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The Poets' Wives (2014)

by David Park(Favorite Author)

3.21 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1408846462 (ISBN13: 9781408846469)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Bloomsbury UK

review 1: Although billed as a novel about poets' wives, the book is in three distinct parts. The first part tells the story of William Blake's wife, Catherine; the second part that of Russian poet Osip Mandelstam's wife, Nadezhda; the third part that of fictional Irish poet Don and his wife Lydia. Blake was commonly regarded as a madman; Mandelstam was a victim of the Stalinist regime as he chose to write 'derogatory' poetry about Stalin; Don was not a greatly successful poet. The common theme shows the wives coming to terms with their husbands' deaths, each having to come to terms with the idea that they were not the most important thing in their respective husbands' lives (in all cases, their poetry and other women featured prominently), trying to preserve the integrity of their ... morehusbands' work and trying to cope with life alone. The most disturbing section was that of Nadezhda, feeling she has to keep constantly on the move around Russia to avoid her own arrest after her husband died in a gulag in 1938 and keeping her husbands' legacy intact by memorising all his works. The least satisfying for me was the first section featuring Blake's wife, Catherine, but even here the writing is lyrical and true to historical records, albeit with some interpretation by the author of her frame of mind. I have read all of David Park's works and enjoyed every one - he has a wonderful writing style, descriptive without being flowery, incisively examining the characters' thoughts and emotions as they assess their married lives and struggle to cope after their widowing. A lovely man (met him at a Derbyshire Readers' Day) and a wonderful author. Looking forward to more! Nearly 5 stars - 9.5/10.
review 2: This novel follows the lives of three poet's wives. The first is Catherine Blake, wife of William Blake, as she struggles to support a husband whose eccentric ways had many people thinking he was mad. His love for all of God's creatures opens the door to a young woman who threatens to destroy the life he and Catherine share. Then we meet Nadezhda Mandelstam, who under Stalin rule loses her husband, Russian Osip Mandelstam because of his poetry. Despite her husband's past philandering she holds dear his work, at great risk, altering her course in life. Her story leaves the reader with a heavy heart with her fear of trusting anyone, only able to imagine living in a country where speech isn't free, where words, spoken or written can cost you your life. The final story is a fictional couple, the wife of an Irish poet looks back over the life she shared with her husband and why she made the choice to stay. She must decide what to do with his legacy, whether or not to publish work that leaves his infidelities fresh in writing, as in her heart. The Poets' Wives asks the question, is art worthy of personal sacrifice? The stories are like walking on glass, and it dispels any romantic myths about serving as muse or wife to great artists. Strong women indeed. This novel left me with a sad heart, but it was wonderfully imaginative. less

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