What a luxurious book it is!

It hardly let go for a moment. And I want to describe everything, everything, everything, and manage to avoid spoilers.

So I'll just say that if you like solving mysteries in an academic setting against the backdrop of writing scientific papers and incredibly wonderful pedantry and getting into every letter - this is for you!

And there are also romances, love, and life choices.

And the diverse consequences of life choices.

A marvellously layered book and a masterclass in ventriloquism!

I don't think I've ever read a book so full of alternative voices, all pulled off so perfectly.

From a contemporary 3rd person narrative, to the poetry of two quite different authors, to letters written by three individuals (four if you include a suicide note), and journals penned by two separate women.

Even a pastiche of academic feminist criticism from the 80s which is hilarious.

Through it all emerge two love stories, triangulated differently.

The contemporary one is oddly moving, and a tale that probes the relationships between poet and poetry (do we need to know a life to understand the text?) and academic biography.

Alongside the different voices are various tones.

The brash academic comedy of Cropper waving his American cheque book around as he negotiates small English country lanes in his unwieldy Mercedes.

The more affectionate humour associated with Leonora Stern and her 80s feminist-theoretical readings.

And the sad archivist Beatrice Nest who has been working on an edited edition for the previous twenty-five years and has nothing much to show for it.

Byatt plays with the multiplicitous meanings attached to the word and concept of 'possession': material things that have contested ownership, owning and being owned, self-possession, obsession.

I've seen reviews where readers have skipped the poetry which is sad because it's both an important carrier of the novel's ideas and themes as well as making interventions in the narrative.

Four stars rather than five as in places I found this a bit cold.

I was intellectually engaged throughout, not always emotionally so.

Oh, and for the record, I saw shades of Robert Browning in the verses of Randolph Henry Ash.

I am a Romantic, in the sense that Wordsworth meant. I have a profound love for the details of 19th Century life, the language of that era, poetry, mystery, and the human tragedies and struggles. Above all else, I have a passion for a great story. A.S. Byatt has provided me with all of this and more. She is an intelligent and multi-talented author, and I was truly delighted to accompany her through the intense emotions and captivating moments of Randolph Ash and Christabel LaMotte's love story.

For years, I had pushed this book to the back of the shelf. The reason was simple: I had seen the movie first (a practice I usually try very hard to avoid), and I thought that knowing the basic story already might prevent me from being fully captivated. I loved the movie, but as is often the case, the book surpasses it and enriches the characters in ways that only brilliant writing can achieve. I am extremely happy to have overcome my reservations and finally embrace Byatt's work in print.

I believe it is quite challenging to maintain a story within a story, span different ages, and make all the characters seem real and interesting. This book is a double story. It is the story of Randolph Ash and Christabel LaMotte, two 19th century poets who defied their circumstances and the times to have a passionate affair that encompassed the heart, mind, and body. Their love was transcendent, and like most such loves, it exacted a high price from both of them. Running parallel to this story is the story of Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey, a pair of academics who study the lives of Ash and LaMotte respectively. They discover a series of clues that connect the poets and ultimately reveal the true depth of their relationship. Roland and Maud come across as real (even if not as captivating as the poets), and their story propels the mystery forward to its resolution.

As for the poetry that Byatt includes in the book, it is not only of high quality and interesting in its own right but also serves to provide clues and drive the uncovering of the mystery. The story could have been told without it, but I truly believe that the impact would have been diminished if the poems had been discussed so frequently and yet never seen. I can find no fault in Byatt's telling of this tale, and I think it is a form of laziness not to be willing to put in the effort oneself to enjoy such a wonderful story.

Ah, did you once see Shelley plain?
And did he stop and speak to you?
And did you speak to him again?
How strange it seems, and new!

But you were living before that,
And you are living after.
And the memory I started at—
My starting moves your laughter!

I crossed a moor, with a name of its own
And a certain use in the world no doubt.
Yet a hand’s-breadth of it shines alone
’Mid the blank miles round about.

For there I picked up on the heather
And there I put inside my breast
A moulted feather, an eagle-feather—
Well, I forget the rest.

The poet, Robert Browning, in this poem "Memorabilia", presents a series of questions and descriptions. The first stanza is about a possible encounter with Shelley, a famous poet. The speaker wonders if someone had such an encounter and how strange and new it would seem. The second stanza then remarks that life goes on before and after such an event, and the memory that starts the speaker's thoughts causes laughter in the other. The third stanza describes crossing a moor with its own name and use, but a small part of it shines uniquely among the vast and blank surroundings. The final stanza tells of picking up an eagle-feather on the heather and putting it in the breast, but then forgetting the rest. Overall, the poem seems to explore the significance of memories and the small, unique moments that stand out in the ordinary course of life.

I don't mean this in an insulting way, but Possession is like an intellectual version of The Da Vinci Code.

Two literary scholars follow a series of obscure clues pulled from historical letters between two Victorian poets. They race against time to unearth the truth of the mystery surrounding those two poets, while others with less altruistic interests are also after the same story.

The difference is that Possession is beautifully written, erudite, and often amusing. These are not words I would use to describe The Da Vinci Code.

The story is told in a mixture of forms. There is straightforward narrative, correspondence, journals of significant characters, and poetry. I'm not sure I did justice to the poetry as it probably requires proper reading to fully appreciate, and I'm not an experienced poetry reader. However, I'm very impressed that Byatt could create such poetry "simply" to include it in her own story.

For the first few pages of this book, I wasn't sure how it and I would get along. Mostly, I worried that I wasn't clever enough to understand it. Even now that I've finished it, I think there's some truth to that concern. Byatt is clearly a very clever lady. But she's not patronizing. In fact, there's a real feeling in this book that she's having fun gently mocking the intelligentsia she's writing about, with their earnestness and passion for the poems and letters of long-dead people. And it's hard to believe she's being anything other than ironic when people wander into a graveyard and a fierce storm immediately whips up, creating the exact atmosphere you'd expect in a Hollywood movie graveyard scene.

Once I overcame my fear of the book, I settled in and thoroughly enjoyed it. Leonora Stern, although not the main protagonist, is by far the most interesting character for me. I'd like to read a lot more about her and think she could have other adventures. I'd definitely read them!

Others have written much more intelligent things about this book that you can find elsewhere on Goodreads or the internet. I just wanted to record that even though I didn't understand it all (the plot was easy, but the literary references and poetry were more challenging), reading this book was great fun. I'm giving it 5 stars for the way it combines literary styles, is intelligent, and still drives a good story forward.

I did it! I finally conquered the beast.

That might sound a bit overly dramatic, but the truth is, this book wasn't always the most enjoyable read for me.

Even though I truly appreciate all that Byatt has accomplished.

Creating this story about fictional Victorian poets, complete with their writings, letters, diaries, and more, is extremely impressive.

However, I did find that at times it was quite slow-paced, and she has a tendency to digress a great deal into descriptions that don't really add much to the overall story.

I assume that her own writing style was an attempt to mimic the poets' own writing styles, but in my opinion, it was just too wordy.

The last 100 pages or so were definitely the best part of the book, and I really enjoyed the ending.

It's not a book that I would probably ever read again, but then again, who knows?

Now that I have the knowledge of what is going to happen, I can see it being more rewarding on a re-read.

Also, this book has definitely made me think a lot about the relationship between poems and poets, that is, the value of a creator versus the value of their creation.

3.5 stars

I had known about the existence of Possession by A.S. Byatt for many years before I actually got around to reading it. How did I come to know of it? Well, it was quite by chance. I happened to find the book in the library, and it was the cover art of The Beguiling of Merlin by Edward Burne-Jones that caught my eye and piqued my interest.

My reading progress thus far has been a bit of a mixed bag. I have to admit that the author seems to be constantly bombarding us with her very heavy book bags! Lol. To be honest, it's a rather tiring book to read. The writing is indeed good, and I'm truly impressed by the author's writing skills. However, the story isn't exactly easy to digest. I must confess that towards the end of the novel, I started skimming all the way to the ending. Part of me is really impressed by the author's imagination in creating two fictional poets and the romance between them. But on the other hand, the endless references and researches are really starting to get on my nerves. So, in the end, I can only give it 3.3 stars.

Possession truly deserves an excellent review. This has already been done by Nelson Zagalo. Here:
I have read it several times because I really like it - and I agree with everything - and also to seek inspiration for my comment. I copy the idea of the multiple layers, referring to two levels of reading that I did of this work:
1) The Pleasure
I enjoyed an exciting mystery that involves two poets of the Victorian era, whose life and work are studied by several people. Through the voice of the narrator, letters and diaries of the characters, a magnificent story is woven that culminates in one of the most beautiful and moving endings that I have ever read ("All's well that ends well" — W. Shakespeare).
2) The Knowledge
To understand something of the poems and stories of the poets under study, I was "forced" to leave the book and do additional research. I was amazed by the infinite world that there is to discover and aware that I know nothing...

In addition to a great cultural richness (mainly of mythology), this is a novel
— about Love and the various forms in which it is generated between two beings: by physical beauty, by intellect, by living together;
— about life and mentality in the Victorian era;
— about the passion for Literature;
— and more...

Possession is not a "beach read"; it requires effort but is very rewarding.
It is because of books like this that, like Christabel, "I live in a tower like an old witch", in constant demand for new books. Where will I go to disenchant "Eddna" of Snorri Sturluson? The best is to stay quiet and read "Norse Mythology" (by Neil Gaiman) and the "Kalevala" that I have here...

¡EXTRAORDINARIA!

It is truly remarkable! I simply have no words to describe how much I have enjoyed this reading. It is a fascinating, suggestive, and evocative novel, filled with sensuality and melancholy, yet at the same time, it overflows with so much vitality and strength. It is such a vivid story. Indeed, the title is spot-on. It has been a proper reader's possession, just like the one that Maud and Rolland felt for Cristabel and Ash.

The use of language and narrative resources is absolutely wonderful. I have been fascinated by the credibility it transmits. To believe that both La Motte and Robert Ash were real... the letters, the poems, the study and analysis of La Melusina are so fantastic. Everything in this reading, both the form and the content, makes it a unique experience.

Without a doubt, it is an unforgettable novel that has already found its place on my podium of favorite books and among the best that I have read this year. By the way, I don't want to return it to the library.

Vuelve la memoria
de una mano amada
en su ingenio gesto
prendida y besada.
(...)

No sufras el frío
sin nadie, sin nada.
Yo iré a estar contigo
desnuda y osada.

Que tus dedos duros
mi carne mojada
levanten el hueso
llegando hasta el alma.

Y que un solo aliento
-tu hielo y mi llama-
alimenten juntas
nuestras bocas blancas.

I read Possession: A Romance as my first Mookse and Gripes Goodreads group Booker revisit of the 1990 shortlist. Every so often, you come across a work of literature that is so erudite, so informed, and written in such a lyrical way as to be almost intimidating. Possession is a work of real scholarship.

How clever is A.S. Byatt? She combines poetry and prose, constructing a web of secret history around fictional characters. I bet every reader checks the Internet to see if this is fiction or reality, all convincingly set in a different (c.19th) century. The detail in the descriptions of natural history is awesome; the mid c.19th century was the time of Charles Darwin and scientific biology. Byatt's many poems, including Swammerdam, are comprehensible with a bit of research into the man himself (a microscopist).

And all this is set against multiple, smouldering love stories, which in turn reference another strong movement of the mid c.19th - gender politics and emerging feminism. This is a multi-layered book. The extensive poetry in Possession is challenging. Reading and comprehending this element of the book line by line is not a prerequisite for loving the main narrative, though I would very much like somebody with a feel for poetry to enlighten me further.

Byatt herself recognises the two (separate) schools: "the difference between poets and novelists is thus - that the former write for the life of language - and the latter write for the betterment of the world" (137). How to describe this book to potential readers? A story of poets engaged in literary banter, examined by academic scholars... This makes Possession sound very dry. It really isn't. How rare to find a book whose depth of language and range in expressing love and human emotion is wrapped around a developing storyline that is full of twists and turns - and a great finale.

Possession isn't dour. Byatt is positively Pynchonesque in her namings: Crabb Robinson; James Blackadder; Mortimer Cropper; Beatrice Nest. Professor Leonora Sterne deserves a book of her own - a real 'character'. In the c.21st century world of instant communication via emails and smartphones, of instant responses, Byatt reminds us of the enduring nature of the written word as she quotes Tennyson recalling "The noble letters of the dead" (107). Possession is a memorable book.

This is a rather challenging book to review as I find myself in a state of ambivalence towards it.

I delved into two versions of the story. Firstly, I read the ebook version which, unfortunately, was rather long-winded and tiresome. Having engaged in my fair share of academic pursuits, this book dredged up numerous dull memories.

The other version I explored was the heavily edited and dramatized one by the BBC. What a welcome relief that was! It truly demonstrates that every book can greatly benefit from a significant amount of editing.

I was actually able to enjoy a few love stories without having to wade through hundreds and hundreds of pages filled with allusions within the compendiums of several fictitious poets, mired in their suffocating cultural quagmires. The contrast is truly remarkable!

Sure, good writing is what it is, but I must assert that a truly brilliant writer would have presented her work in a style that doesn't deliberately alienate readers with tedious academic references. I mean, I've been a die-hard fantasy fan for many years. I can suspend my disbelief with minimal clues and simply assume that these characters are legitimate scholars (of fictional poets).

Sigh. Indeed, I am duly impressed by the sheer volume of tedium that the author incorporated into the book. Kudos. Of course, to be fair, we could have replaced all of the poems and academic content with zombies and the struggle to survive against all odds while engaged in a love affair, and both novels would have had a similar impact. They were both, at their core, survival fictions.

5 flabbergasted stars - this is my rating for the meticulously well-written masterpiece from AS Byatt. The Poems are not for the young lady, the young lady is for the Poems. It is an incredibly nuanced novel that leaves you in disbelief. There is an abundance of things to love about it. The exquisitely written letters of all kinds add a touch of elegance. The crafty and intelligent poetry is a delight to read. The epic intellectual romance is captivating. The characters are so well developed that you wish there were a hundred-book series about them. The amusing fairy tales bring a sense of charm. There is both veneration and sharp parody of feminist ideology, as well as celebration and satire of academic researchers who peer into the past with various lenses. Despite its dense content, Byatt manages to create an amazing thrill and anticipation throughout the novel.

Byatt's intensity and control of narration are truly unbelievable. It may take a while to get into the book, but after about 10%, not a single page is dull or tiresome. The epistolary portions are so exquisite and grandiloquent that it's hard not to get emotionally engaged. The poems are eclectic, presented in several flavors such as romance, fairy tales, biographies, philosophy, and wordplay. I estimate there are at least 50 poems, all of them delightful to read, except for the one on the fairy Melusine, which I thought was a bit overdone. Ash and Christabel are just outright awesome, and I no longer think of them as imaginary poets.

This is a highly satisfying read, and I look forward to reading more of Byatt's works.