Possession

Rating:
Summary: True, it's difficult, but the poetry is worth it
Review: I read this book a long time ago (maybe four years ago), but I still think it's one of the best books I ever read. Admittedly, it's a difficult read. (Warning: do not take this book on a road trip or on the beach wih you!) Byatt has an incredibly poetic writing style (and actually wrote considerable amounts of poetry for this book). I think the language alone is worth the 'work' of reading this book, but she manages to combine her linguistic finesse with a compelling story. I would liken this book to Doctor Zhivago: a great love story crossing historical boundaries, with lots of poetry. I can see how it's not for everyone though. If you don't have patience for long descriptive passages, no matter how beautifully written, then don't waste your time or money on this one.

Rating:
Summary: What taught me that pretty covers do not pretty books make
Review: Everyone has undoubtedly heard the maxim "Never judge a book by it's cover." It holds just as true when taken literally. I picked this book up for because the painting used on the cover caught my eye. I decided to use it for an oral book report in my English class. I started reading expecting a moving, amazing book. All I got was boring stuff for 495 pages with the last 5 being of any interest at all, that was 3 years ago and to this day I recall the absolute bore that this book was. The idea is interesting to be sure, but when it's bogged down by bad poetry and characters who aren't fully drawn it becomes a book that personally wasn't worth the paper that it was printed on. I may not be some literary critic, but I do know what doesn't work. If however you are looking for some good modern writers may I suggest Gregory Maguire, Daniel Handler, and Jeffrey Eugenides.

Rating:
Summary: Complicated but a good read
Review: To be honest, I read Possession because my English teacher persuaded me to. I started out quite skeptical but as the book went on I became really engrosed in it. I loved the way the story unravelled of the secret romance but I didn't find the poetry or the letters very interesting. Despite it being a really interesting book, I was slightly disappointed with the ending which I thought could have been worked on more.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Possession is a great love story and is beautifully written. One of the best novels I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: A Reader's Novel
Review: I took out Possession twice from the library. I couldn't finish it the first time... it was so DENSE. (A very common reaction, I've since learned, when reading Possession.) But after you get over a particular section involving very long-winded letters between two Victorian poets, the story goes reeling and I ended up in tears near the end... I can still quote from the letter Christabel LaMotte wrote to Ash, a letter that never reached him.

Hell. Who DOESN'T want to have loved somebody that much?

I don't think many critics have mentioned this, but to me, the supporting characters really MAKE the book. I was touched by Byatt's knowing yet sympathetic portrayal of Ellen Ash, who very secretly wished to be a poet but became the lantern bearer for one instead, or of Dr. Beatrice Nest, a mild literary scholar working on "womanly work" when she really wants to sink her teeth into what truly makes her tick, the painter Blanche Glover and her descriptions of light and the depiction of force (the complete text of her suicide note is given at one point)... there's a very, very moving passage around the end of the book where Ellen sifts through the remains of Ash's things and decides what to do with Christabel's letter.

For the aspiring writers out there, there's an important passage on words around the end where Roland suddenly discover's he's a poet and the poems "fall like rain." I know everyone hates the poems but they are really worth reading and thinking about; if you like Emily Dickinson you'll love Christabel's poems. I hope Byatt has the full text of "Ask and Embla" somewhere.

The best thing about Possession is that it understands people who think literature MEANS something beyond being a lovely way to kill time. It understands those quiet but passionate people you see browsing in bookstores, who write reviews on Amazon.com, who, at a used bookstore, find joy in finding an out-of-print-book they've been DYING to read for years. It's a book that understands YOU.

Rating:
Summary: A heavy but worthy read...
Review: Possession is probably the most difficult but unique book I have ever read. A.S. Byatt is obviously very talented and much deserving of the Booker Prize. Possession is truly a tour-de-force of many facets, although the writing style and complexity of the story may be a bit much for some.

Roland Michell, an academic and researcher of the 19th century poet, Randolph Henry Ash, has stumbled across something that could change the very foundation of his research: two drafts of a letter that Ash sent to a mysterious woman, who later is found to be another poet, Christabel LaMotte. Roland enlists the help of the LaMotte scholar, Maud Bailey, to fit the puzzle pieces together. The fact that Ash is married and LaMotte a supposed lesbian and feminist makes this journey of discovery one that will change the face of history as they've known it. And as their research takes them further along, the mystery and suspense builds, letter by letter, until the fascinating climax at the novel's end.

This book, regardless of its stunning display of talent, will not be for everyone. It took me on a roller coaster ride throughout with its high and low points as my interest in the story waxed and waned. Interspersed with poetry, diary entries, letters, and passages from books makes Possession a very unique and creative novel; however, these things which make it unique also has the capacity to tear it down -- some of the poetry could have been left out, and the letters, albeit important to the story, were at times laborous.

Possession is a literature buff's dream novel. Reader's who enjoy 19th century British literature and can actually understand poetry of that century will get more out of this novel than I did. Throughout my reading, my rating hovered between 3 and 4 stars, but decided to round up simply for the fact that Possession is truly a novel of dynamic proportions. It'll just take me a second read-around to understand it better.

Rating:
Summary: Possession: A Romance
Review: I need to qualify my previous review because when I wrote it, I had 150 pages left to go.

I still believe my assessment is on point for the first 2/3 of the book. However, in all fairness, I must admit, the last 150+ pages were rather engaging, and NOTHING like the rest of the book.

It is almost as though Byatt wrote the first 400 pages or so, put the novel down for a long time and came back to it a much better writer. I was pleasantly surprised to find rich language, a better flow in style, and deeper character development. (Even the poetry seemed better--I didn't have to skip it!)

Please forgive my previously negative review. I honestly thought I had read everything I needed to in order to write about the book.

If you can take the beginning and the middle, the end (although somewhat predictable) is truly a pleasure to read.

I stand corrected.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasures Finely Flavored
Review: Possession is a gourmet feast of subtle flavors and delicate spice. When it was first placed in my hands by a fellow writer in anticipation of my delight... I recognized the classically beautiful cover. I had picked this book up several times in a bookstore, several times put it down again. A romance? Not tonight, honey. Too often that label turns to something sickly sweet, nothing but indigestible corn. Mmm, but not this dish. This time I bit in. The more I tasted, the more I wanted. Byatt's prose is rich. Her attention to detail brings her created world alive to all senses. It is nearly impossible to write a fresh love story... haven't they all been told? And this one, a Victorian tale superimposed over a modern day tale of hearts, holds no new revelations on the theme. All the more impressive that Byatt so entices. Her scenes of intimacy perhaps impressed me most of all. Not the graphic slop so often appearing on the bestseller table, so cheaply won -- hers are subtle and fine, elegant and true, exquisite.

"They took to silence. They touched each other without comment and without progression. A hand on a hand, a clothed arm, resting on an arm. An ankle overlapping an ankle, as they sat on a beach, and not removed. One night they fell asleep, side by side, on Maud's bed, where they had been sharing a glass of Calvados. He slept curled against her back, a dark comma against her pale elegant phrase."

Perhaps the finish of the book is a bit predictable... but no less rings true and satisfying. One closes the cover with regret at the leaving behind of this lavish language, this world of lovers in two such different times who have connected both in body and mind. I am inspired to reach with a real hunger for the next Byatt treasure.

Rating:
Summary: It Proves that Critics Should Stay Critics
Review: After a failed attempt to read Possession ten years ago, I finally managed to trudge through it for the sake of my monthly book club. Apparently, not much has changed for me in ten years because I hated the book then, and I hate the book now. I say "hate" because I cannot stand to see a potentially great storyline overwhelmed by useless (and completely boring) details.

The poetry is horrible. The characters are flat. The diaries are completely unnecessary, with exception of a few sentences here and there of importance. Everyone I talk to claims to have skimmed or skipped over the superfluous parts of the book. I'm sorry, but anything I have to skim or skip for the sake of finding the plot or characterizations isn't a novel, it's homework. (And rather than finding that "challenging," I just find it annoying...a challenging read does not have to be tedious.)

I think what bothers me the most is that A.S. Byatt believed she had the creative talent to pull this off. I was thoroughly unconvinced that the poetry in the book was created by "great" poets worthy of the adoration and examination given by the modern-day characters in the book. Perhaps that is part of the satire, but if it is, it is not compelling enough to keep me interested.

The book has no flow to it and actually reads like a critic wrote it. It is dry and egotistical. I felt like I was back in undergraduate English classes being forced to read the arrogant interpretations of great literature by critics--only in this case, the great literature is missing.

Similar to religious zealots who believe there is only one way to interpret the bible, critics believe that they are somehow able to crawl into the minds of great writers so they have the definitive understanding of their works. While opinions and research are necessary to promote debate, if one believes a critic's interpretation to be fact, the literature suffers. Byatt seems to want to make fun of this, but she fails.

Honestly, I wish Byatt would recognize her limits and let a good writer handle her stories. Possession would be a much more compelling read without the weight of the useless junk Byatt forces the reader to skip.

But, to borrow from Dennis Miller....This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Torn between two lovers
Review: This was a wonderful read! Set in England, the story opens as Roland Michell,(a part-time research asst.) sits in his favourite spot in the London library archives, preparing to research Randolph Henry Ash's (a renowned and respected poet from the past) personal copy of Vico. Stuffed within the pages, he discovers personal letters of correspondence between Ash and an unidentified woman. Who had obviously attended a breakfast gathering of intellectuals, of which Ash was also a guest at. Who was this woman of mystery that had captured Ash's attention? Roland had asked himself that very question, and the adventure begins...I won't tell you anymore, I suggest you read it for yourself to see the mystery unfold. I can say that the Post-script brought peace, joy, smiles and tears to me! You won't be disappointed, I promise.

This book is wonderfully written, A.S. Byatt's descriptiveness in this novel is brillient, vibrant and vivid! Her love and use of words is truly captivating. But keep your dictionary close at hand, you'll have a nice list to research through out this book.

You'll find two separate love relationships develope and unfold within this book, one from the past, and one in the present. Which is the only flaw that was found, as I constantly craved romantic involvement with the contempory couple, but was mostly fed romance from the past. Understanding also that the past romance was the main theme here, I still yearned for the present.

Between the pages of each chapter, you'll discover complex and amazing poetry, written by Byatt herself. Revealing to us all the extraodinary talents of this very accomplished author. I will definitly be reading more of her works in the future.