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clarkg's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
When I first encountered this book, I was intimidated by its tome-like appearance. I am infinitely glad that I forged ahead because it ended up being one of the most rewarding reading experiences I have ever had. Playful and complex, "Possession" experiments with perspective, temporality, and genre. The result is a story with a heartbeat, or a pulse that can be felt at any point in the book. Reading it requires time and dedication but so do most things that matter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Slavery, Grief, Suicide, Pregnancy, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexism, Racism, Child death, Terminal illness, and Body shaming
storyorc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A wry, poignant experience lies just beneath the surface of dry academia in these pages. Reading it feels like a cynical old professor remembering why they fell in love with literature. Possession invites you to fall in love with many things besides literature too - its timid protagonist, Victorian poetry, mythology, the internal worlds of quiet wives, Brittany, loud American scholars and their English disapprovers, the archeological study of those who devote their lives to a single historical figure, and the ridiculousness of it. Works are often called 'love letters' to their subject material but Byatt was mad enough to make Possession not only literally dozens of love letters, but sprinkle in multi-page love poems as well.
Possession is not, however, romanticised. Byatt is not wanting for a romantic turn of phrase of course, but Roland often has to think about ticket prices and rent in the middle of his international treasure-hunt. The threat of being swept up into false levels of passion is ever-present in both timelines yet the characters are always damningly aware of it. Both Christabel in the 1800s and Maud in the novel's present grapple with whether one can love without losing oneself. This titular question of possession is raised in myriad ways: though bonds of marriage and parenthood, through secrets and their uncovering, through the scholars who hoard every letter a dead poet penned and their widows who burn them. Byatt even flirts with literal possession thanks to the Victorian obsession with séances. At each junction, we are made to reckon with how much and how willingly we give ourselves away. By juxtaposing the parallels between our casts in each timeline, Byatt explores both the consequences of giving oneself away and of holding back.
On a less grandiose but no less important level, Byatt is a master of endearing us to unlikeable characters. Chapters devoted to secondary characters feel tangential, yet shine a light on inner convictions which force an appreciation for even the most meek or abrasive (looking at you, Cropper). This generous and empathetic method of revealing character resonates beautifully with the way our heroes delve through layer after layer of the scandalous secret lives of Victorian poets.
Thankfully, Byatt also knows when not to indulge in a tangent. Far from the dusty library of the first pages, this treasure-hunt-style plot crescendos into a more dramatic action scene than I would have believed. And yet, in its final moments of revelation, you feel you could hear a pin drop.
At the risk of sounding like a study guide, I encourage readers to keep an eye on imagery surrounding whiteness (the literal colour, not the race). Whenever someone started talking about how white Christabel or Maud looked, be it about purity, beauty, or frigidity, I noticed it would illuminate something about where either the speaker or object was sitting on the possession question. Also apples, though I'd have to read again to say why beyond the superficial temptation connotation - they cropped up a lot.
Read with @RoisinsReading's (Youtube) Big Book Club discord.
Possession is not, however, romanticised. Byatt is not wanting for a romantic turn of phrase of course, but Roland often has to think about ticket prices and rent in the middle of his international treasure-hunt. The threat of being swept up into false levels of passion is ever-present in both timelines yet the characters are always damningly aware of it. Both Christabel in the 1800s and Maud in the novel's present grapple with whether one can love without losing oneself. This titular question of possession is raised in myriad ways: though bonds of marriage and parenthood, through secrets and their uncovering, through the scholars who hoard every letter a dead poet penned and their widows who burn them. Byatt even flirts with literal possession thanks to the Victorian obsession with séances. At each junction, we are made to reckon with how much and how willingly we give ourselves away. By juxtaposing the parallels between our casts in each timeline, Byatt explores both the consequences of giving oneself away and of holding back.
On a less grandiose but no less important level, Byatt is a master of endearing us to unlikeable characters. Chapters devoted to secondary characters feel tangential, yet shine a light on inner convictions which force an appreciation for even the most meek or abrasive (looking at you, Cropper). This generous and empathetic method of revealing character resonates beautifully with the way our heroes delve through layer after layer of the scandalous secret lives of Victorian poets.
Thankfully, Byatt also knows when not to indulge in a tangent. Far from the dusty library of the first pages, this treasure-hunt-style plot crescendos into a more dramatic action scene than I would have believed. And yet, in its final moments of revelation, you feel you could hear a pin drop.
At the risk of sounding like a study guide, I encourage readers to keep an eye on imagery surrounding whiteness (the literal colour, not the race). Whenever someone started talking about how white Christabel or Maud looked, be it about purity, beauty, or frigidity, I noticed it would illuminate something about where either the speaker or object was sitting on the possession question. Also apples, though I'd have to read again to say why beyond the superficial temptation connotation - they cropped up a lot.
Read with @RoisinsReading's (Youtube) Big Book Club discord.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicide, and Infidelity
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual harassment
Re: the homophobia, this book is way gayer than you'd expect but the character most likely to have been a lesbian meets a tragic ending. Re: racism: the only non-white character happens to be the most sexually aggressive. She has a fun personality too, and this trait is not a problem on its own, but it does adhere to the stereotype.kimschouwenaar's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
y’all, what the hell… slowest book I’ve ever read with an extremely dissatisfying ending. maud and roland’s story was captivating, but dragged out unnecessarily. and the innumerable references to well-known historical writers (john donne is one my absolute favourite metaphysical poets, so I was very happy to see him again) shows the author took this chance to kind of… brag about her knowledge. I think that’s how I would phrase it.
it reads more like an extremely long research article than the fictional work of art I was hoping it to be. disappointed and glad to have finished it.
it reads more like an extremely long research article than the fictional work of art I was hoping it to be. disappointed and glad to have finished it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Suicide
Minor: Pregnancy
sofipitch's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I wanted to like this one much more than I did but it was such a slog. The book forces it's reader to be the historians themselves, which might be fun if not for the fact that it is about entirely made up characters. You'll read ten pages on some Victorian arguing in favor of the belief of seances simply because the two main characters were mentioned. Another stand out example is the bathroom of a passing character described for 2-3 pages. You'll read pages and pages of literary analysis once again on authors who do not exist. That was what I kept coming back to over and over, this might have been more interesting had Ash and LaMotte been real. The characters themselves are very boring, both contemporary and historical, LaMotte is the only mildly interesting one and you can tell because more of her poems, life, and literary analysis are featured.
There is also the inclusion of fake poetry from LaMotte and Ash as well as short stories, almost constantly, maybe 1/4th of the book. As often as we are forced to read analysis on the poems just presented I can't help but wonder if the poems came first and then the book was built around it as a better way to sell them.
Overall much longer than it needed to be for both the story and the message it was trying to tell.
There is also the inclusion of fake poetry from LaMotte and Ash as well as short stories, almost constantly, maybe 1/4th of the book. As often as we are forced to read analysis on the poems just presented I can't help but wonder if the poems came first and then the book was built around it as a better way to sell them.
Overall much longer than it needed to be for both the story and the message it was trying to tell.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy and Suicide
yggie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book made me work so hard for well over 450 pages of its 600 or so. To be very honest, I mostly powered through because I’m a stubborn idiot sometimes. But then, the last part suddenly picked up the pace, developed a recognisable plot, added some mystery and intrige, and even a welcome dose of humour.
This book is well written, it makes you look at difficult themes from all kinds of angles, it makes you ponder it when you’re doing other stuff. That said, I’m glad I’m finished with it.
This book is well written, it makes you look at difficult themes from all kinds of angles, it makes you ponder it when you’re doing other stuff. That said, I’m glad I’m finished with it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
directorpurry's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I felt this book in my soul.
This is not an easy novel to read. It's a decent length with a lot of words and letters and poems from the 1860s and onward. If I had read this three, maybe even two years ago, I probably would have deeply disliked it.
But I love it now. It's a deep dive into literary academia and the strange cutthroat actions all over some writing on pieces of paper. It truly captured the anxieties of universities.
While I enjoyed the entire novel, I would say the pacing is slow past page 400. But for the last 130 or so pages, it's suddenly an even wilder ride with a breakneck pace - at least until another diary interruption.
To anyone who likes poetry or literary fiction (which is not really me) I highly recommend this book.
And to anyone who likes reading about books and learning and enjoys a bit of mid-1800s scandal (which is definitely me), definitely read this book.
Personally, I think this novel may have a significant impact on my opinion of literary and historical fiction in the future.
This is not an easy novel to read. It's a decent length with a lot of words and letters and poems from the 1860s and onward. If I had read this three, maybe even two years ago, I probably would have deeply disliked it.
But I love it now. It's a deep dive into literary academia and the strange cutthroat actions all over some writing on pieces of paper. It truly captured the anxieties of universities.
While I enjoyed the entire novel, I would say the pacing is slow past page 400. But for the last 130 or so pages, it's suddenly an even wilder ride with a breakneck pace - at least until another diary interruption.
To anyone who likes poetry or literary fiction (which is not really me) I highly recommend this book.
And to anyone who likes reading about books and learning and enjoys a bit of mid-1800s scandal (which is definitely me), definitely read this book.
Personally, I think this novel may have a significant impact on my opinion of literary and historical fiction in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual content
Minor: Terminal illness
ananotherthing's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy and Toxic relationship
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