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jodar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A wonderful novel.
A masterly tour de force of literary styles, an examination of the at-times petty academic life of literary criticism and an interweaving of interpersonal and familial relationships.
While threaded throughout is the uncovering of a literary puzzle, what to me was more enticing was the development of rich, complex and convincingly real relationships. The challenges in particular of man-woman relationships are brought to life, both of people in the past as well as of people in the narrative present.
The title Possession is very apt as facets of ‘possession’ are alluded to throughout: that of legal property, interpersonal (especially intimate) ‘ownership’, spiritualist ‘possession’ of 19th-century mediums, intellectual ‘possession’ by authors to write, the obsession of literary scholars to ‘possess’ the lives and writings of the authors they study, and ‘self-possession’ by a few to resist being ‘possessed’ by others. In the end, as Byatt shows, no object, no life story and no individual can be totally ‘possessed’ or fully comprehended.
CW: extramarital sex.
A masterly tour de force of literary styles, an examination of the at-times petty academic life of literary criticism and an interweaving of interpersonal and familial relationships.
While threaded throughout is the uncovering of a literary puzzle, what to me was more enticing was the development of rich, complex and convincingly real relationships. The challenges in particular of man-woman relationships are brought to life, both of people in the past as well as of people in the narrative present.
The title Possession is very apt as facets of ‘possession’ are alluded to throughout: that of legal property, interpersonal (especially intimate) ‘ownership’, spiritualist ‘possession’ of 19th-century mediums, intellectual ‘possession’ by authors to write, the obsession of literary scholars to ‘possess’ the lives and writings of the authors they study, and ‘self-possession’ by a few to resist being ‘possessed’ by others. In the end, as Byatt shows, no object, no life story and no individual can be totally ‘possessed’ or fully comprehended.
CW: extramarital sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Grief
Moderate: Suicide and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Classism
clarkg's review against another edition
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, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Racism, Sexism, and Terminal illness
yggie's review against another edition
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: Infidelity, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don't exactly know what I've just read but wow, that book is a ride.
We follow several scholars of literature in the 1980s, investigating the case of a famous (fictional) poet, Randolph Henri Ash, and his mysterious connexions. There follows an immensely lyrical, dark academia tale of 19th-century poetry, longing and expressing what refuses to be put into words. A.S. Byatt manages to create imaginary 19th-century poets interacting with famous names from history, to compose the poems of these artists, and to write pages of academia studying these poets and their texts. I'm truly baffled. The elaborate language she uses sometimes lost me, but I am certainly in awe of what Byatt has achieved here. She weaves the two timelines (the poets' and the researchers') in a myriad of literary forms including novel, poetry, letters - and what letters! Her characters are nuanced, and so are their relationships, with no clear-cut definition which leaves room for a lot of representation. The purely British atmosphere is tactile, and her description of a quaint bathroom alone is worth a read.
Rep : polyamourous character, ace-spec characters (with a frustrating outcome, but I won't spoil the last pages).
We follow several scholars of literature in the 1980s, investigating the case of a famous (fictional) poet, Randolph Henri Ash, and his mysterious connexions. There follows an immensely lyrical, dark academia tale of 19th-century poetry, longing and expressing what refuses to be put into words. A.S. Byatt manages to create imaginary 19th-century poets interacting with famous names from history, to compose the poems of these artists, and to write pages of academia studying these poets and their texts. I'm truly baffled. The elaborate language she uses sometimes lost me, but I am certainly in awe of what Byatt has achieved here. She weaves the two timelines (the poets' and the researchers') in a myriad of literary forms including novel, poetry, letters - and what letters! Her characters are nuanced, and so are their relationships, with no clear-cut definition which leaves room for a lot of representation. The purely British atmosphere is tactile, and her description of a quaint bathroom alone is worth a read.
Rep : polyamourous character, ace-spec characters (with a frustrating outcome, but I won't spoil the last pages).
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism