Some of my non-literature friends, may find the poetry laborious- but I loved that I was on the hunt to uncover the Secret right along with the protagonists - and that there were 'secrets' within the poems that had yet to be discovered. There are twists and turns to the story but they're not expected - and this includes the romance (or lack thereof) of Maud and Roland. It's a heck of a good read - and nothing is quite predictable. The author, A.S.Byatt, has created a mystery within history not to mention, has written poems and diary entries that are true to Victorian minds and times.

Following the Christabel clue, Roland is led to the work of contemporary researcher Maud Bailey and together the two of them spend most of the novel, tracking down clues and uncovering the hidden history between the two poets. Very early in the story, Roland finds that the woman to whom the letters were written was another Victorian poet, Christabel LaMott. Roland 'steals' the letters and begins his obsession with solving the mystery of who the woman was and what was the nature of their relationship. Inside the thick, black book covered with dust, Roland finds two letters written by Randolph Henry Ash that are affectionate and imply an interest in another woman that is clearly not the poet's wife. The story begins in the Reading Room of the London Library where the main character, Roland Mitchell, as a postdoctoral research assistant at London University, is conducting research on a famous Victorian poet, Randolph Henry Ash. Well, Possession is not necessarily an easy read nor is it a typical love story.It is, however, a beautifully well-written, wonderful novel that I would definitely read again.

Possession as byatt review