PossessionPossession
Score Modern
What it's about
Roland Michell, a struggling young scholar in London, finds two drafts of a passionate letter written by a famous Victorian poet to an unknown woman. He teams up with Maud Bailey, a cool, guarded expert on another Victorian poet, Christabel LaMotte, and the two follow a trail of letters, journals and poems toward a secret love affair, while rival scholars race to beat them.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Booker Prize in 1990, is on TIME's list of the best novels and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It's a literary detective story and two love stories in one.
You'll love it if you liked
The Name of the Rose
Atonement
The Blind AssassinGood to know
It includes long Victorian poems and letters written by Byatt, which some readers skim. It's long and dense.
By the numbers
- Readers25 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics86 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller37 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #84 of the 233 romances we rank
- #125 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #574 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1095 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by A. S. Byatt
If you like this, read next
Brooklyn
Middlemarch
G.
Howards End
The French Lieutenant's Woman
The Red and the BlackExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Possession worth reading?
Yes. It won the Booker Prize in 1990, is on TIME's list of the best novels and was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #1,095 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Possession about?
Roland Michell, a struggling young scholar in London, finds two drafts of a passionate letter written by a famous Victorian poet to an unknown woman. He teams up with Maud Bailey, a cool, guarded expert on another Victorian poet, Christabel LaMotte, and the two follow a trail of letters, journals and poems toward a secret love affair, while rival scholars race to beat them.
How long does it take to read Possession?
About 14 hours (555 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Possession won?
Booker Prize winner (1990).
What should I read after Possession?
If you liked it, try The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, Atonement by Ian McEwan or The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.