In addition to being seriously dull, I really feel that Byatt didn't develop her primary characters well at all. But you can't just skim them because every 700 words or so, there is buried something of interest, without which the story will not hang together. In some kind of Victorian acadamese (I made that word up). Then there are some letters upon which the entire story hinges, and in these letters, Ash and LaMott are discussing poetry. She describes everything in excruciating detail to the point where the poor plot is smothered.

The first 300 pages are breathtakingly boring. But does a lot of work and a dose of creativity really mean she deserves the Booker? There's no doubt that Byatt put a LOT of work into this book. And the characters are revealed and developed through the same, plus a huge does of poetry. The tale is told through narration, letters, and journals. It's a real literary critics' kind of book.

Who does Ash love (not a huge spoiler at all to tell you LaMott) and what happened between them? In parallel, Roland and Maud develop their own romantic interest in one another during the course of trying to determine what really happened. And with that find, a mystery is launched. During some routine research, Roland finds a letter from Ash that suggests a romantic interest in a woman, not his wife. Possession is a book about two academics, Roland and Maud, who each are researching a different deceased poet, Ash and LaMott. I guess that all averages out to two stars.

Possession a romance by as byatt