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Precious Bane
Series: Virago Modern Classics
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Check link for latest rating. ( 4,326 ratings, 806 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Precious Bane
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This historical fiction novel is ideal for readers who appreciate classic British literature, profound explorations of nature, and stories rich in rural settings and emotional depth. Fans of Thomas Hardy and evocative English countryside tales will find much to admire.
A bold reissue of a stunning novel in the tradition of Thomas Hardy and the Brontës - and a perennial favourite on the Virago Modern Classics list.
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Description
'Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer' Eloise Millar, Guardian
Prudence Sarn was born with a cleft palate, her 'precious bane', for which she is persecuted as a witch by her superstitious neighbours. Hiding from daily ridicule, she takes refuge in the wild Shropshire countryside, developing a profound love of nature. Furtively, Prue longs to be loved and harbours a hopeless passion for Kester Woodseaves, the weaver.
Prue's brother, Gideon, is engaged to her only friend, but in his ambition for wealth at any cost, he incurs the wrath of his would-be father-in-law whose act of vengeance results in Prue being accused of murder. Only Kester, who has perceived her true worth, can defend her from the wrath of her accusers.
Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, Precious Bane is a novel that enchants with its beauty and its timeless truths.
'With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb's quiet genius . . . When she died at the age of 46, literature lost a voice that promised to speak for Shropshire as poignantly as Thomas Hardy had spoken for Wessex, Emily Bronte for Yorkshire - New York Times
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Eloise Millar, Guardian: "Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer."
John Buchan: "Mary Webb need fear no comparison with any writer who has attempted to capture the soul of nature in words."
New York Times: "A substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb's quiet genius . . . literature lost a voice that promised to speak for Shropshire as poignantly as Thomas Hardy had spoken for Wessex."
Mail on Sunday: "A great mystic and a master of both ‘inscape’ and landscape, transporting readers to the Shropshire hills and the Welsh borderland."
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780349015644
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 June 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Virago Press Ltd
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 24.0mm
Width: 126.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 262g
Pages: 336
About the Author
Mary Webb (1881-1927), poet, mystic and lover of nature, spent most of her life in Shropshire, which features in all of her novels. Admiring contemporaries described Webb as a 'strange genius' and 'one of the best living writers'. After a life of illness and near-poverty, Mary Webb died in Hampstead.
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