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embernhard's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
So fun. It’s basically what I want all academia-centric fiction to be. The radical feminism (and AS Byatt’s patronizing indictments of burgeoning WGSS departments) is deeply 90s, therefore dated and riddled with problematic stuff, but even at its worst I thought still hilarious (“my fellow sister-feminists” loll). Similarly, someone actually said, “god bless the xerox machine!” and meant it. I also love that the urgency comes not from some manufactured/high stakes villain-plot, but from a bunch of academics passive aggressively racing to claim citation credits. Also, the epistolary project that Byatt sets out to do (constructing fully realized Victorian poets - and their contemporary critics - who are in love), is too rich to ignore, even though the poetry and fictional lit crit were ngl my least favorite parts to read.
breadandmushrooms's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ropey's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
indigoblue777's review
5.0
Patience. That is plainly what this book asks of you. Have patience and (I believe) you will be rewarded.
That being said, don't read this book if you don't enjoy reading poetry. There is a lot of poetry. You cannot speed through a book with this much poetry. (It's actually very funny that Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department came out just as I was finishing this book.)
If you enjoy reading poetry, I can guarantee you will be astonished. A. S. Byatt ingeniously invents two 18th-century poets and a body of their work, so realistic that, now that I've finished the book, it's almost impossible to believe that they didn't exist.
The mystery of these two poets and what really happened between them is riveting. The tension builds so subtly, that before I knew it, I was on the edge of my seat. In the present-day (1980s) story, the feeling of being hunted persists and leaves a chill up your spine.
Of course, literature scholars make the best detectives. Though the inclusion of so many 'primary sources' felt in excess at times, it also made me into a detective. I became part of the Quest to appease curiosity and discover the truth. As though Byatt was saying, "Here's the evidence. Now you're one of them too. Good luck."
This is also a Romance, in the way of the Romantic Period. The love stories felt very realistic, both in the present and the past. I really loved the whole thing, even though it was not was I expected.
This is the story of the people who love poetry, literature, and history. Especially for the readers who love the writers who create monumental works that last for centuries after. There's so much more to say, but for now, I will leave this here. I will certainly be reading this again.
P.S.
That being said, don't read this book if you don't enjoy reading poetry. There is a lot of poetry. You cannot speed through a book with this much poetry. (It's actually very funny that Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department came out just as I was finishing this book.)
If you enjoy reading poetry, I can guarantee you will be astonished. A. S. Byatt ingeniously invents two 18th-century poets and a body of their work, so realistic that, now that I've finished the book, it's almost impossible to believe that they didn't exist.
The mystery of these two poets and what really happened between them is riveting. The tension builds so subtly, that before I knew it, I was on the edge of my seat. In the present-day (1980s) story, the feeling of being hunted persists and leaves a chill up your spine
Spoiler
Especially Fergus Wolff, but he surprisingly ended up not being involved in the main plot. He is very creepy, and always described as though he is a wolf.Of course, literature scholars make the best detectives. Though the inclusion of so many 'primary sources' felt in excess at times, it also made me into a detective. I became part of the Quest to appease curiosity and discover the truth. As though Byatt was saying, "Here's the evidence. Now you're one of them too. Good luck."
This is also a Romance, in the way of the Romantic Period. The love stories felt very realistic, both in the present and the past. I really loved the whole thing, even though it was not was I expected.
Spoiler
I enjoyed the ending, which was emotional for Roland and Maud, but bittersweet for Ash and LaMotte. Particularly the Postscript, in the latter's case. Ah, that made my heart hurt.This is the story of the people who love poetry, literature, and history. Especially for the readers who love the writers who create monumental works that last for centuries after. There's so much more to say, but for now, I will leave this here. I will certainly be reading this again.
P.S.
Spoiler
I love that Roland kept advocating for Lady Bailey to get an electric wheelchair. She was the sweetest character in the whole book.flodo's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
msilkwolfe's review
5.0
I feel like this book belongs in a category of itself, because it’s really unlike any other book I’ve read. This is mainly due to the amount of work it must’ve been to write. All those poems! All those letters! HOW?!? It’s the perfect book club book because there is SO much to discuss. The weaving of history, academia, observations on human nature, and literature left me feeling like this may be my perfect novel. Byatt has written a masterpiece!
tarrowood's review
4.0
I think if Possession were without its poetry, it wouldn’t be a quite as enjoyable. Byatt is particular in her crafting of the book, and you can see where the smallest of details matter. There’s a beauty she offers in discovery, yet the plot of discovery was the more boring plot, I was much more interested in the plot of the past, that of the poets lives.
This is a book I would’ve had fun writing about critically in college. There’s intriguing motifs, such as inversions of dominance and sexuality, that would almost write themselves. But without the outlet or time to do so, I became detached at certain points. Nonetheless, this was a beauty of a book, for Byatt knows her subject well, and could be said to have been possessed by the Victorian poets of ere.
This is a book I would’ve had fun writing about critically in college. There’s intriguing motifs, such as inversions of dominance and sexuality, that would almost write themselves. But without the outlet or time to do so, I became detached at certain points. Nonetheless, this was a beauty of a book, for Byatt knows her subject well, and could be said to have been possessed by the Victorian poets of ere.
ketutar's review against another edition
3.0
Well... it was slightly confusing and a bit boring...
I think it's Roland's story, but he isn't the main character. Everyone else feels to be more "main" than he is. We have his girlfriend, his mentor, his colleague, his research subject, the colleague's research subject, and a bunch of other people connected through the life of his research subject.
All these lives are being looked at through narration, letters, diaries, poems, articles, etc. There is a lot that could have been cut off. The poems would have been more impressive had Antonia not written them. Of course, most of it was there to make things more clear, to express things and ideas and emotions that couldn't have been expressed otherwise, but I question if they needed to be expressed at all, or if there really wouldn't have been another way of expressing them, better - or if other things would have been better expressed.
It's very poetic and very touching. I was crying in the end. I'm so sorry the little girl forgot.
Other than that, the ending was pretty bland.
I liked it, but I don't think I would have missed anything if I had never read it.
I think it's Roland's story, but he isn't the main character. Everyone else feels to be more "main" than he is. We have his girlfriend, his mentor, his colleague, his research subject, the colleague's research subject, and a bunch of other people connected through the life of his research subject.
All these lives are being looked at through narration, letters, diaries, poems, articles, etc. There is a lot that could have been cut off. The poems would have been more impressive had Antonia not written them. Of course, most of it was there to make things more clear, to express things and ideas and emotions that couldn't have been expressed otherwise, but I question if they needed to be expressed at all, or if there really wouldn't have been another way of expressing them, better - or if other things would have been better expressed.
It's very poetic and very touching. I was crying in the end. I'm so sorry the little girl forgot.
Other than that, the ending was pretty bland.
I liked it, but I don't think I would have missed anything if I had never read it.