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Cherith (USA: KS) (2006/08/09):
I had to put down Possession by A.S. Byatt. It was horrible. For the first ten pages, I could not tell what era the story was in, and when it finally made sense as some sort of modern day tale, it didn't really help at all. It's too flowery, too pretentious and I'm sure that there must've been a good story in there somewhere, but I didn't have the patience to find it. That's sad since the book has recieved such high praise. *shrugs* I don't even think I made it 100 pages in.I've been told that it gets better if you try a second time, after watching the movie. I may do that someday, just to see.
mbett (USA: MA) (2007/03/26):
I loved Possession. I'd count it among by top ten favorite contemporary novels. I've read and re-read it about a dozen times in the past decade. The first time I read it, I literally couldn't put it down. And as soon as I got to the last page I had to go back and start again. This is a literary romance, and appeals to bibliophiles and those who love the printed word, poetry and mysteries. The story bounces back and forth between our modern heroes,Roland and Maude, a pair of 20th century literary scholars, hot on the trail of a historical mystery and the pair of 19th century writers they are investigating. Byatt masterfully creates poetry, short stories, letters and diaries for her fictional authors. Ash's poetry reads like a cross between Browning and Tennyson, LaMotte's like Emily Dickinson crossed with Christina Rossetti. The book is full of literary allusions and subtle digs at the world of the modern university, contemporary scholarship and literary critics.
Sandra (USA: TX) (2008/02/17):
I really tried to like this book, but I could not finish it. I read all the reviews that called it a masterpiece, dazzling, brilliant, the best book of the year,etc., so I gave it two chances. The first time I started it, I put it down after just a couple of chapters and thinking I did not give it a good enough chance, I picked it back up recently and tried again. After a few more chapters, I realized I was dreading having to read it, so I give up. It's very slow and plodding with very little dialogue and I found it to be boring, boring, boring. Maybe it's just me, so please read it and form your own opinion, but I just thought you might want another not so rave review.
Valerie (USA: CA) (2008/08/02):
A very literary novel that requires a bit of patience (or some skimming). Well-written and the story was interesting throughout, though it got a bit heavy-handed with the crime/mystery angle near the end.
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