Possession by A.S. Byatt

Today we have a guest post from Val in Vermont.

Year: 2000

General idea: Male and female British academics get romantically involved while researching the work of a Victorian female poet who also had a male lover.

Details:

• I wanted to like the female professor but she’s described as wearing hideous clothes, like all bright green.
• In the Victorian narrative a souvenir brooch from a seaside town has some significance.
• The professors visit the poet’s former home and find documents hidden in a doll’s or baby’s cradle.
• I don’t remember anyone’s name even though I also saw the movie.
• Byatt cleverly includes the poems written by the fictional poet, but I didn’t read them.

Lingering feeling: Disappointment. I really liked the novel at the time but didn’t like any of the characters, plus heterosexual romance is a hard sell for me.

Follow-up from Val: Per Wikipedia, there is a lesbian subplot that I forgot, as well as an illegitimate daughter.

 

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