Rating: 
Summary: Rich, nuanced, thought-provoking
Review: I spent a whole weekend in bed reading this book, and when I finished I started all over again. Possession has everything in it: literary detective story, epistolary love affair, 19th century epic poetry, academic intrigue, slowly simmering romance. In a nutshell, two 20th century literary scholars, Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey, uncover evidence of a previously-unknown relationship between the two 19th century poets they study, Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel La Motte, respectively. Realizing their findings may overturn received wisdom on these poets and their work, Roland and Maud pull out all stops to figure out what went on between them, nasty academic rivals hot on their heels. Beyond the wonderfully suspenseful plot, Possession is a tale about knowledge: how knowledge is built through scholarship, how knowledge of the past must come through the written word, how knowledge may be only problematically related to 'truth.' To appreciate this book fully, it helps to like 19th century English poetry, as many clues are embedded in the mock poems of Ash and La Motte; however, if such poems are not to your taste, they can be fruitfully skimmed. But then, this is part of the beauty of the book: it offers a rich, nuanced story for your mind to roam over, and while the plot itself is wonderful, if you choose to read thoughtfully and delve into the nuance, Byatt gives you much, much more to pleasurably contemplate.
Rating:
Summary: Probably one of the 20 finest books I've ever read
Review: I'd never read A. S. Byatt's work before, but when a friend gave me "Possession" for Christmas, I decided to read it before the movie version came out (on August 16th, 2002). I finished it utterly in awe of Byatt's prodigious grasp of a wide range of subjects: poetry, fiction, Victorian manners and symbolism, academic jealousy, and more. She combines all these, not to mention a rollicking good mystery, in "Possession" with an assurance and ease that belie the complexity of the book.Briefly, Byatt interweaves a modern-day academic mystery with a Victorian romance. Her modern-day main characters, Maud Bailey and Roland Michell, join forces to uncover the truth behind the many Victorian veils involved in covering up the Victorian romance between Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. The ending is supremely powerful and feels exactly right given the preceding pages. Byatt writes gorgeous, intricate poetry on the part of both Ash and LaMotte, and both poets come vividly to life via Byatt's poems and the letters she writes from their point of view. So, too, do Bailey and Michell come alive as flesh-and-blood characters here. Byatt's astonishing trick is to keep them separate, yet intertwined across the span of a century, and to make each of their wants and desires vividly real. "Possession" is a masterful work. It gives me hope for the modern novel in a way no other book has in years. I salute Byatt for her imagination and her prose, not to mention her poetry. I stand in awe of this immensely rewarding book and recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: True, it's difficult, but the poetry is worth it
Review: I read this book a long time ago (maybe four years ago), but I still think it's one of the best books I ever read. Admittedly, it's a difficult read. (Warning: do not take this book on a road trip or on the beach wih you!) Byatt has an incredibly poetic writing style (and actually wrote considerable amounts of poetry for this book). I think the language alone is worth the 'work' of reading this book, but she manages to combine her linguistic finesse with a compelling story. I would liken this book to Doctor Zhivago: a great love story crossing historical boundaries, with lots of poetry. I can see how it's not for everyone though. If you don't have patience for long descriptive passages, no matter how beautifully written, then don't waste your time or money on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: What taught me that pretty covers do not pretty books make
Review: Everyone has undoubtedly heard the maxim "Never judge a book by it's cover." It holds just as true when taken literally. I picked this book up for because the painting used on the cover caught my eye. I decided to use it for an oral book report in my English class. I started reading expecting a moving, amazing book. All I got was boring stuff for 495 pages with the last 5 being of any interest at all, that was 3 years ago and to this day I recall the absolute bore that this book was. The idea is interesting to be sure, but when it's bogged down by bad poetry and characters who aren't fully drawn it becomes a book that personally wasn't worth the paper that it was printed on. I may not be some literary critic, but I do know what doesn't work. If however you are looking for some good modern writers may I suggest Gregory Maguire, Daniel Handler, and Jeffrey Eugenides.
Rating: 
Summary: Complicated but a good read
Review: To be honest, I read Possession because my English teacher persuaded me to. I started out quite skeptical but as the book went on I became really engrosed in it. I loved the way the story unravelled of the secret romance but I didn't find the poetry or the letters very interesting. Despite it being a really interesting book, I was slightly disappointed with the ending which I thought could have been worked on more.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Possession is a great love story and is beautifully written. One of the best novels I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A Reader's Novel
Review: I took out Possession twice from the library. I couldn't finish it the first time... it was so DENSE. (A very common reaction, I've since learned, when reading Possession.) But after you get over a particular section involving very long-winded letters between two Victorian poets, the story goes reeling and I ended up in tears near the end... I can still quote from the letter Christabel LaMotte wrote to Ash, a letter that never reached him. Hell. Who DOESN'T want to have loved somebody that much? I don't think many critics have mentioned this, but to me, the supporting characters really MAKE the book. I was touched by Byatt's knowing yet sympathetic portrayal of Ellen Ash, who very secretly wished to be a poet but became the lantern bearer for one instead, or of Dr. Beatrice Nest, a mild literary scholar working on "womanly work" when she really wants to sink her teeth into what truly makes her tick, the painter Blanche Glover and her descriptions of light and the depiction of force (the complete text of her suicide note is given at one point)... there's a very, very moving passage around the end of the book where Ellen sifts through the remains of Ash's things and decides what to do with Christabel's letter. For the aspiring writers out there, there's an important passage on words around the end where Roland suddenly discover's he's a poet and the poems "fall like rain." I know everyone hates the poems but they are really worth reading and thinking about; if you like Emily Dickinson you'll love Christabel's poems. I hope Byatt has the full text of "Ask and Embla" somewhere. The best thing about Possession is that it understands people who think literature MEANS something beyond being a lovely way to kill time. It understands those quiet but passionate people you see browsing in bookstores, who write reviews on Amazon.com, who, at a used bookstore, find joy in finding an out-of-print-book they've been DYING to read for years. It's a book that understands YOU.
Rating:
Summary: A heavy but worthy read...
Review: Possession is probably the most difficult but unique book I have ever read. A.S. Byatt is obviously very talented and much deserving of the Booker Prize. Possession is truly a tour-de-force of many facets, although the writing style and complexity of the story may be a bit much for some. Roland Michell, an academic and researcher of the 19th century poet, Randolph Henry Ash, has stumbled across something that could change the very foundation of his research: two drafts of a letter that Ash sent to a mysterious woman, who later is found to be another poet, Christabel LaMotte. Roland enlists the help of the LaMotte scholar, Maud Bailey, to fit the puzzle pieces together. The fact that Ash is married and LaMotte a supposed lesbian and feminist makes this journey of discovery one that will change the face of history as they've known it. And as their research takes them further along, the mystery and suspense builds, letter by letter, until the fascinating climax at the novel's end. This book, regardless of its stunning display of talent, will not be for everyone. It took me on a roller coaster ride throughout with its high and low points as my interest in the story waxed and waned. Interspersed with poetry, diary entries, letters, and passages from books makes Possession a very unique and creative novel; however, these things which make it unique also has the capacity to tear it down -- some of the poetry could have been left out, and the letters, albeit important to the story, were at times laborous. Possession is a literature buff's dream novel. Reader's who enjoy 19th century British literature and can actually understand poetry of that century will get more out of this novel than I did. Throughout my reading, my rating hovered between 3 and 4 stars, but decided to round up simply for the fact that Possession is truly a novel of dynamic proportions. It'll just take me a second read-around to understand it better.
Rating: 
Summary: Possession: A Romance
Review: I need to qualify my previous review because when I wrote it, I had 150 pages left to go. I still believe my assessment is on point for the first 2/3 of the book. However, in all fairness, I must admit, the last 150+ pages were rather engaging, and NOTHING like the rest of the book. It is almost as though Byatt wrote the first 400 pages or so, put the novel down for a long time and came back to it a much better writer. I was pleasantly surprised to find rich language, a better flow in style, and deeper character development. (Even the poetry seemed better--I didn't have to skip it!) Please forgive my previously negative review. I honestly thought I had read everything I needed to in order to write about the book. If you can take the beginning and the middle, the end (although somewhat predictable) is truly a pleasure to read. I stand corrected.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasures Finely Flavored
Review: Possession is a gourmet feast of subtle flavors and delicate spice. When it was first placed in my hands by a fellow writer in anticipation of my delight... I recognized the classically beautiful cover. I had picked this book up several times in a bookstore, several times put it down again. A romance? Not tonight, honey. Too often that label turns to something sickly sweet, nothing but indigestible corn. Mmm, but not this dish. This time I bit in. The more I tasted, the more I wanted. Byatt's prose is rich. Her attention to detail brings her created world alive to all senses. It is nearly impossible to write a fresh love story... haven't they all been told? And this one, a Victorian tale superimposed over a modern day tale of hearts, holds no new revelations on the theme. All the more impressive that Byatt so entices. Her scenes of intimacy perhaps impressed me most of all. Not the graphic slop so often appearing on the bestseller table, so cheaply won -- hers are subtle and fine, elegant and true, exquisite. "They took to silence. They touched each other without comment and without progression. A hand on a hand, a clothed arm, resting on an arm. An ankle overlapping an ankle, as they sat on a beach, and not removed. One night they fell asleep, side by side, on Maud's bed, where they had been sharing a glass of Calvados. He slept curled against her back, a dark comma against her pale elegant phrase." Perhaps the finish of the book is a bit predictable... but no less rings true and satisfying. One closes the cover with regret at the leaving behind of this lavish language, this world of lovers in two such different times who have connected both in body and mind. I am inspired to reach with a real hunger for the next Byatt treasure.
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