that Byatt has formed the maze round allusions to the historical, poetical and literary, and sociological institutions of present-day English academia, brought them to life, by two very carefully orchestrated, complicated stories of love. Byatt carefully achieves, with expert craftsmanship, to carve two tales from the same piece, like a Faberge egg, or a filigreed jewel. And the result is that beautiful, the mysteries that engrossing, the effect that intense. One's heart pangs with emotion, as well as races for th! e suspense. Poised to become a classic example of post-modern literature, this book will always serve as one of the few successful bridges, connecting our present ironic, pale, literary world to the glory of the legacy of Romance of the Victorian writers.

Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Pleasure
Review: My first introduction to Ms. Byatt was her analysis of Iris Murdoch's work, and this novel was recommended to me by my thesis advisor. It exceeded all my expectations! It can be read so many ways: for pleasure, for "deep meaning," for academia. . . . A beautiful, truthful (those out there who have studied literature will know what I mean!) work--especially when one considers how much Ms. Byatt had to create to accomplish this (all the works of Ash, LeMotte, and Ms. Ash--amazing!) Intricate and wonderful, a great reward awaits those who stick it out to the end.

Rating:
Summary: a magical journey
Review: I return to this book year after year to resavor its pleasures. I've read it at least ten times, and each time I discover a new facet that had previously lain hidden. One of these days I may even figure out the reason for Val's name. A minor inconsistency popped up this time (Sabine de Kercoz is first cited as having written four unpublished novels, and then as having published the three [sic] previously mentioned ones), but it's a flaw so minor that it merely serves to highlight the perfection of the rest.

Rating:
Summary: A well-crafted and thought-provoking read
Review: Possession is, to use a hackneyed phrase, a tour de force. The novel showcases Byatt's ability to work with countless genres to create a satisfying whole. Ranging from a modern-day mystery novel to an epistolary novel to epic poetry, Possession is a many-layered novel that demands more than one read. I recommend reading it once for the plot (like any mystery, we want to know what happens next), and then again for the textual pleasure derived from Byatt's style. One warning: do not be confused by the title, "Possession: A Romance." If you are looking for a love story a la Danielle Steel, you will be disappointed; Byatt is writing a romance in the true sense of the genre. This book is definitely a worthy read, thought-provoking and entertaining. It's truly one of the best novels I have read in quite some time.

Rating:
Summary: One of the five best books I have read in the past 10 years.
Review: Possession is a tour de force of modern literary writing and has much humor to recommend it as well. The poetry, crafted in two poetical styles and sensibilities, as if written by a male...and then a female, the rich victorian sentences and paragraphs, and the modern active prose that hangs the two stories together leave nothing to be desired. A perfect novel full of mystery and intrigue, passion, structured artifice, humor and humanity, wry fun and wit.

Rating:
Summary: A tedious, mind-numbing pretentious bore. Highly overated
Review: This must be one of the most over-praised, over-rated pieces of "literature" I have read in years. Every word, every page practically screams out at you that this is a novel that is meant to be taken seriously. However, it fails to capture the imagination and is a masterpiece only of tedium and pretension.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the Best Book I Have Read in a Decade
Review: Byatt is a story-crafter. Her characters are alive, the plot wafts between two timelines seemlessly and effortlessly. Once I picked it up, I couldn't let it go.

Rating:
Summary: What a strange and wonderful surprise
Review: I was almost ready to give up reading. I thought, why did I pick this up?? I kept going and found myself cheering for "The Romance." I also found it an interesting take on the question of the public's right to know all and the artist's right to privacy.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: What more can you ask from a novel? Elegant, lovely story, at times tragic.

read it.