821. Possession

Possession
A.S. Byatt
1990

Around 510 pages

Here on this blog, we are Team Margaret Drabble all the way, so I wasn't really looking forward to this read. She comes across to me as a duller version of other writers, like Donna Tartt and John Fowles. 510 pages were not necessary for this work.

Literary scholars Roland Michell and Maud Bailey find that the socially antagonistic relationship between Victorian era poets Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte may have concealed a secret connection as lovers. Michell and Bailey form their own bond as they race to be the first scholars to spill this tea.

A large part of this book is devoted to the poetry that dutifully captures Victorian era melancholia, which I'm sure is pleasing to the romance crowd. This is too sentimental and saturated for my tastes, although I expect Umberto Eco would be impressed.

None of the twists are all that exciting, and I don't find her writing style particularly engaging. Next!

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Written in response to The French Lieutenant's Woman.

Adapted into a 2002 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart.

UP NEXT: The Midnight Examiner by William Kotzwinkle