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chramies's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't finished this because I just find it drags too much, like a village Hardy (or even villagier and Hardier). Too much rural colour and customs from the 1820s (curiously one of the other books on my reading list is also set in the 1820s and written much later - in this case I'm reading it for translation).
I was born premature with a birth defect - the same as Prue's, and tbh it's normally the mark of a villain in fiction - here at least it isn't.
But ... Prue is a great character, Webb's descriptions are lyrical and some I want to paint, her dialogue is often funny but tbh I feel I am either reading 'Cold Comfort Farm' (which I sort of am as Gibbons was parodying this kind of rural-gothic novel) or listening to 'the Archers'. Webb really, really needed to write the story of Hannah Cullwick (oh dear Hannah. Huge and dirty Hannah. A Mary Webb character come to life) and I would read that. Also I wonder if the novel I read many years ago which I thought was called "The Village" or "The Village Green" and included sacrificial hangings and owl psychopomps was by Mary Webb, it certainly sounds like her line of territory. In my diary at present I have the beginnings of a story called "Header by Mary Webb" because you could overlap her and Edward Lee, the only question being, Whose ground do we play on; in this case it's Mary's beloved Shropshire. I was sitting in the Wych Elm with a pint of Isabella in front of me, of course I thought of skeletons in trees and Headers... Park Brewery put Isabella in the Wych Elm, and I drank it.
Maybe some day I'll finish reading it, but not yet.
I was born premature with a birth defect - the same as Prue's, and tbh it's normally the mark of a villain in fiction - here at least it isn't.
But ... Prue is a great character, Webb's descriptions are lyrical and some I want to paint, her dialogue is often funny but tbh I feel I am either reading 'Cold Comfort Farm' (which I sort of am as Gibbons was parodying this kind of rural-gothic novel) or listening to 'the Archers'. Webb really, really needed to write the story of Hannah Cullwick (oh dear Hannah. Huge and dirty Hannah. A Mary Webb character come to life) and I would read that. Also I wonder if the novel I read many years ago which I thought was called "The Village" or "The Village Green" and included sacrificial hangings and owl psychopomps was by Mary Webb, it certainly sounds like her line of territory. In my diary at present I have the beginnings of a story called "Header by Mary Webb" because you could overlap her and Edward Lee, the only question being, Whose ground do we play on; in this case it's Mary's beloved Shropshire. I was sitting in the Wych Elm with a pint of Isabella in front of me, of course I thought of skeletons in trees and Headers... Park Brewery put Isabella in the Wych Elm, and I drank it.
Maybe some day I'll finish reading it, but not yet.
moriartyandherbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Nope, not for me. My book club chose this book, and it sounded so intriguing, and so while I tried I just can't do it. The dialogue and dialect is painful to read, pulling me out and making things that could be very interesting and intriguing a chore to read and just mad boring.
I'm bummed because it has such a high rating and I read a plot synopsis and some analysis of the book and it sounds like it really is a tale to make one think, but just the way it's delivered really puts what it's saying out of my mind and instead while trying to read it I was easily irritated at the simple dialogue and text. Too much to enjoy or get into what I was reading.
I'm bummed because it has such a high rating and I read a plot synopsis and some analysis of the book and it sounds like it really is a tale to make one think, but just the way it's delivered really puts what it's saying out of my mind and instead while trying to read it I was easily irritated at the simple dialogue and text. Too much to enjoy or get into what I was reading.
margaretpinard's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
louissb's review against another edition
4.0
The narrative is sweet and moving, with an intelligent and likeable narrator. I was surprised to see this book is less than a hundred years old - Webb does a very convincing 19th century (I assume); the setting is vivid and the changing seasons almost tangible through the precise descriptions of the natural surroundings. She also does a good job of conveying the fear of superstition - probably the main theme - which runs throughout, from the funeral at the beginning to the final scenes.
charlottereadsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I had a really hard time getting into this book. It was different from anything I've read, but I wish some of the characters were developed more. Also, the love story at the end seemed a little rushed. This book has been into several printings, and I wonder what the commerical appeal is, because I had a hard time finding it.
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
3.0
– Some of the ideas in Precious Bane were absolutely lovely – for example, ‘We are so small and helpless on the earth that is like a green rush cradle where mankind lies, looking up at the stars, but not knowing what they be’, and when speaking about nicknames: ‘You can make most names into little love-names, like you can cut down a cloak or a gown for children’s wearing. But Gideon you can do naught with. And the name was like the man.’
– I love the way in which Webb uses senses. I feel that they make her settings and scenes incredibly vivid.
– I liked the fact that it was written in an odd dialect, and I found it quite easy to get into after a while. I’m glad that Prue’s accent wasn’t overdone, as it so easily could have been, but the dialogue did feel as though its dialect had been overemphasised, which was a shame.
– The personification of various objects which are of importance to Prue and her family – or, indeed, the larger community in which they live – works incredibly well, and is a nice touch – for example, ‘Every flint had its own voice’.
– I found the impact which other people applied to Prue’s harelip quite sad. Her brother talks of buying her a ‘cure’ for it, and others tease her for never being able to marry. Then there is an awful scene in the pub. This is set in the 19th century, and it was clearly still a very vain society, where much emphasis was placed upon looks and conformity. In that sense, it doesn’t feel as though much has changed in our world.
– The emotions are captured well.
– I found Prue’s childish musings utterly adorable, and felt that they contrasted quite well with her care of and love for her mother. For want of a better word, she was a very motherly figure, despite her young age.
– An odd, sad book, interspersed with human cruelties of every kind.
– It does not feel that well balanced on the whole. It is a quiet book, and the sudden ending which springs from nowhere almost feels too powerful a contrast.
– I love the way in which Webb uses senses. I feel that they make her settings and scenes incredibly vivid.
– I liked the fact that it was written in an odd dialect, and I found it quite easy to get into after a while. I’m glad that Prue’s accent wasn’t overdone, as it so easily could have been, but the dialogue did feel as though its dialect had been overemphasised, which was a shame.
– The personification of various objects which are of importance to Prue and her family – or, indeed, the larger community in which they live – works incredibly well, and is a nice touch – for example, ‘Every flint had its own voice’.
– I found the impact which other people applied to Prue’s harelip quite sad. Her brother talks of buying her a ‘cure’ for it, and others tease her for never being able to marry. Then there is an awful scene in the pub. This is set in the 19th century, and it was clearly still a very vain society, where much emphasis was placed upon looks and conformity. In that sense, it doesn’t feel as though much has changed in our world.
– The emotions are captured well.
– I found Prue’s childish musings utterly adorable, and felt that they contrasted quite well with her care of and love for her mother. For want of a better word, she was a very motherly figure, despite her young age.
– An odd, sad book, interspersed with human cruelties of every kind.
– It does not feel that well balanced on the whole. It is a quiet book, and the sudden ending which springs from nowhere almost feels too powerful a contrast.
bethr's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This early 20th c novel is told in the voice and dialect of a young woman from the English countryside, so the style might take some getting used to. However, the narrator is so engaging and creates vivid visual and emotionally textured scenes, so I find it easy to get caught up in the story. All characters in the story are English, but the narrator's physical disability is significant for her character and narrative arc. The characters have both flaws and virtues, with perhaps one exception. Just read it.
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