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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Possession is a literary mystery in both subject and style. Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey are two academics both researching Romantic poets from the Victorian era, Randolph Ash and Christabel La Motte, when the possibility of a previously unknown connection between them comes to light. The story follows the intricacies of the research and investigation as they seek to uncover the truth, and stop an American researcher from beating them to the punch - and spiriting some important documents out of the country. It took me a while to settle in to this story and I initially found it tough, slow, going. The plot is slow moving and the prose is dense. But once I was in I was all in, fully invested in the outcome of the research and the fate of all the characters.
I can fully see why this won the Booker Prize in 1990. Byatt is a master of her craft. Not only did she write an intricate layered story, but she created all the documents that her fictional scholars used to piece together the connections between their poets- lengthy romantic poetry that could easily pass for authentic, letters, diary entries, and extracts from academic publications. At times I found the literary analyses and critiques, the textual analysis, a bit too dry and academic. At other times I enjoyed playing literary sleuth myself. I also appreciated the varying tones Byatt incorporated. Much of the book felt dry and academic, especially if Victorian literature is not your thing. Yet the book is not all like this. In fact a chapter towards the end, a sort of showdown between the British academics and their unscrupulous American counterpart, was laugh out loud funny with cars ramming each other plus a spot of grave digging. And I also sniggered more than once at the fun Byatt poked at academics. The ending was satisfying, if a bit too convenient. I had reservations at the beginning of this book but I ended up liking it a lot more than I initially expected.
I can fully see why this won the Booker Prize in 1990. Byatt is a master of her craft. Not only did she write an intricate layered story, but she created all the documents that her fictional scholars used to piece together the connections between their poets- lengthy romantic poetry that could easily pass for authentic, letters, diary entries, and extracts from academic publications. At times I found the literary analyses and critiques, the textual analysis, a bit too dry and academic. At other times I enjoyed playing literary sleuth myself. I also appreciated the varying tones Byatt incorporated. Much of the book felt dry and academic, especially if Victorian literature is not your thing. Yet the book is not all like this. In fact a chapter towards the end, a sort of showdown between the British academics and their unscrupulous American counterpart, was laugh out loud funny with cars ramming each other plus a spot of grave digging. And I also sniggered more than once at the fun Byatt poked at academics. The ending was satisfying, if a bit too convenient. I had reservations at the beginning of this book but I ended up liking it a lot more than I initially expected.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Suicide, and Lesbophobia
savvylit's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
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? No
2.5
At 550 pages, Possession is an absolute tome of a novel. Not only that, but it is a dense work of historical metafiction. In writing this book, A.S. Byatt created an entire oeuvre of poems by two distinct authors. Also included within the story of Possession is a plethora of letters and journals of yet even more characters of Byatt's own creation. I understand now why this book is considered to be a masterpiece. The skill and dedication it must have required to realistically portray the writings and emotions of multiple fictional people... Well, it is unfathomable to me.
All that being said, I did not actually enjoy reading Possession. Most characters were underdevolped stereotypes. The worst offender was feminist scholar Leonora Stern whose portrayal is frankly both bi- and lesbophobic. Additionally, I think that this novel was incorrectly marketed as a romance. It is not a romance in the typical sense. In fact, the actual expression of romantic love in Possession is few and far between. And, like the characters, what little there is falls flat. If anything this book is a love letter from Byatt to the scholarship of literature. Perhaps that is what was meant by the full title "Possession: A Romance."
Ultimately, though, what bothered me most was the disjointed flow of the book. This was due to the sheer amount of metatextual inserts into the overarching "mystery." Just when I began to feel invested in a character or storyline, I was dropped into a lengthy Victorian poem or a series of melancholic journal entries. I considered not finishing this book at only 200 pages into the story. However, I decided to continue out of some sense of needing to suffer at the expense of experiencing true art (TM). I will add Possession to the list of masterpieces that I read but will not revisit or recommend. (i.e. War & Peace and Infinite Jest).
All that being said, I did not actually enjoy reading Possession. Most characters were underdevolped stereotypes. The worst offender was feminist scholar Leonora Stern whose portrayal is frankly both bi- and lesbophobic. Additionally, I think that this novel was incorrectly marketed as a romance. It is not a romance in the typical sense. In fact, the actual expression of romantic love in Possession is few and far between. And, like the characters, what little there is falls flat. If anything this book is a love letter from Byatt to the scholarship of literature. Perhaps that is what was meant by the full title "Possession: A Romance."
Ultimately, though, what bothered me most was the disjointed flow of the book. This was due to the sheer amount of metatextual inserts into the overarching "mystery." Just when I began to feel invested in a character or storyline, I was dropped into a lengthy Victorian poem or a series of melancholic journal entries. I considered not finishing this book at only 200 pages into the story. However, I decided to continue out of some sense of needing to suffer at the expense of experiencing true art (TM). I will add Possession to the list of masterpieces that I read but will not revisit or recommend. (i.e. War & Peace and Infinite Jest).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Infidelity, Suicide, and Lesbophobia
willowy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Length: 555 Pages
Genres: Literary Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
"I cannot let you burn me up, nor can I resist you. No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed."
Trigger Warnings in this book for Attempted Sexual Assault, Lesbophobia and Biphobia
I honestly cannot tell you how long this book has been not only on my TBR, but in my own possession. What I can tell you was that I was afraid to start it. I worried I wouldn't be smart enough to understand, or enjoy it, when I had such high expectations. But I'm so proud that I finally tackled this monster (more in the style of the prose vs. the length!), and made it my second book, of 2021.
"Possession" is complicated. It is incredibly dense, sometimes meandering, certainly for a specific kind of person with specific kinds of interests. We follow a plethora of characters, with our main focus being Dr. Maud Bailey, a Feminist expert on Christabel LaMotte, and Roland Michell, a man adrift in the world of Academia, harboring an obsession with Randolph Henry Ash, another poet. And through letters we learn the story of the two mysterious poets, LaMotte and Ash, and of a secret and all-consuming affair between the two, which will change what was thought of them - forever.
I loved the medium this story was told in, with us following Maud and Roland in the present, and with letters, pages from books, poetry, diaries, etc., interspersed, giving us tantalizing glimpses of the past and the fascinating people at its center. A.S. Byatt's writing was incredible. I loved how descriptive she was, in a way that was somehow both floral and matter of fact, and the accuracy in which she wrote Victorian love-letters from two brilliant minds was such an enjoyment. There are so many threads and so many topics broached, from feminism (which gets a bad rap, but is probably just an unfortunate product of its time), to relationships between men and women, to Religion and bugs and sea-anemones, and more.
This book suffered from what I think most 400+ books do, a sagging in the middle, and I couldn't help but feel it could have been cut down about a hundred pages to make it more concise. I was expecting to give this book four stars, however several things knocked half a star off of it. Firstly, the character of Leonora Stern. I actually think Leonora could have been a really interesting character if it was not for the handling of her sexuality. She is a bisexual Professor from America, who has a close friendship with Dr. Bailey. While staying with her, she attempts to sexually assault Maud. It smacked of "bisexual/lesbian women are predators" and left a very bad taste in my mouth. Leonora is also described as having a "touch of Africa" about the lips, which was just another thing that left me cringing. Lastly, and continuing on with the previous theme, Christabel has a very close, some believe romantic, relationship with a woman she lived with. This woman does everything to keep her from being with Randolph, going so far as to rips up the letters he sends before she can read them, going to his wife with proof of their affair, and in the end, committing suicide. A.S. Byatt seemed to have a real bias against Sapphic women, portraying them predatory and unhinged and I really, really wasn't a fan.
If you can get past those aspects, there is really a gem of a story here, and an excellent choice for history and poetry lovers, for English majors, or for someone, who like me, wants a challenge.
Length: 555 Pages
Genres: Literary Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
"I cannot let you burn me up, nor can I resist you. No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed."
Trigger Warnings in this book for Attempted Sexual Assault, Lesbophobia and Biphobia
I honestly cannot tell you how long this book has been not only on my TBR, but in my own possession. What I can tell you was that I was afraid to start it. I worried I wouldn't be smart enough to understand, or enjoy it, when I had such high expectations. But I'm so proud that I finally tackled this monster (more in the style of the prose vs. the length!), and made it my second book, of 2021.
"Possession" is complicated. It is incredibly dense, sometimes meandering, certainly for a specific kind of person with specific kinds of interests. We follow a plethora of characters, with our main focus being Dr. Maud Bailey, a Feminist expert on Christabel LaMotte, and Roland Michell, a man adrift in the world of Academia, harboring an obsession with Randolph Henry Ash, another poet. And through letters we learn the story of the two mysterious poets, LaMotte and Ash, and of a secret and all-consuming affair between the two, which will change what was thought of them - forever.
I loved the medium this story was told in, with us following Maud and Roland in the present, and with letters, pages from books, poetry, diaries, etc., interspersed, giving us tantalizing glimpses of the past and the fascinating people at its center. A.S. Byatt's writing was incredible. I loved how descriptive she was, in a way that was somehow both floral and matter of fact, and the accuracy in which she wrote Victorian love-letters from two brilliant minds was such an enjoyment. There are so many threads and so many topics broached, from feminism (which gets a bad rap, but is probably just an unfortunate product of its time), to relationships between men and women, to Religion and bugs and sea-anemones, and more.
This book suffered from what I think most 400+ books do, a sagging in the middle, and I couldn't help but feel it could have been cut down about a hundred pages to make it more concise. I was expecting to give this book four stars, however several things knocked half a star off of it. Firstly, the character of Leonora Stern. I actually think Leonora could have been a really interesting character if it was not for the handling of her sexuality. She is a bisexual Professor from America, who has a close friendship with Dr. Bailey. While staying with her, she attempts to sexually assault Maud. It smacked of "bisexual/lesbian women are predators" and left a very bad taste in my mouth. Leonora is also described as having a "touch of Africa" about the lips, which was just another thing that left me cringing. Lastly, and continuing on with the previous theme, Christabel has a very close, some believe romantic, relationship with a woman she lived with. This woman does everything to keep her from being with Randolph, going so far as to rips up the letters he sends before she can read them, going to his wife with proof of their affair, and in the end, committing suicide. A.S. Byatt seemed to have a real bias against Sapphic women, portraying them predatory and unhinged and I really, really wasn't a fan.
If you can get past those aspects, there is really a gem of a story here, and an excellent choice for history and poetry lovers, for English majors, or for someone, who like me, wants a challenge.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia and Sexual assault
It features Biphobia, Lesbophobia, and Attempted Sexual Assault.