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Precious Bane : Virago Modern Classics - Mary Webb

Precious Bane

By: Mary Webb

Paperback | 10 September 2021 | Edition Number 1

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'Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer' Eloise Millar, Guardian

Prudence Sarn was born with her 'precious bane', a cleft palate, for which she is persecuted as a witch by her superstitious neighbours. Hiding from daily ridicule, Prue takes refuge in the wild Shropshire countryside, developing a profound love of nature. Furtively, Prue dreams of being desired, of being kissed on the lips, 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,
,
Industry Reviews
Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer - Guardian

With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb's quiet genius; and it is for this country classic that she has been remembered ever since. 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

Mary Webb need fear no comparison with any writer who has attempted to capture the soul of nature in words

[Webb] was a great mystic and a master of both "inscape" and landscape. Any dull afternoon in London is lifted by being transported to the Mary Webb country of the Shropshire hills and the Welsh borderland - Mail on Sunday

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