Comments on: Links on “Possession” by A.S. Byatt

By: Ritalee

Ritalee — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 23:16:25 +0000

Thanks for this goodie bag of links about a terrific book and beloved writer. Did anyone see her when she came to Minneapolis as part of the library’s pen pal series?? The Gods and Monsters emails give me terrible pangs.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 22:17:25 +0000

I loved Possession just as much as you! And found, on reread, that I did still. Such a great book and SO much more than just the novel writing, you know? Writing the poems, etc.

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 16:11:57 +0000

I would so have loved to be there yesterday. Stoopid blizzard. I found I loved it just as much on the re-read as I did when I first read it. This goes on the very short shelf of books I will likely read yet again someday, along with Jane Eyre, Villette, Middlemarch, and Angle of Repose.

By: Jennifer S

Jennifer S — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 03:33:11 +0000

I read Possession at about the same time you did, and was floored. I found it at that perfect time in my life, when everything else I seemed randomly interested in was contained in that one book. Of course, then I read Still Life, and was devastated by the ending, and that was that. But Possession is still one of my permanent favorites.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 01:40:17 +0000

Jennifer, in one of the links she says she wrote Possession as fun, and the quartet that had Still Life and Whistling Woman in it was more academic. I remember not loving the first one in that _-The Virgin in the Garden. I’m still interested in checking out The Children’s Book.

By: Jennifer Reese

Jennifer Reese — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 22:09:13 +0000

I reread Possession in 2013 with the same trepidation. It didn’t cast quite as powerful a spell the second time, but how could it? Then I read Still Life, which was also wonderful, but stumbled with Whistling Woman and my 2013 A.S. Byatt jag was over.
Thank you for the links. I will explore.