My dear Friend,
I may call you my friend, may I not? For my true thoughts have spent more time in your company than in anyone else's...
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I know the books I love. Because they sit on my bookshelf. I read many books from the library. Read once. Enjoyed. And that is enough.But a book I love, I must own. I must keep. I must re-read. If I'm sharing books that touched my soul, the first place I look is my bookshelf.
Possession by A.S. Byatt is just such a book. It's a complex tale weaving together past and present, narratives, letters and poetry in what some might call a "literary mystery".
I have tried since to read other A.S. Byatt novels and they didn't overwhelm me the way Possession did (although someday, I'd like to give them another try). I was hopeful when I heard they were making Possession into a film with favorite actors and actresses. But it didn't capture the magic of the book.
If you have a weakness for costume dramas, Victorian times, English literature, academic pursuits, poets and naturalists, the complex, silky layering of words, the murky mysteries of human souls caught in romance, give this one a try.
p.s. I can't resist sharing some of the characters names: Roland, Maud, Paola, Val, Christabel, Randolph, Ariane, and Leonora.
I've never heard of this book. I'm adding it to my list!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book – read it when it first came out. The film was okay, some amazing sets (that tower bedroom I still think about)! But I haven't managed to get through anything else by Byatt. See you in class! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is my favourite book - bar none! I have read it countless times and I love it every single time. The movie was a total disapointment although I like the "old days" sections. Jeremy Northam works for me!
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