Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

Here is the December Love thread for Possession. I have a hold at the library, so I'll start when i get it! Who else is joining?

I have already read this so not me.

Just bought the audiobook. Am looking forward to it. Recently listened to a drama on BBC based on it and really enjoyed it.

Hmm...so my library card has now expired with no hope of getting a new one, so I am trying to figure out how I am actually going to read this book now. Might not be until after the holidays. Sorry guys!

Kaycie wrote: "Hmm...so my library card has now expired with no hope of getting a new one, so I am trying to figure out how I am actually going to read this book now. Might not be until after the holidays. Sorry ..."

Ouch! I hope that you get a new library card soon Kaycie - I would be lost without mine :(

Library cards can expire? I go to the library so often that never happens. Every 2 years though they ask to confirm all your data is correct, though.

I use my card constantly too, but from the overdrive site. And ya, they just want to confirm my id in person, but I unfortunately moved very very far away from there so it will never happen. Boo.

So, who ended up reading Possession? I read it over Christmas break!

This is my third Byatt, but first in print copy. The previous two books I listened to in audio format and didn't really connect with. I later assumed that maybe i need to read character-driven novels in print form instead of audio in order to get the maximum enjoyment, so switched to print for this one.

Turns out, that's not really true. I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it. I made very little connection to it, actually, and it was working towards a 2 star read for me until the end. I did enjoy the ending, I found it touching, and it brought the story overall to a 3 star rating for me.

I found it mostly a bit dull and mostly predictable. I also didn't understand the point of including so much poetry. I don't love reading poetry in a novel, and these additions detracted.

Anyways, third time wasn't the charm, so maybe Byatt isn't for me. Like I said, I didn't dislike it, I just didn't connect to it at all.

What were some other opinions? I could see how someone could love this story. Anyone here who loved it?

Compelling story about two academians discovering letters concerning love affair between two long dead poets? Not a big fan of poetry and thus thine was not impressed by this implausible story.

Dave - i also greatly agree with your assessment of "implausible." I was thinking that for most of three story.

Implausibilty.......these scholars are so intent on discovery that they put aside all these unresolved feelings from past relationships and just work together as a team. And if the story called for a marine biologist, I can imagine one of the characters just happening to live next door to a marine biologist.

Hahaha, yes I think you are completely correct. I was actually thinking of it more along the lines of their discoveries, though. They were investigating a love affair between two long dead poets...in historical studies, things are not the discovered in perfect order ever. In reality, all of the pieces of the puzzle except maybe one key one would have already been discovered but not able to be placed in context. Here, though, many very important, history-altering discoveries were made in the exact order in which they needed to be made in order to drive the story logically. I found that very, very weird, and one of the most improbable parts. History and the study of it doesn't actually work that way, especially since most of the "discoveries" they made weren't due to their digging, but simultaneous and fortuitous coincidences.

Good point. I had not realized Byatt's estranged sister is/was Margaret Drabble. Just finished Radiant Way which I felt was a good story. Byatt appears to be the head in the clouds sibling while Drabble has her feet on the ground.