'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 ...
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'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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Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.23, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1978 by Virago Press (UK).
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1978 by Virago Press (UK).
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1978 by Virago Press (UK).
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.23, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1978 by Virago Press (UK).
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.23, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1978 by Virago Press (UK).
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.29, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Penguin Group.
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.29, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Penguin Group.
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.29, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Penguin Group.
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $2.36, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by University of Notre Dame Press.
The sad story is that if I say too much good about this book, other readers might have high expectations and be disappointed.
The truth is that I was enchanted by Mary Webb's poetic writing and her descriptions of nature, as well as her insights into human nature! I also liked very much the strange, eerie "ambiance" of the whole story, and it's setting in what seems to be a past time long gone.
What more can I say? I fell in love with this book!
AOfromPA
Oct 25, 2009
Lyrical beauty
What I love are the descriptions of the beauty of Prue's surroundings: the fields, the hum of insects, rippling water ('troubling of the mere'), or the smell of apples in her attic. I believe that the 'severely dated' language mentioned by other reviewers evokes a place and time long gone but worth remembering. This and the gentle humor are what make Precious Bane one of the most poignant variations of the Cinderella story that I've ever read.
