Possession readalong is hosted by Kim of Sophisticated Dorkiness and Lu of Regular Rumination.
My Thoughts on Chapters 1-6:
It has started out kind of slow, but I'm still semi-curious. So the story is two literary researchers/post-grad students come together over an unfinished, previously undiscovered letter possibly between their two respective poets: one Randolph Henry Ash and one Christabel LaMotte. Both poets are fictional however some researching on my part reveals the relationship between the two is supposed to mirror the relationship between Robert Browning and Christina Rossetti. I think. I'm not sure. I'm not that literary and not into poetry.
I feel like that may be part of my problem thus far. I feel like there are these references that I should be getting but I'm not. Also, I have hard time wrapping my mind around someone whose job it is, is to research one person entirely. All of their letters, correspondence, works published and unpublished...is this an occupation some literary or academic types have? I never knew this existed I'm sure I sound ridiculous and unlearned, but seriously, I am not an English major so please clue me in people. I would appreciate it. FYI, my career is in the medical field, specifically related to Medicare rules and regulations, and some parts of it are utterly ridiculous. So I have no doubt what I think about our hero and heroine other would think of my career choice.
Anyway, our lead characters are Roland, who Care described quite accurately in a comment as a milktoast, and Maud who is a very strong female, possibly bordering on feminist. But I could be wrong on that. They are trying to solve this potential puzzle between their two poets quietly, because Ash is quite well known and already has two academics who are obsessed with him and could steal this find out from under them (Roland and Maud). It's actually Roland who starts all of this off but getting ballsy and taking the original unfinished letter that he found before anyone else. So far that's only manly thing that he is done.
The possible thief would be Mortimer Cropper who is not always honest when acquiring any and all items related to Ash, for his collection. The other academic, Blackadder, is a bit of a slow poke and at this point doesn't seem to be too much trouble. So yes that's as far as I got. Oh and I should mention inter-sprinkled in the text are poems, short stories, and letters from both Ash and LaMotte. LaMotte's tale was similar to a Grimm fairy tale, and I enjoyed it greatly. I enjoy her letters as well. Hmm that's interesting I don't like Roland and I don't like Ash, coincidence?
Roland and Maud are the brink of a discovery and that's where chapter 6 left off. On to chapter 7!!
© Jenny Girl - 2013 "All Rights Reserved"
